A strong sense of cultural identity plays a crucial part in the education and training success of Indigenous students, according to a new study released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

The Cultural dimensions of indigenous participation in vocational education and training, by Alfred Michael Dockery, was published using data from 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, the findings provide new evidence on the inter-relationship between traditional culture and the nature of engagement in vocational education and training.

“Compared with earlier work, this study presents stronger evidence of a positive association between cultural identity and engagement in education and training,” said Dr Dockery.

Based on the findings, cultural engagement appears to promote a strong sense of self-identity in the student, which in turn promotes a greater sense of resilience.

“The study also develops new measures of cultural engagement that look at the aspects of culture in richer detail, such as cultural identity, language, and participation in cultural events and traditional economic activities.”

 

Copies of Cultural dimensions of Indigenous participation in vocational education and training: new perspectives are available from www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2573.html.