Examining Indigenous Students’ Persistence in a Hybrid Pre-Nursing Transitions Environment

Transitions programs to support non-traditional students have been in existence in Canada since the educational reform movement of the 1970s (Malatest & Associates, 2004). Scholarly research in the success of such programs is frequently presented in terms of institutional directives such as retention and attrition and success is is typically measured by graduation rates. Despite investment in these programs, more than thirty years later there still exists a considerable gap between Indigenous students’ graduation rates and those of their non-Indigenous counterparts, with significant numbers of students dropping out of university programs within the first year (Statistics Canada, 2011). The goal of this exploratory case study was to determine what attributes of the design and structure of a hybrid learning environment encouraged positive persistence decisions. The case was positioned within the first year of an Indigenous Pre-Nursing Transitions (PNT) program in a western Canadian university. Scholarly literature on persistence and community models such as Tinto’s (1975) Student Integration Model and Wenger’s (1998) Community of Practice were evaluated for their applicability to non-traditional students. Data collection took place over one academic year and consisted of interviews with student and faculty participants, as well as observation of online activities within two required biology courses. The results of this case study demonstrated the complexity of community membership for Indigenous students. Further, the results highlighted the importance of a one-to-one relationship with the instructor and student expectations about this relationship. Other factors that contributed to positive persistence decisions were scale of the environment and structure of course content.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Research

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Snow, Kathy

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lock, Jennifer

• Education--Administration
• Education--Curriculum and Instruction
• Education--Technology

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/26018

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2071