Scholarly Work - Indigenous Research Initiative
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/15852
Browse
18 results
Search Results
Item An Apsaalooke view for educational leadership(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2019) Cummins, Jason Dean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffThere have been many calls for Native American communities to be given more self-determination in the education of their children. Yet despite these calls for allowing Native American parents to be included in the education of their children this is not happening (Bird, Lee and Lopez, 2013). In this study the researcher utilizes an Indigenous research methodology adhering the cultural protocols of the Apsaalooke nation and building upon the 4 R's, which are respect, relevance, reciprocity and responsibility (Kirkness & Barnhardt, 1991). This research allowed Apsaalooke tribal members, identified through the protocols of the Ashammaliaxxiia to voice their perspective and expectations for school leaders who serve students in their communities. There were formal interviews, informal visits and personal communications. The research questions that guided this study are: 1. What kind of behavior and actions do Apsaalooke tribal members expect from school leaders such as principals and superintendents serving their students? 2. How can school leaders work well with parents and leaders in the Apsaalooke community? 3. What do Apsaalooke tribal members want school leaders to know and be aware of in the education of the children of the tribe? From the research four salient themes emerged which are: 1. A leaders first job is to learn; 2. Lead through relationships; 3. Crows take education seriously; 4. The preservation of Apsaalooke identity and culture. Seventeen tribal members participated in the study. From the study the researcher found that leaders need to respect the community and build authentic relationships within it by being present and connected to the community. Lead the school with those relationships within the informal leadership model in the community in a more flattened model based on the respect of and the character possessed by influential leaders, rather than a hierarchical one, as well as defend those relationships. Understand the Apsaalooke want their student to achieve academically and help parents to support their students in this and hire and retain quality teachers. Support the preservation and perpetuation of the Apsaalooke way of life.Item Belief ways of the Apsaalooke: development of a culture through time and space(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Bull Chief, Emerson Lee; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew HermanThe purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the oral history of the Apsaalooke for connections to the four Native science foundations. I interviewed the Crow Cultural Cabinet Head to attain the stories for each religion. I then compared the content of each story to the four foundations and found the connections that corresponded. The Clan System connected to the community foundation. The Sweat Lodge connected to the environment foundation. The Sacred Pipe ceremony connected to the language foundation and the Sacred Tobacco Society connected to the spirituality foundation. Although these connections were developed, there are many more that can be made interchangeably. The four foundations of Native science and the four belief ways of the Apsaalooke complemented each other.Item A study of perceptions on educational values of post high school Crow Indian students(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Business, 1996) Yarlott, David, Jr.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Norman L. MillikinThe purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of post high school Crow Indian students as to the value of education. Surveys were distributed among 150 post high school Crow Indian students assisted by the Crow Higher Education Department. The distribution of the survey was among four subgroups from the population; administrators, college graduates in other professions, current students, and students who did not complete college. Conclusions of the survey are: 1) Most of the respondents feel a need for education beyond high school, not only from the educational standpoint, but also for economic and social reasons. 2) A large obstacle to obtaining higher education is meeting financial needs. 3) The most valuable subjects are Reading, Writing, and Speech, in that order. 4) Meeting the cost of education is the highest motivator for continuing higher education. 5) Family support and the location of the school makes a difference in enrollment decisions. 6) Factors that influence career decision making is higher with family members than high school experiences. The recommendations of the study are: 1) Provide good jobs, as incentives, for students that graduate from a Higher Education Institution and return to the Crow Indian Reservation. 2) Develop a program to increase awareness for opportunities and societal improvements with additional education. 3) Increase funding for students that are attending Higher Educational Institutions. 4) Develop a support program to track students progress. 5) Become a bigger factor in improving preparatory courses for Institutions of Higher Learning at the local high schools. 6) Promote Little Big Horn College as a vehicle for a better social, economic, and self-development environment for the entire Crow Tribal population. 