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Difficult Dialogue: Conversations with Aboriginal Parents and Caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2015

Debra Hayes ,
Ken Johnston ,
Kristal Morris ,
Kerith Power  and
Dianne Roberts
Debra Hayes
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
Ken Johnston
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
Kristal Morris
Affiliation:
North Coast Institute of TAFE, PO Box 528, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, 2444, Australia
Kerith Power
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Monash University, McMahons Road, Frankston, Victoria, 3199, Australia
Dianne Roberts
Affiliation:
Minimbah Aboriginal Pre and Primary School, PO Box 356, Armidale, New South Wales, 2350, Australia
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Abstract

Indigenous conversation and voice are increasingly heard in the research literature but there needs to be more dialogue in order for it to be a two-way conversation. This paper contributes to research that attempts to redress this situation by reporting on conversations with Aboriginal parents and caregivers of students enrolled in a public secondary school in a large New South Wales country town. The conversations were conducted over a three-year period (2005-7) by a team non-Indigenous researchers working in collaboration with Indigenous researchers. In this paper, we describe the various approaches we developed to establish conversations with Aboriginal parents and caregivers, and the various themes that emerged over the course of the study. We also assess how this type of research is located within and contributes to, the existing research literature. Finally, we discuss the importance of ongoing conversations with Aboriginal parents and caregivers, and how schools and systems can better respond to well-established policy goals of productive parent-school relationships.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 55 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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