Poster

Title: Inhibiting and Enabling Factors Affecting Indigenous Students Decisions to Continue or Withdraw from Tertiary Studies.

Douglas L Morgan

Abstract

This study examined the factors that influenced the ability to study at university of 38 current and former Indigenous students. The study took place during second semester 2000. Analysis of findings suggest that: Indigenous support services are perceived by students as enabling factors in their tertiary studies; younger students are more likely to discuss their tertiary progress with their peers rather than teaching or support staff, unlike older students; female and part-time students believe they would perform better if they had greater domestic support; the lower the Grade Point Average (GPA) the greater the perception of their likely-hood of dropping out and those students who consider dropping out of tertiary studies are more likely to do so. This paper argues that these findings reinforce the importance of Indigenous Support Centers in ameliorating the effects of a perceived alien environment on Indigenous transition students.