In the era preceding European contact there were many cultural and linguistic sub-groups within the Indian population of the North West Coast area of North America. Intercommunication among the several sub-groups appears to have been limited. Although these people had varying attitudes to their young and although their training devices were informal, they educated their children systematically and with objectives which encompassed more than mere race survival. They taught the children practical and social skills and inculcated moral values by techniques common in modern times. The first non-Indians to arrive in the area widened the horizons of the inhabitants somewhat, and had the Indians not been subsequently overwhelmed by waves of settlers, their adoption of a new and broader culture might have progressed more rapidly. They were, however, isolated by a system of reserves and relegated to an inferior social and economic status which tended to aggravate their time-honoured distrust for outsiders. The missionaries, with financial assistance from the Federal Government, first provided the children of British Columbia's Indians with a measure of segregated, formal education. Their efforts met with limited success. Some literacy, nevertheless, was achieved enabling the majority to accept the Christian religion and providing a foundation for the better organized education program which was to develop. After World War II when the Indians themselves began to remonstrate, other citizens became concerned about the ineffectual education being provided to Indian children. Two results of these protests developed concurrently—the Government of Canada took a series of steps which vastly improved the existing system of segregated schools and the public school authorities, with the active support of federal officials, aggressively undertook to integrate the Indian children into non-Indian schools. With the full consent of their parents, almost half of the Indian pupils have now been integrated; the remainder continue to receive their education separated from other Canadian children. There are two major difficulties in increasing the proportion of Indian children attending the public schools: [ ... ] / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

The purpose of this study is to explore the roles and uses of multiple literacies in the lives of four Lakota and Dakota (Sioux) young adolescents who live and attend school in a predominantly white community in southeastern South Dakota. Significant to this research is a focus on the perceptions of the participants themselves about their literacy experiences both in and out of school. In addition to describing the participants' uses of reading and writing, this study examines the ways in which they construct meaning through other sign systems such as visual art, music, and movement or dance. As ethnographic case study research, this investigation employs data collection techniques such as participant and non-participant observation, use of fieldnotes, in-depth interviewing, and sampling of literacy artifacts. Also reflective of ethnographic research, this study is developed within historical and sociocultural frameworks. In the review of literature and in the collection of data, the influences of different cultures--American Indian cultures, mainstream culture, school culture, and popular culture--are examined to understand their impact on the participants' transactions with literacy. The findings of this study indicate that the participants' uses of literacy reflect the needs and/or issues that are most central in their lives. Most significantly, the participants use literacy to explore and express their self-identity and to examine issues, such as prejudice, racism, and discrimination, that are critical to them. Another important finding of this study is that the participants possess literacy strengths and knowledge that are not fully revealed within the school setting.

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This is an ethnographic study conducted in a first grade classroom where the learning environment was structured by a teacher using a whole language philosophy. The focus of the study was on the instructional and social organization of the classroom and how they influenced the literacy learning of Yaqui Indian students. This classroom was selected because it was reputed as providing an effective learning environment. The study was developed to investigate the discontinuity and mismatch theory. This theory suggests that the interactional styles, ways of learning, and experiences of Indian children in the home/community may not match those typically used in schools. These cultural differences may affect their learning in the classroom. Data was gathered through being a participant observer in the classroom during three school years; formal and informal interviews with the teacher, students, parents of the Yaqui students, and staff members; examination of school documents and records; a teacher-researcher dialogue journal; and the attendance of events in the school and community. The findings are presented through a description and interpretation of events in the classroom. They are based on the understanding of how one teacher organized the learning environment to accommodate the Yaqui students' experiences and cultural background while facilitating literacy learning. The findings incorporate the most recent theories of language organization of instruction, the social organization in the classroom, and the teacher interacted together to create a social context that contributed to the quality of learning and participation in the classroom. This is a case study of a classroom with a relatively unique population of students and a particular teacher. What can be generalized from this study to other classrooms is an understanding of the influence the instructional and social organization has on student learning and a methodology that can be used to study this issue. The learning theories, organization of instruction and social organization described can serve as an example for other teachers and illustrate the power of this methodology.

