Developing a process for conducting educational research with the Dakota people of Wahpeton

Historically, research on Aboriginal education issues has ignored the needs of Aboriginal people and disempowered the Aboriginal community. This thesis seeks to offer a corrective to that trend. The intent of the thesis research was to establish a process for conducting educational research with one Aboriginal community - the Dakota People of Wahpeton which would enable this community to have a legitimate voice and control over future research that will be conducted on their behalf. A methodology called community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) was utilized because it provided the means for community input and direction. Through the use of CBPR, collaborative relationships were established with 20 Dakota People of Wahpeton, who were identified as the research participants. The interview was used as the primary research method. The thesis discusses how the conflict between two cultural world views - the Aboriginal view of the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota People, generally referred to as "Sioux", and the contemporary Western view - was resolved within the process of implementing the Community-Based Participatory Research methodology. This resolution of differences was accomplished by bridging, then mirroring, the methodologies and ways of gaining knowledge unique to these two respective cultural world views. Additionally, theoretical and practical suggestions are offered so that the thesis might serve as a model for Dakota-Nakota-Lakota Community-Based Participatory Research in the future. In keeping with Community-Based Participatory Research, the voice of the people will be emphasized in this thesis, through extensive use of quotes. Furthermore, the voice of the researcher will be clearly identified so that he may be held accountable for his input.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Foundations

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

1992

Author dc:creator

• Omani, Leo Joseph

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Flynn, Mark

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hampton, Eber
• Cottrell, Michael
• Njaa, Lloyd

• Wahpeton
• perspective - Aboriginal vs. Western
• world views - differences
• Aboriginal world views
• Sioux - educational research
• Dakota-Nakota-Lakota
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• First Nations educational research
• research strategies

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-12072007-123650

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/etd-12072007-123650