Success Factors in Indigenous Students' Academic Achievement at a Higher Level

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This chapter provides an overview of the research conducted about the needs and experiences of Indigenous higher degree by research (HDR) students. We conducted multiple studies (six datasets in total) that included evaluation forms from capacity-building workshops, group discussions, written responses, online surveys to Indigenous HDR students (n = 114) and supervisors of Indigenous HDR students (n = 33) focusing on their needs and experiences and an evaluation survey of a national program. Of the six datasets, all but one are from Indigenous HDR students. All of these sources of data collected have helped to inform this book. We argue that Indigenous peoples are not the problem that need 'fixing' to increase HDR completions rates, rather, the system needs addressing to better support Indigenous HDR students. This book is written to privilege the voices of the Indigenous HDR students who were involved in this research. Through the chapters, we will undo and/or dispel some misunderstandings that continue to persist in higher education institutions about what Indigenous HDR students need to succeed in the academy. We challenge these assumptions using the insights shared by Indigenous HDR students who told us about their needs and experiences in higher education. This chapter provides the background, states the aims of the book and the research question guiding this study and provides an overview of each chapter in this book. We have written this book for anyone interested in successful pathways for Indigenous HDR students.