A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF
AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS

A Paper Submitted to AERA

for the

AERA Annual Meeting

by

Boyd L. Bradbury

ISD #435, Waubun-Ogema-White Earth

March, 2006

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  Address:                                1013 3^rd^ Street

  City, State, Zip:                       Waubun, MN 56589

  Phone:                                  218-473-6106

  E-mail:                                 boydb@waubun.k12.mn.us

  Fax:                                    218-473-6191
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Objectives and Theoretical Framework

A qualitative study using grounded theory investigated factors
contributing to academic success and failure of American Indian children
in Waubun-Ogema-White Earth (WOWE) school district in west central
Minnesota. WOWE is situated in an agricultural district which includes
tribal lands. School enrollment is 70% American Indian and 30%
Caucasian, with 65% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch.
Among students self-identifying as American Indian, several different
degrees of Indian identification are recognized based on skin color and
tribal enrollment status. The achievement gap between American Indian
and white students ranges between 20% and 40% during the high school
years.

The study seeks to identify school and community factors that contribute
to or inhibit academic success of American Indian students in WOWE, and
to recommend curriculum and programming that would address their needs.
While there are researchers such as Chinn (2002), Reyhner (1993),
Hornette (1990), Stago (1998), and Strang, von Glatz, and Cahape Hammer
(2002) who attribute the lack of academic achievement on the part of
minorities to cultural incongruity and factors associated with an
educational structure, culture, and curriculum that are incongruous with
American Indian cultural factors and belief patterns, there are other
researchers, including Ledlow (1992) who view the argument of cultural
incongruity as a gross oversimplification of what ails American Indian
achievement in schools. Within this cultural and ethnic context, this
study at WOWE sought answers as to what factors affect American Indian
achievement, to what degree these factors affect achievement, and a
discovery of corresponding interventions to improve academic achievement
among American Indian children at WOWE.

Methodology and Data Sources

To obtain a thick description of perceived factors that impact student
achievement among American Indian children at WOWE, focus groups were
used to gather qualitative data. Five homogenous groups were assembled:
one comprised of students who had not passed the Minnesota Basic Skills
Tests; one consisting of students who had passed the Minnesota Basic
Skills Tests; one consisting of parents or caregivers of the students
who had not passed the Minnesota Basic Skills Tests, one comprised of
parents or caregivers of students who had passed the Minnesota Basic
Skills Tests; and one that involved teachers and administrators. The
groups varied in size from five to nine participants.

The focus group sessions were taped in order to allow verbatim
transcriptions, and the researcher coded the qualitative data into
categories with properties after the tapes were transcribed. The
researcher followed established procedures in regard to open, axial, and
selective coding, as originally established by Glaser and Strauss
(1999). Through comparisons of corroborated or differentiated data from
within and among the groups, the researcher used a form of
triangulation, which both Gall, Borg, & Gall (2003) and Yin (1994) cite
as critical in the validation of qualitative data.

Through the processes of coding and triangulation, the researcher
developed a theory and subsequent recommendations for school reform
measures capable of improving academic achievement for not only American
Indian children, but all children who attend school at WOWE.

The data were very telling in that parents and students generally agreed
on factors that impact student achievement among the American Indian
population, but teachers were either silent on those factors or
identified other factors that influenced achievement. This dichotomy is
significant in that the impact of teachers on student learning is
considerable, and the finding that teachers perceive their roles and
educational impact on children in a different light than do parents and
students is problematic in terms of student achievement.

In addition to focus group comparisons, quantitative Minnesota
Department of Education attitudinal survey data were used to validate
the dissertation study findings through additional triangulation. The
quantitative data corroborated qualitative data in terms of concern over
teacher quality and effectiveness, student behavior, and societal
influences.

Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations

After multiple reviews of the pilot project and the five transcriptions
related to

this study, the researcher established nine categories. The established
categories through

open coding are as follows: 1) standards; 2) role modeling and support
systems; 3)

societal influences; 4) teacher quality and effectiveness; 5) relevancy
of education; 6) ethnicity; 7) communication and recognition; 8)
involvement; and 9) school environment. Although the focus of this study
was American Indian children, the data made it clear that properties of
these categories were generally applicable to all children, whether
Caucasian or American Indian.

While all of the categories and their respective properties yielded
helpful information in terms of American Indian student achievement at
WOWE, several noteworthy themes emerged. For example, the categories of
standards, teacher quality and effectiveness, ethnicity, and
communication and recognition indicate that parents and students were
united in noting that teachers impact the educational experience in both
positive and negative ways. Pavel (1999) concurred by noting that the
quality of the students' educational experiences is determined, in large
part by the learning environment that is created by educators. Parents
took this concept a step further by indicating that teachers even have
the ability to offset the negative effects of failed parenting and
societal issues such as drug and alcohol use and abuse. To the contrary,
however, it was clear that teachers do not view their capacity and
impact in the same light as do parents and students. This finding is
concerning because increases in student achievement are unlikely if
teachers, parents, and students fail to view teaching parameters within
the same vein. As one parent noted, teachers don't want to get involved
in the lives of students because it is "icky."

It was evident that although parents and students recognize their own
shortcomings in fulfilling educational obligations, the expectation of
parents and students is that the bulk of responsibility for academic
achievement should rest with teachers. Since teachers do not overtly
recognize this expanded role as educators, the odds of increased
academic achievement diminish. For example, parents and students devalue
the idea of homework as they want homework completed under the guidance
of a teacher in class, not at home. The result is incomplete homework
assignments. Teachers who fail to accommodate this belief are frustrated
by a lack of homework completion, and student achievement decreases as
teachers assign low grades and move to new subjects without ensuring
student understanding of concepts.

