The Saskatchewan First Nations leadership development study is essentially a continuation of my previous research on First Nations leadership and spirituality (2002). The purpose of this study was to explore First Nations leadership and leadership development in Saskatchewan within the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations organizational context. To accomplish this, the study involved an extensive literature review on Indigenous and Western leadership and leadership development theories. Further, an examination of four established and prominent North American Indigenous leadership development programs was conducted to gain further understanding of Indigenous leadership. In addition, 10 First Nations leaders from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations participated in in-depth interviews. <p>Qualitative inquiry was chosen for this study because qualitative research methods were congruent with First Nations methods of sharing and preserving information. In-depth interviews with semi-structured questions were conducted to obtain information on Saskatchewan First Nations leadership and leadership development. All but one participant agreed to the use of an audio taped interview. Once the interviews were complete, Atlas-ti, a computer software program, was used to assist in the coding, categorizing, and thematic emergence process. <p>The four Aboriginal leadership development programs that were examined were University of Arizonas Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, Pennsylvania States American Indian Leadership Program, Banff Centres Aboriginal Leadership and Management Program, and the Aboriginal Leadership Institute Incorporated, located in Winnipeg. These programs strived to remain current and were involved in research initiatives. Moreover, they all attempted to incorporate First Nations culture, history, and issues alongside Western leadership skills, training, and education. They evolved, adapted, and were sensitive to change and innovation in leadership development. First Nations leadership development programs, like those studied, are valuable because they unite Aboriginal leadership for the purpose of personal and professional growth.<p>The First Nations leaders that participated in this study shared personal and professional leadership and leadership development experiences and philosophy. <p>The leaders indicated that being a First Nations leader was challenging because it continuously contended with two fundamentally different cultures Western and First Nations. In addition, First Nations poverty, lack of funding, residential school effects, addictions, among other things, made leadership difficult. Because First Nations leadership is physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually taxing, many of the Chiefs cited internal rather than material satisfaction. Moreover, these leaders were often motivated by a cause and the desire for collective well-being and positive change. Family, community members, other leaders, Elders, and the Creator were acknowledged as sources of strength and inspiration. <p>The First Nations leaders who participated in the study perceived leadership development as a life-long process of formal and informal learning experiences. Consequently, many of the leaders indicated that leadership development began in childhood with individual and family development. The leaders described a First Nations leadership development program that was flexible (able to work in community, tribal, and provincial settings), cognizant of First Nations culture, needs, and issues, and aware of current and innovative leadership practices. First Nations leadership development should also incorporate Western knowledge, skills, and education. <p>This First Nations leadership investigation has provided invaluable insight into the values, beliefs, worldview, and philosophies that entail and ultimately constitute Indigenous leadership and leadership development. Studies that focus on Indigenous leadership development ultimately have significant implications for theory, research, fundamental, and practical applications for learning organizations.

The purpose of this thesis was to explore Dakota Aboriginal caregivers' involvement in their children's education. The needs of Aboriginal parents, who may share different perspectives regarding the purposes of education, have been ignored historically because of North American assimilation policies. Thus, listening respectfully to the voices of the Wahpeton Dakota caregivers and understanding their involvement in their children's education has been the intent of this research. Qualitative research techniques were used to elicit narratives through semi-structured interviews. The participants in this research were able to reflect back to their childhood educational experiences- traditional and formal- and accept the sometimes troubled experiences that their education provided. Resilience prevailed, as the Aboriginal parents and care givers in this study envisioned a positive future for their own children.<p> The participants' narratives reflected similar, yet different expectations for "formal" education. In mainstream research literature, when educators define parent/care giver involvement, the ideal parent has been described as somehow directly involved in the school setting. This thesis challenges that perception and creates a different understanding of education for Wahpeton caregivers and its relevance to their children's lives. The Wahpeton parents and caregivers saw education as much more than academics. This viewpoint has the potential to provide a much more balanced, inclusive education process for our Aboriginal children.

