Mapping experiences: Understanding pathways to course credit awarding for high school-aged Indigenous youth mentors across Canada
Creators: Kirkpatrick, McKayla A
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

<p>Educational attainment is a strong predictor of future health outcomes and overall wellbeing, particularly as education is an important social determinant of health closely interconnected with other aspects of health including employment, food security, and quality of life. However, educational attainment, defined as the highest level of education an individual has completed, is inequitable because of the Eurocentric structure of the education system in Canada influenced by a history of colonization. Due in part to the lasting effects of colonization, Indigenous students in Canada are 28% less likely to graduate high school compared to their non-Indigenous peers. To graduate, students must earn a certain number of credits by completing coursework and meeting learning outcomes. One such way to promote educational attainment for Indigenous students is by providing engaging educational experiences that award high school credit. The Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program (IYMP) has the potential to serve as that engaging learning experience. IYMP is a community-based health promotion program that runs across Canada to engage Indigenous youth in mentorship and leadership opportunities while promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours. Students currently participating in IYMP have expressed interest in earning credit for their involvement in the program, but there is uncertainty in how to award these credits as educational policy differs across provinces and territories. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to provide a comprehensive look at the pathways to high school credit awarding for health promotion programs such as IYMP. Multiple qualitative methods were used to (1) map potential pathways to credit awarding for Indigenous high school students participating in IYMP in Alberta and Manitoba, and (2) understand educator experiences on the existing strategies used in practice for awarding credit to high school students participating in IYMP in Alberta.</p>

<p>Objective 1 used qualitative document analysis to understand the policies and procedures currently in place to guide the high school credit awarding process in Alberta and Manitoba, specifically looking at their potential application to health promotion programming such as IYMP. The collected resources included web pages (n=49), course templates (n=21), guides (n=19), policy documents (n=8), fact sheets (n=5), handbooks (n=3), and other curricular documents (n=20). Conventional content analysis was used to analyze documents and develop categories and subcategories. Three major categories were identified: pathways to credit, student-centered decision making, and essential partnerships for credit awarding. Within pathways to credit, five subcategories that illustrated the specific pathways to credit in Alberta and Manitoba were identified: locally developed credit, dual credit, mentorship and leadership credit, health and wellness credit, and arts education credit. These findings highlight the potential pathways to credit awarding that educators can utilize to provide credit to Indigenous students for their involvement in health promotion programming such as IYMP.</p>

<p>Objective 2 used qualitative description as a guiding method and semi-structured interviews as a data generation strategy. Educators with practical experience with the credit awarding process in Alberta were recruited and participated in interviews. Interviews were transcribed and themes were identified using inductive thematic analysis. Four themes related to educator experiences with the credit awarding process, specifically credits for health promotion programming such as IYMP, were identified. The themes included: essential partnerships, educating educators, student engagement and autonomy, and policy challenges and opportunities. Educators described these themes as extremely important considerations in the credit awarding process to support future efforts to identify the most effective and ideal pathway to successfully award credits in a specific school community.</p>

<p>This thesis serves to address the knowledge gap in our understanding of potential pathways to high school credit awarding for health promotion programs such as IYMP. Findings inform future research, practice, and policy related to credit awarding in Canada. The pathways to credit awarding identified by Objective 1 and important considerations for a successful credit awarding process identified by Objective 2 will be shared with individuals involved in IYMP. This will include teachers and IYMP program leaders. Overall, it is important to provide students with engaging learning opportunities that also benefit them through credits that contribute to their high school graduation efforts. This research has potential to inform and support educators looking to provide credit earning opportunities to high school students participating in IYMP, fostering educational attainment and providing engaging learning experiences to students.</p>