Another finding of the study involved ethnicity. In terms of ethnicity,
there was unanimous agreement that no overt connection exists between
one's self-identified status as American Indian and academic
achievement. In other words, there is no direct connection between being
American Indian and succeeding in school. This finding would run
contrary to those researchers who argue that cultural incongruity is the
critical factor in terms of student achievement among minority children.
The study did reveal, however, that American Indian children who have
fewer physical traits such as darker skin, or who are descendants rather
than enrolled members, feel that they are treated as second-class
American Indians by those who possess more typically American Indian
traits or who are enrolled members of the White Earth Tribe. Moreover,
darker skinned American Indians are viewed as more inclined to misbehave
in terms of frequency and severity. All five focus groups discussed the
concept of more or less American Indian status, and the student and
teacher focus groups indicated students who possess more physical
American Indian traits are more resistant, as reflected in students' use
of the term "sav \[savage\] out" for "act out." All of the groups cited
misbehavior as not only an educational detriment to those who misbehave,
but for compliant students who witness the misbehavior as well.

In the final analysis, the researcher concluded that the standards
category should serve as the core category, and although all nine
categories and their respective properties were important, the remaining
eight categories all tied to the standards category in some way. For
purposes of this study, standards were treated as synonymous with
expectations (i.e. classroom academic and behavioral standards).

Although all five focus groups concurred that lowered standards
decreased student achievement, the teachers did not identify themselves
as culpable in regard to decreased behavioral and academic expectations.
The other four groups, however, discussed teaching methodology and they
identified decreased standards by teachers as a contributing factor to
decreased student achievement.

The researcher theorizes that the fundamental reason for a lack of
achievement on the part of American Indian students at WOWE is lowered
standards on the part of students, parents, teachers, administration,
and society. In other words, American Indian children at WOWE
underachieve because those with a vested interest in their education
have simply lowered standards to a point that underachievement is more
likely than not.

The theory of lower standards is supported by gathered data that were
categorized. The bottom line is that among other considerations, lowered
expectations lead to decreased academic performance as tolerance of
misbehavior, an absence of classroom decorum, and decreased academic
rigor are accepted and in some cases promoted through poor role modeling
and a compromised learning environment. It would be nothing short of
erroneous to suggest that American Indian children do not succeed simply
because they are American Indian.

As a result of this theory, the researcher made numerous recommendations
relating to each respective category. Throughout the recommendations,
the common thread involved the necessity of raising behavioral,
academic, and teaching standards at WOWE. The local school board adopted
these recommendations as a means to improve academic achievement for not
only American Indian children, but for all children at WOWE.

Importance of the Study

This research is significant at all levels. In terms of local impact,
this study provides a rich and thick description of perceived factors
affecting achievement of American Indian children at WOWE. Since
approximately two-thirds of WOWE's children self-identify as American
Indian, the implications of this study have the potential to impact a
substantial number of students, as the local school board has adopted
the researcher's recommendations as part of a school reform effort. In
addition this study provides impetus for other studies at the local
level including:

1.  A future study should try to investigate intra-group differences in
    achievement and disciplinary referrals based on tribal enrollment
    status and perceived skin color. Faculty, parents, and the students
    themselves should be consulted as to how to adapt academic
    programming to minimize the educational effects of these
    differences.

2.  A future study should use attitudinal survey instruments regarding
    behavior and achievement. These surveys should be given to students,
    staff, and parents. An initial survey should be given to establish
    baseline data. Future surveys should be compared to the baseline
    data in order to measure changes in perceptions.

3.  Studies should be designed and conducted in order to gauge whether
    improvements occur in behavior or academic achievement as the result
    of the dissertation study recommendations that were implemented.

At the state or national level, other school districts with similar
demographic considerations should feel comfortable in using this
dissertation study as a template. If school districts want to understand
achievement disparities, they need to corroborate available quantitative
data with qualitative data to explain better the factors that affect
student achievement.

The findings of this study both concur with and depart from available
literature on the topic of academic achievement among American Indian
children. For example, Hornette (1990) and Reyhner (1993) suggest that
cultural incongruity is responsible for the lack of academic achievement
among American Indian students. In other words, American Indian children
fail to succeed in school because they are taught a White curriculum by
White teachers. The data from this study disagree with cultural
incongruity as a significant factor influencing the academic success of
American Indian children at WOWE. However, the data tend to agree with
Ledlow (1992) who views cultural incongruity as an oversimplification of
a topic fraught with issues such as poverty and health care, and
reservations exacerbate these problems. In addition, data from this
study would agree with Chinn (2002, ¶ 14) who suggests that teachers
need to be trained in "effective communication techniques with parents
and students from diverse backgrounds and to prepare teachers to be able
to understand interracial and interethnic issues." These and other
literature comparisons to this study's findings are worthy of further
review and discussion.

This dissertation study was necessary in order for WOWE to achieve a
greater understanding of the factors that relate to both achievement and
underachievement of American Indian students. This type of study, when
paired with quantitative data, has enormous programming, curriculum, and
teacher training implications for districts with minority students.

References

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> *module1: Changing demographics*. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt
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challenge. *Action in Teacher Education, XII*(3), 43-49.

Ledlow, S. (1992). Is cultural discontinuity an adequate explanation for
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*Journal of American Indian Education*, *31*(3).

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