The Saskatchewan First Nations leadership development study is essentially a continuation of my previous research on First Nations leadership and spirituality (2002). The purpose of this study was to explore First Nations leadership and leadership development in Saskatchewan within the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations organizational context. To accomplish this, the study involved an extensive literature review on Indigenous and Western leadership and leadership development theories. Further, an examination of four established and prominent North American Indigenous leadership development programs was conducted to gain further understanding of Indigenous leadership. In addition, 10 First Nations leaders from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations participated in in-depth interviews. <p>Qualitative inquiry was chosen for this study because qualitative research methods were congruent with First Nations methods of sharing and preserving information. In-depth interviews with semi-structured questions were conducted to obtain information on Saskatchewan First Nations leadership and leadership development. All but one participant agreed to the use of an audio taped interview. Once the interviews were complete, Atlas-ti, a computer software program, was used to assist in the coding, categorizing, and thematic emergence process. <p>The four Aboriginal leadership development programs that were examined were University of Arizonas Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, Pennsylvania States American Indian Leadership Program, Banff Centres Aboriginal Leadership and Management Program, and the Aboriginal Leadership Institute Incorporated, located in Winnipeg. These programs strived to remain current and were involved in research initiatives. Moreover, they all attempted to incorporate First Nations culture, history, and issues alongside Western leadership skills, training, and education. They evolved, adapted, and were sensitive to change and innovation in leadership development. First Nations leadership development programs, like those studied, are valuable because they unite Aboriginal leadership for the purpose of personal and professional growth.<p>The First Nations leaders that participated in this study shared personal and professional leadership and leadership development experiences and philosophy. <p>The leaders indicated that being a First Nations leader was challenging because it continuously contended with two fundamentally different cultures Western and First Nations. In addition, First Nations poverty, lack of funding, residential school effects, addictions, among other things, made leadership difficult. Because First Nations leadership is physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually taxing, many of the Chiefs cited internal rather than material satisfaction. Moreover, these leaders were often motivated by a cause and the desire for collective well-being and positive change. Family, community members, other leaders, Elders, and the Creator were acknowledged as sources of strength and inspiration. <p>The First Nations leaders who participated in the study perceived leadership development as a life-long process of formal and informal learning experiences. Consequently, many of the leaders indicated that leadership development began in childhood with individual and family development. The leaders described a First Nations leadership development program that was flexible (able to work in community, tribal, and provincial settings), cognizant of First Nations culture, needs, and issues, and aware of current and innovative leadership practices. First Nations leadership development should also incorporate Western knowledge, skills, and education. <p>This First Nations leadership investigation has provided invaluable insight into the values, beliefs, worldview, and philosophies that entail and ultimately constitute Indigenous leadership and leadership development. Studies that focus on Indigenous leadership development ultimately have significant implications for theory, research, fundamental, and practical applications for learning organizations.

The Saskatchewan Indian Community College (SICC) is an institution of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) having the mandate to deliver occupational training progams to Indian people in Saskatchewan. For the years of this study, 1976-1981,the SICC delivered approximately 250 occupational training programs to nearly 3000 students.This study is the first attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of these training programs in a systematic manner. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the SICC occupational training programs and to make recommendations regarding the future operation of these programs.<p> The main goal of SICC occupational training programs is to provide their recipients with skills to advance to either further levels of training or to employment, As a result,the Decision Making Model of evaluation was utilized in order to gain adequate information on the results of SICC training in relation to employment. In order to obtain a broader perspective in terms of all the impacts of SICC training, the Goal Free Model was also used.<p> Data for this study was collected through interviews administered by research assistants. Research assistants were trained in a week-long orientation and skill session to prepare them to conduct student follow-up interviews. The research assistants travelled to reserves to interview as many former SICC students as possible. A total of 806 of 2909 former SICC students were interviewed for this study between June,1982 to August,1982.<p> The Adult Basic Education student completion rate was 60.8 per cent and it was 70.5 per cent for skills training. The pre-training Adult Basic Education employment rate was 33.5 per cent as compared to 33.3 per cent after training. The pre-training skills training employment rate was 33.3 per cent as opposed to 54.6 per cent after training. While SICC training is one variable affecting the employability of students, the difference may be the result of a number of variables of which SICC training is only one.<p>Former SICC students generally were satisfied with and perceived their training to have been of high quality but found the training to be of limited value in gaining employment. The training was of limited benefit in such unintended areas of increasing the respondents' self-confidence, their involvement in band affairs, their incomes and their children's attendance in school by their example.<p>There are a number of structural barriers limiting the effectiveness of the College's occupational training programs . These include(a)the lack of positive definition of the type of institution that the College is or should be, b)a complicated program identification, request, and approval process,(c)lack of accreditation of skills and trades programs,d)lack of a student support system and strategy, and (e) inadequate linkages between training and economic development and employment opportunities. Recommendations from the study include ensuring (a) that the nature of the SICC as an educational institution be positively defined and that this definition take into account the complex set of factors affecting the College, (b) that SICC training fits into a larger strategy of economic and employment development, (c) that a comprehensive set of occupational training opportunities exist, (d) that training be fully accredited and recognized, and (e) that links be made between Adult Basic Education programs and skill programs and employment.<p>This study provides a baseline of information on the SICC and the effectiveness of its occupational training programs . There needs to be further research in this area to develop a model for the delivery of occupational training that can be generally applied .