This study examines the history of Navajo literacy and its meaning in the lives and teaching practices of three Native American Indian bilingual teachers. The autobiographies of the teachers were recorded in the form of life history interviews and analyzed in relation to an historical account of Navajo education which integrates public documents, archival materials, research in literacy in multi-ethnic communities, and Navajo children's literature. This study includes a bibliography of Navajo language literature from 1940-1990 which has been categorized by title, date, publisher, and curriculum topic.

This ethnographic study examines the unique schooling experiences of Yaqui students in an urban public school setting in Tucson, Arizona. The dissertation focuses on life narratives as a means of understanding how contemporary Yaqui adults view formal education, the struggles they endured to maintain their cultural identity within a mainstream educational environment, and Yaqui-defined factors contributing to the diminished and differential school success experienced by present-day Yaqui youth. The study enlisted 10 Yaqui individuals who resided in Old Pascua at the time of their elementary and secondary schooling, and who represented a range of ages and schooling levels. Old Pascua was chosen because it was established as the first Yaqui community in Tucson and because of Yaqui student attendance in specific schools. Critical theory provides the study's theoretical framework. Such a framework illuminates both the institutional practices and policies which contribute to the limited success of minority students, and the means of transforming those limiting conditions. Yaqui oral narrative accounts serve as the primary documentation and critique of existing educational institutions. The individual and collective struggles revealed in these first-hand accounts, as well as the social, political, and historical factors impacting the lives of Yaqui individuals, are examined. This documentation and a thematic analysis of the accounts suggest several institutionally produced factors that contributed to Yaqui students' lack of school success: the hidden curriculum of school; family support for education; and perceptions related to success. These themes are explored relative to the lives of Yaqui individuals, to research literature, and to critical theory. Finally, participant-generated recommendations for institutional change are discussed. These include changes in school and community relations, relevance of schooling, and economic factors. This study provides insights into the uniqueness of Yaqui school experiences and extends the current body of literature on American Indian/Alaska Native education by considering schooling from a neglected perspective--one informed by Yaqui individuals themselves. By examining the complex array of factors contributing to Yaqui students' diminished school success, the study also joins microethnography, macroethnography, and critical theory in a unified, systemic approach.

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No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree and type of participation of selected Navajo educators. A questionnaire was developed for this study to allow categorization of the participant's responses of frequencies of participation at specific administrative levels and institutional functions. Selected elementary and secondary schools were visited by appointment and thirty-two participants volunteered for this study. A diversity of Navajo educators was represented, according to background information obtained. Participants included both males and females, ages twenty-one to sixty, one to sixteen years of teaching experience, on-campus and on-site degree program graduates, public and B.I.A. school systems, six individual schools, and administrators and teachers. Overall, the greatest frequency of participation was as follows: For the Policy and Planning and Coordinating and Developing levels, student services (assessment and counselling) and curricular activities were highest, respectively. Daily teaching and administering duties were highest, as would be expected, at the Supervising and Implementing level with curriculum development and student counselling and assessment next highest, respectively. Considering background characteristics, a public school district, an individual public school, males, the thirty to thirty-nine age group, on-campus program graduates, those with six years of teaching experience total or within a school district each reported the highest frequency of participation when compared within categories, respectively. Based on the overall mean of frequencies reported, high or low values were assigned. When the chi square statistic was employed, three significant relationships were found within background groups: those with Master's degrees; those with six to sixteen years of teaching; those with five to twelve years in a school; and those from one university had significantly higher frequencies. This study was exploratory in nature; and it is not known to what degree the conclusions could be extended to the general population of Navajo educators. The Navajo educators studied did participate to some degree at all levels in all school functions. Certain groups reported more participation, and those with Bachelor's degrees, fewer than six years of teaching experience, and fewer than five years in a school reported significantly lower frequencies of participation.

No description available.