Reconsidering engagement: aligning teacher qualities with indigenous students’ aspirations and needs

Background: Indigenous people worldwide face significant educational challenges, with Australia’s Aboriginal students experiencing an academic achievement gap with their non-Aboriginal peers. Despite various policy initiatives, systemic issues continue to impact the educational experiences of Aboriginal students. Understanding the role of teacher qualities in engaging Aboriginal students is a critical step towards addressing these challenges. Purpose: Using Indigenous Standpoint Theory, this study investigates how teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of the qualities needed to support Aboriginal students align with students’ and communities’ beliefs and aspirations. Method: Qualitative data were collected from six New South Wales government high schools through semi-structured interviews with the six school principals and 22 teachers, as well as focus group discussions with 102 Aboriginal students and 36 parents and community members across the schools. Participants were asked about Aboriginal students’ schooling experiences, teacher expectations, school support, and student–teacher relationships. Findings: Analysis revealed a disconnect between educators’ intentions and Aboriginal students’ self-articulated needs. The findings identified that educators’ efforts to support students were often hindered by practices that deeply embed Western concepts within the structures and policies of mandatory education, whereas Aboriginal students emphasised the importance of trust, compassion, and culturally relevant approaches in teacher–student relationships. These desires are frequently overlooked in current educational strategies. The study also found that challenges in engaging Aboriginal students in schools had little to do with capacities to learn but rather with a system designed to control students through institutional policies and practices that can hinder access to education aligned with their goals. Conclusion: The study suggests that if teachers and school leaders educate from a perspective of Aboriginal strength and success, they could move away from deficit understandings and instead explore culturally relevant ways of engaging students in the classroom. This approach not only has the potential to support student ‘success as Aboriginal’ but also to addresses the systemic disconnect between educational practices and students’ cultural needs and aspirations.