The purpose of this study was to describe how three pupils in the senior room of Wandering Spirit Survival School in Toronto responded behaviorally to the cultural and academic experiences provided. Participant observation was used to collect data for the study during the period of September 10 to November 15, 1981. Information concerning pupil behavior was gathered during: periods of total-class instruction and periods of individual instruction by the regular classroom teacher; individually-assigned task time; class sessions with visiting resource persons; free time; Ojibway and French language instruction; instruction at Winchester Public School; Sacred Circle feasts; and recess. Pupil seatwork was collected and studied. Additional information was obtained through interviews with the three Subjects and with the director.<p>The study was conducted over a period of ten weeks and totalled ninety-seven hours fifty-one minutes of observation time. The Subjects were students in the senior room of Wandering Spirit Survival School, an alternative school for native children in Toronto, and their class consisted of thirteen pupils from grades five to eight. The procedures of this study yielded descriptive data of each Subject's behavior during the various types of activities observed. From the behavioral data, an account described each S's behavior over the ten-week study period, as it occurred in various situations and with various instructors/resource persons.' Frequency of behavior and changes in behavior were noted. The behavior of Ss was also discussed in light of the cultural and academic goals of the school. The data suggested that the school was partially meeting its cultural goals and was failing to meet its academic goals in the case of the three Ss studied.<p>Wandering Spirit Survival School aimed at providing a safe, nonthreatening environment for its pupils. The atmosphere of the school and the cultural activities of the Sacred Circle, feasts, and Ojibway language instruction were found to be useful in creating a sense of pride in being Indian for the three Ss of the study. More could have been done in providing pupils with a knowledge and understanding of native heritage, native history, and contemporary native issues. Although Ojibway language was taught three times a week, the three Ss of the study had not learned to read, write, or speak any of the language during the ten weeks of this study.<p>A second goal of Wandering Spirit Survival School was to prepare pupils academically so that, if they chose, they could successfully continue their education beyond grade eight. Observations suggested that the three Ss of the study were not being academically prepared for high school according to this study. The Ss spent a great deal of class instruction time engaged in other activities: talking, drawing pictures, walking around, playing with articles at their desks, leaving the room Their behavior was the same regardless of who the instructor was. The Ss were most attentive during audio-visual presentations and during lessons involving activity on the part of pupils. However, the teaching done at the school involved, for the most part, the use of textbooks and workbooks.<p>The teacher appeared to hold higher expectations for Jim than for Donald and Agnes. These expectations were reflected in the small amount<br> [Abstract truncated. Pages iv - v missing from thesis.]

The purpose of this thesis was to explore Dakota Aboriginal caregivers' involvement in their children's education. The needs of Aboriginal parents, who may share different perspectives regarding the purposes of education, have been ignored historically because of North American assimilation policies. Thus, listening respectfully to the voices of the Wahpeton Dakota caregivers and understanding their involvement in their children's education has been the intent of this research. Qualitative research techniques were used to elicit narratives through semi-structured interviews. The participants in this research were able to reflect back to their childhood educational experiences- traditional and formal- and accept the sometimes troubled experiences that their education provided. Resilience prevailed, as the Aboriginal parents and care givers in this study envisioned a positive future for their own children.<p> The participants' narratives reflected similar, yet different expectations for "formal" education. In mainstream research literature, when educators define parent/care giver involvement, the ideal parent has been described as somehow directly involved in the school setting. This thesis challenges that perception and creates a different understanding of education for Wahpeton caregivers and its relevance to their children's lives. The Wahpeton parents and caregivers saw education as much more than academics. This viewpoint has the potential to provide a much more balanced, inclusive education process for our Aboriginal children.