7) Promote, request, encourage, and finance research that benefits the Crow Tribe.Item Middle school science classroom practices in Crow and Northern Cheyenne schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2004) Woolbaugh, Walter Harold; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert Carson.This study first identifies the teaching and learning practices that have shown to be effective in producing achievement gains with K-12 Native American students. In order to identify effective practices, policy guidelines and research studies focusing on achievement gains among Native American students were reviewed. This information was then mapped to the National Science Education Standards and aligned with a widely used mathematics and science observation instrument. The instrument was used by the author to gather data from 13 teachers by observing 68 lessons in 11 middle schools on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations in Southeast Montana. Interviewing and surveying the observed teachers generated further data. To complete the study, administrators and community members, including tribal elders, were interviewed. The literature reveals that Native American students achieve more when student centered teaching methods are used. These methods include the use of visual teaching aids, cooperative learning, and practical applications all interwoven in culturally relevant lessons. The literature supports building community support, including involvement from tribal elders. Data gathered by the researcher revealed that the teachers on and near the two reservations have more teaching experience, more science credits, and attain higher ratings for observed lessons than a national sample of teachers. A factor analysis indicated that Crow and Northern Cheyenne region teachers scored especially high in student / teacher relationships, classroom management, and content knowledge. Even though 43 percent of class time was spent in hands-on paired activities, teachers scored lower on indicators pertaining to creating classroom environments that engaged students in rigorous, meaningful learning experiences. Teachers reported on not feeling prepared to include cultural applications and meanings during instruction. Teachers attaining lower scores during classroom observations tended to cite low student motivation as their major barrier, while teachers receiving higher ratings cited external factors like the size of their classroom. The teachers described colleagues and professional development opportunities as particularly beneficial. Recommendations for further studies include additional research on effective classroom practices that produce achievement gains with Native American students, and stronger professional development focused on specific advanced teaching skills, including methods of embedding culture and community in the science curriculum.Item Historical uses of natural resources : transference of knowledge in the Crow Indian environment(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1999) Yarlott, David Edward, Jr.This study is about the historical uses of natural resources by the Crow Indians; how they knew what was useful to their survival and how that knowledge was transferred to the next generation. The author tried to identify those resources which were historically used in order to preserve the information as well as resources still in use so they could be protected. He concludes that though it's usually unwise to return to past ways of life, it is possible to learn from the past. Preservation, protection, and perpetuation of the old practices should be a priority. Documenting this information makes it available to others and ensures that the knowledge won't be lost.Item The pain experience of traditional Crow Indian(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 1996) Krumwiede, Norma KayItem A study of Crow reservation-oriented college students who attended baccalaureate degree offering colleges from 1965 to 1990(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2002) Enemy Hunter, LukeItem Listening to the student voice : a case study of the Little Big Horn College Mission(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1996) St. Pierre, Nathaniel RickItem The relationship between the oral language proficiency and reading achievement of first grade Crow Indian children(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1985) Featherly, Bernadine RebichThe author believed that the problem she tried to solve - why Crow children from homes of low socioeconomic status have difficulty of learning to read with comprehension - was caused by something that was lacking in their preschool environment. She believed that this could be either helped or made worse by the way reading is taught. She wanted to find out what was lacking in their social environment. To gain answers she did an extensive literature review combined with empirical evidence from first graders in Crow schools. She concluded that language competency (how well the child was able to speak) was an important prerequisite for learning to read. Many of the Crow students had not reached the sufficient level of language proficiency, thus encountered trouble when trying to learn to read. Some of the recommendations from the study include: parents should read to their children from infancy, using their primary language (if they are bilingual). The books should be in their native language in the beginning, once the child reaches the age of 3 he should start listening to stories written in English. The stories should not only be read but discussed with the child so he fully understands them. Schools should keep their libraries open evenings and weekends and offer a story-hour each night.Item The history of the catechesis of the Catholic Church on the Crow Reservation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1983) Watembach, KarenThe thesis presented in this paper states that the Catholic Church through the missionary activity of the Jesuits on the Crow Reservation from 1887-1921 established a permanent mission school, St. Xavier Mission Boarding School, as the center of a European feudal model of church. This model was built upon two constructs: the stationary center and the philosophical-historical concept of world view. The Crow people were in contrast nomadic and held a cosmological concept of world view. The teachings of Jesus were woven through a series of cultural conflicts, misunderstanding of methodologies and language differences, clashes of values as well as loving concern, Crow language preservation, education of the young, and spiritual gifts which spoke to the Crow people. Using a historical approach, the writer researched archival materials - letters, diaries, school and government records, sermons, prayers and catechisms translated into the Crow language; gathered information through oral history; and interpreted theological and philosophical constructs in Catholic Church history and in Crow tradition. Through this research it was concluded that the Catholic Church did in fact build a model of feudal church on the Crow Reservation with the boarding school as its stationary center. However, in 1907 the model began to disintegrate when the government and the Crow people desired day schools. The center of the feudal model was lost when St. Xavier Boarding School closed in 1921.