Which resources support teachers to embed Indigenous perspectives? A convergent mixed methods analysis

The national Australian Curriculum includes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross-curriculum Priority (CCP). The aim of this CCP is to build students’ knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and specifically within the curriculum’s eight key learning areas. It has been established in research that many teachers report hesitancy or even unwillingness to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, and a lack of quality resources may be contributing factor. Using a convergent mixed methods design, we examined the extent to which, and in what ways, different resources inform teacher practice. The quantitative analysis tests the unique effects of in-school resources (institutional support, culturally nourishing resources) and out-of-school resources (professional development, Indigenous led/owned media consumption) on the frequency of teachers teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and perspectives as described in the CCP. The qualitative analysis suggests that teachers most often rely on singular case studies and activities, as well as their prior knowledge, to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into their curriculum and classrooms. The mixed methods analysis suggests there are four potential avenues for intervention: (1) ensuring school leaders adequately support teaching the CCP; (2) supporting teachers to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned/led media; (3) building teachers’ understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges as robust standalone systems; and (4) increasing access to culturally nourishing resources that can support teachers’ practice.