I hypothesize that specific aspects of education are central to the revitalization of culture amongst Aboriginal peoples in Ontario, and that this revitalization is integral to cultural continuity. I will show the relationship between key aspects of education and cultural revitalization as I track and assess the impacts of Ontario's high school Native Studies suite of courses. The key aspects are: the ability to generate and control content, the content itself (who it targets and serves and how it is applied) and how innovative ideas are implemented, through what processes and with whose help. Recent trends emerging from the analysis of Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) data on the implementation of its suite of ten Native Studies high school courses suggest that the consistent efforts of several generations of First Nations, Métis and Inuit educators working behind the scenes since the late 1960s have resulted in significant and meaningful increases in the number of Native Studies courses offered, the number of schools and school boards offering them, and the number of students enrolling. Considering the context of Aboriginal education in Ontario since the 1960s these general results may certainly be interpreted as progressive. I discuss seven catalysts that have had an indisputable influence over the ability of Indigenous educators to exercise an increasing degree of control over the Ontario Ministry of Education Native Studies curricula. While acknowledging the perspectives of scholars such as Taiaiake Albert, Maria Battiste, Pamela Palmater and Marie Brant-Castellano who argue for “Indian control of Indian education” based on the inherent right of Indigenous peoples to self-government - enshrined in Canada’s “Constitution Act” (1982) - my findings indicate that, given the resources and opportunity to lead the creation of Native Studies courses in Ontario, many Indigenous educators, leaders and communities have opted to take proactive roles in the process, all the while participating in the struggle for the Indigenous constitutionally-inherent right to control all aspects of their education. I argue that we are seeing a resurgence of Indigenous cultures in Canada, and more particularly in Ontario. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-18 18:20:07.041

This qualitative case study explored the response of four practicing non-Aboriginal teachers related to preservice training and effectiveness. Each of the participants involved in this research project was an experienced teacher with a minimum of five years of teaching experience. This case study is framed within the conceptual context of cultural responsivity. The research questions were: What do four non-Aboriginal teachers with over five years experience working with Aboriginal students describe as qualities of effective teaching in this context? What are some of the major social justice issues that teachers need to address in order to be both successful and effective when working with Aboriginal students? Methods for data collection included semi-structured interviews during which the participants shared their stories. These conversations were audio taped and the audio tape recordings were transcribed. The transcriptions were analyzed to determine insights from the stories. Those teachers who are interested in learning about being an effective teacher of Aboriginal students will find the stories insightful. While the researcher and participants were non-Aboriginal the stories may be helpful for all teachers, regardless of their ethnic or cultural background, as they work with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. The implications of this study are that further research is needed in the areas of Teacher Education, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and Teacher Effectiveness.

Woolum Bellum KODE (Koorie Open Door Education) School is located at Morwell in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria. The school is unique in that its curriculum is centred on the Gunnai/Kurnai language and culture of the traditional owners. The aim of this thesis is to describe and tell the history of Woolum Bellum School. My research questions are: 1. what led to the establishment of the Woolum Bellum KODE School? What are the critical success factors of the school attaining autonomy within the Victorian State Education system? The story of Woolum Bellum and its journey is important in the context of sharing knowledge. It exemplifies how a school like Woolum Bellum can be autonomous and how it presents a challenge as it comes to terms with what works and why. As a community we can assess the overall success of the school in terms of outcomes for the community. The benefits are seen in the generation of young people who attended the school over the past fifteen years. Their experience of schooling at Woolum Bellum as opposed to their experiences in the mainstream system amounts to significant successes. My ways of knowing have informed how I have used a method of research that respects my knowledge gifted from my Elders and Ancestors. My indigenous ways respected in using Dadirri as a methodology for narrative inquiry in research underpins and informs respect for honouring an indigenous paradigm; with tools within that paradigm to guide and shape my research. My cultural ways of knowing, my guidance in reciprocal and respectful relationships, talking together in circles, telling stories in conversations, and understanding community are at the core of these ways of knowing. My quilts crafted with multiple layers of knowledge offer the community a visual representation of the journey. They share the narrative and knowledge in conversations and in stories. They are relational and interrelated and they interpret the issues from my ways of knowing. This is a story I have shared with others already who believed in the possibilities for a Woolum Bellum School. Like me, they welcomed the challenges, the responsibilities that came with it to our community and Elders. And like me, the community held on to the dream that time and through listening, through learning and with knowledge, the possibility remains.

The purpose of this research project has been to gain a deeper awareness of the practice of Cultural Awareness Training and to develop resources that will support other practitioners in the field. My hope in undertaking this project is to make the wider community more aware of what it means to be Aboriginal, at a time when jail is replacing initiation for many young Indigenous people. I want to engender a greater understanding about social, cultural and political issues in the Aboriginal community, by building bridges of awareness between Indigenous and Western cultures. My research question is: How does my approach to Cultural Awareness Training deal with uninformed and racist attitudes towards Aboriginal people in ways that effect positive, constructive change? In the documentation of my professional practice, I have examined critical incidents that have shaped my responses to uninformed and racially stereotyped attitudes within an educational context. This includes stories of overt racism in the classroom experience. In undertaking critical reflection about my professional practice as a Cultural Awareness Trainer, I have aimed to provide insights, as well as practical resources, to support the professional practice of others in this field.