The purpose of this study was to examine grade six and seven students' images and understanding
of First Nations people. Eighteen students participated in the study out of an intact class of 21. I
hypothesized, based on the students' personal experience through popular culture, family and school,
that they would possess historical images and would lack a broad understanding of contemporary
First Nations people. I determined what their images and understanding were prior to starting a unit
of study on the subject and what, if any, changes occurred in their thinking and knowledge after the
eight week unit was taught. The unit focused on the First Nations cultures of British Columbia with
special attention given to the Northwest Coast cultures. Data were collected using a photo-portrait
questionnaire, pre- and post- unit questionnaires, learning log entries, and pre- and post-unit
interviews with six students.
A photo- portrait questionnaire consisted of 15 images representing contemporary and historical
First Nations people of both genders, all ages and from different professions. The students determined
whether each person in the photo represented a First Nations person, and provided a brief explanation
of their response. Pre- and post- unit questionnaires provided evidence of the effects teaching had on
the students' knowledge. Learning logs gathered information on the students' understanding of
Native peoples as they progressed through the unit of study. Prior to commencing the unit, students'
possessed historical/stereotypical images, and had a good historical understanding of how the First
Nations people lived on the West Coast. However, knowledge of contemporary First Nations people
and issues was limited. By the end of the unit, students displayed empathy towards First Nations and
demonstrated that they had a broadened understanding of contemporary issues as well as stable
misconceptions and inaccurate depictions of First Nations peoples.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/10259 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Kaschel, Werner Friedrich Karl |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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