The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has developed a unique initiative to support academic achievement within their tribal territory. The Success Through Academic Recognition (STAR) program is an example of an Indigenously-developed approach to supporting students from grades 2-12, with the hope of promoting achievement, persistence, and engagement. To study the STAR program, a mixed-methods approach was employed to first analyze quantitative demographic and performance data collected from a cohort of high school students from 2014 to 2018. Next, phenomenological interviews were conducted within the same cohort, to describe the lived experiences of STAR students within the Choctaw community. The database portion of this project adds to the existing literature by exploring a previously unresearched academic incentive program, which was wholly developed by and for Native peoples. The interview component of this research provides insight for school psychologists regarding student perceptions of STAR as a Choctaw-developed initiative for educational success, thereby shedding light on the critical components of community and culture which form the foundations for our work with indigenous populations.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has developed a unique initiative to support academic achievement within their tribal territory. The Success Through Academic Recognition (STAR) program is an example of an Indigenously-developed approach to supporting students from grades 2-12, with the hope of promoting achievement, persistence, and engagement. To study the STAR program, a mixed-methods approach was employed to first analyze quantitative demographic and performance data collected from a cohort of high school students from 2014 to 2018. Next, phenomenological interviews were conducted within the same cohort, to describe the lived experiences of STAR students within the Choctaw community. The database portion of this project adds to the existing literature by exploring a previously unresearched academic incentive program, which was wholly developed by and for Native peoples. The interview component of this research provides insight for school psychologists regarding student perceptions of STAR as a Choctaw-developed initiative for educational success, thereby shedding light on the critical components of community and culture which form the foundations for our work with indigenous populations.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Delap, Suzanne"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Gloria Miller","Jeanine Coleman","Kathy Green","Frederique Chevillot","Christine Nelson"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z","subjects":["Achievement","Choctaw","Choctaw Nation","Indigenous","School psychology","STAR program","Education","Educational Psychology","Elementary Education","Indigenous Education","Indigenous Studies","Secondary Education"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"],"dc:subject":["Achievement","Choctaw","Choctaw Nation","Indigenous","School psychology","STAR program","Education","Educational Psychology","Elementary Education","Indigenous Education","Indigenous Studies","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["Educational Achievement, Engagement, and Persistence in Choctaw Nation: A Study of the Success Through Academic Recognition Program"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:19Z"}