Native American Studies
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/51
The Department of Native American Studies was established to provide and advance quality education for and about American Indians of Montana, the region, and the nation. In fulfilling this mission, the Department is committed to meet the changing needs of Montana's Indian tribes and all Montana citizens through excellence in teaching, research, and service. In its academic program, the department provides concentrated study through an undergraduate minor, the first online graduate certificate in Native American Studies offered, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies. Students in any major can also gain a multicultural perspective through NAS offerings in the University's core curriculum. The Department, through its research and other creative efforts, actively pursues interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of Native American Studies.
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Item Variables related to teacher attrition among selected reservation and off-reservation schools of Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1981) McLean, Robert EdgarItem Construction of knowledge about teaching practice and educating students from diverse cultures in an online induction program(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2005) Bice, Lawrence Raymond; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elisabeth SwansonBeginning teachers in both urban areas and geographically isolated rural areas often do not have access to a mentor teacher of the same content area or grade level in their school or district. This project is a study of learning in the online e-Mentoring for Student Success (eMSS) program, which provides induction for science and mathematics teachers in Montana and California. The study centered on a particular segment of eMSS called the Diversity Module. Two examinations were conducted: 1) Analysis of discourse by all participants in the Diversity Module, and 2) case study of five beginning teachers with diverse student populations. Analysis of learning by cases was conducted by examining discourse in the Diversity Module, private online discussions with their assigned mentors during a two-year period, and pre and post Diversity Module interviews and interviews of their mentors. Three frameworks were developed to aid understanding of findings: 1) discourse analysis, 2) competencies of multicultural teachers, and, 3) competencies of pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge. Cases developed their knowledge of teaching along a continuum of needs over two years of participation in the eMSS program. Initial needs expressed by mentees were in areas such as classroom management and general methods of instruction. Cases increased their knowledge in virtually all aspects of pedagogical knowledge, changing their expressed needs to pedagogical content knowledge concerns such as adapting and differentiating instruction for particular content and individual students, and building their repertoire of instructional representations. Through online discussion, teachers developed or advanced awareness of student culture and learning characteristics, and adapted their practice to foster a climate of student respect. Findings provided little evidence of adapting instruction for diverse student learning. Teachers who had a strong awareness of their own and their student's cultures advanced their understanding of multicultural teaching competencies further than those who did not. Interview results indicated that learning sometimes takes place in a non-visible manner. Growth in multicultural teaching knowledge, as well as several aspects of pedagogical and pedagogical content knowledge, was clearly evident for participants who posted few messages, but read and actively reflected on thoughts of others.Item Exploring the educational histories, perceptions, and experiences of successful educators of Native American students : a multiple case study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2011) Silva, Dawn Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Betsy PalmerNative American education has gone through many phases from the assimilation practices of removing Native children from their homes, family, and culture all the way up to Native Language Immersion schools where the curriculum is taught in both English and the Native tongue. Throughout all the educational changes one thing remains; Native American students are dropping out of school at an alarming rate. In order to improve education for Native students there must be a change in pre-service teacher preparation. The problem addressed in this study is that instructors of pre-service teachers need to understand the educational histories and experiences of successful educators of Native American students in the K-8 environment in order to learn how to better prepare undergraduate education majors. This qualitative multiple case study focused upon effective educators of Native American students. The following questions guided the inquiry: What is the formal educational (academic) history of successful educators of Native American students? What is the informal educational (non-academic) history of successful educators of Native American students? What experiences in their own classrooms have teachers identified as contributing to their success with educating Native American students? This research included a questionnaire and interviews with 32 teachers working in elementary schools located on reservations in Montana. A combination of whole staff focus group and individual in-depth interviews took place. The results of the transcribed and coded interviews were grouped under the main themes which emerged out of the three research questions and a few unique questions asked of the individual interviewees. Out of the four main themes; Effective and Successful Educators of Native American Students, Formal Education, Informal Education, and Classroom experiences, 17 subthemes emerged. The findings resulted in the following recommendations for new teachers of Native Americans: mentors; real life applications and cultural integration; community involvement; relationships; high expectations; self reflection. Also recommendations for Higher Education were presented: new class creation/offering; tribal college collaboration; utilize Native Americans as a resource; include information on teaching in low socioeconomic areas; student teaching/internships on a reservation. My hope is that these recommendations will improve education for Native American students.Item A study of demographics and job-related categories that influence the quality of teacher work life in Montana schools with indigenous populations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2006) Terhune, Michael Neil; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Joanne EricksonThis study examined the demographics and job related factors that influenced the quality of teacher work life of 404 teachers in Montana schools that have a predominant enrollment of indigenous students. The Quality of Teacher Work Life Survey (QTWLS) was used to determine the teacher demographics, the factor structure of the QTWLS, and the perceived levels of Job-Related Stress, and Satisfaction. Thirteen demographics contributed to the profile. Comparisons to the state wide profile were explored. Teacher perceptions of their job related satisfaction and stress factors were computed for Likert scales ranging from 2 (low) to 10 (high). The overall QTWL score was 6.51. The scale score for satisfaction was 6.18 and for stress 6.84. It was discovered that these teachers had their lowest scores in the areas of, "Student Value of Learning", External Support, and "Professional Worth to Communities". They reported their highest scores as "Distractions to Learning". The QTWLS proved to be a valid instrument for the separate scales of job-related satisfaction and stress but the factor structure of the QTWLS, though similar in many instances, did not duplicate the original studies by Harrington et al (1989). A modified version of the QTWLS is recommended. The results of this study identified factors that impact a teacher's potential to perform optimally. Ultimately such understandings may lead to interventions that contribute to increased student learning in Montana's high needs schools.