The culture of most colleges and universities is very different for Native American students with close ties to their traditional communities. "Traditional," in a Native American sense, means multiple interconnections of emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual identity that combine to define expectations for the Native American way. This traditional cultural perspective is often in conflict with college cultures where typically only the academic or social aspects of identity are addressed. Research on college students of several ethnicities has found that the experience of post-secondary education can change individuals' attitudes, values, and behaviors. However, none of these studies focused on the experience of Native American students. This study attempted to determine how students' with a traditional Native American upbringing feel that their attitudes, values, and behaviors have been changed by exposure to the Western culture of a college environment, and further, whether this potential change was a factor in their academic persistence. In order to begin to explore Native American students' experiences of recognizing and negotiating differences of culture, attitudes, and values, this study analyzed unstructured qualitative interviews of 15 Native American college students. Themes resulting from the analysis of texts that describe the students' experiences included class differences,feeling academically unprepared, lifestyle differences, desire to disprove negative stereotypes,importance of finding supportive others, experiences of greater diversity, experiences of cultural tension, changes in viewpoint, increased independence, and an increased desire to give back to their native communities.

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de contribuir para a produção de conhecimentos que visem a constituição, consolidação e promoção de processos educacionais voltados à potencializar os sujeitos para uma ação comprometida com a sustentabilidade socioambiental. Assim, utilizando elementos da pesquisa qualitativa e procedimentos do estudo de caso, buscou-se identificar, no Curso de Especialização em Educação para Sociedades Sustentáveis, desenvolvido pela Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, campus de Jequié, os elementos que poderiam estimular mudanças de atitude e valores no sentido da transformação social, refletindo no incremento da potência dos sujeitos envolvidos. A pesquisa apresenta aspectos que devem ser contemplados em um programa de Educação Ambiental. Processos pautados na autonomia dos educandos, no diálogo entre os envolvidos e na prática reflexiva, podem contribuir para a formação de educadores críticos, competentes tecnicamente e comprometidos ética e politicamente com as questões ambientais. / This study was carried out aiming contributing for the production of knowledge viewing constitution, consolidation, and promotion of educational processes related to powering the subjects for an action committed with the social and environmental sustainability. Thus, in the Specialization Course on Education for Sustainable Societies developed by State University of Southeast Bahia, campus Jequié, and by using the elements of a qualitative research and proceedings of this study case, the identification of elements that could promote changes of values and attitudes toward the social transformation through increasing the power of the subjects involved. The research shows points that must be presented in Environmental Education programs. Processes based on the autonomy of the students, on the dialog between the involved ones and the reflexive practice can contribute for the formation of critical, technically competent, and committed educators ethically and politically active toward the social-environmental matters.

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de contribuir para a produção de conhecimentos que visem a constituição, consolidação e promoção de processos educacionais voltados à potencializar os sujeitos para uma ação comprometida com a sustentabilidade socioambiental. Assim, utilizando elementos da pesquisa qualitativa e procedimentos do estudo de caso, buscou-se identificar, no Curso de Especialização em Educação para Sociedades Sustentáveis, desenvolvido pela Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, campus de Jequié, os elementos que poderiam estimular mudanças de atitude e valores no sentido da transformação social, refletindo no incremento da potência dos sujeitos envolvidos. A pesquisa apresenta aspectos que devem ser contemplados em um programa de Educação Ambiental. Processos pautados na autonomia dos educandos, no diálogo entre os envolvidos e na prática reflexiva, podem contribuir para a formação de educadores críticos, competentes tecnicamente e comprometidos ética e politicamente com as questões ambientais. / This study was carried out aiming contributing for the production of knowledge viewing constitution, consolidation, and promotion of educational processes related to powering the subjects for an action committed with the social and environmental sustainability. Thus, in the Specialization Course on Education for Sustainable Societies developed by State University of Southeast Bahia, campus Jequié, and by using the elements of a qualitative research and proceedings of this study case, the identification of elements that could promote changes of values and attitudes toward the social transformation through increasing the power of the subjects involved. The research shows points that must be presented in Environmental Education programs. Processes based on the autonomy of the students, on the dialog between the involved ones and the reflexive practice can contribute for the formation of critical, technically competent, and committed educators ethically and politically active toward the social-environmental matters.