Exploring Why Students Stay in School: Inuit Perceptions of Modern Guideposts (Nutaaq Inuksuit) That Will Help Students Stay in High School

• Main Author: Tyler, Karen
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: UVM ScholarWorks 2008
• Subjects: inuit perceptions; inuit; Nunavut; Nunavut Land Claims Agreement; Pangnirtung; Sanikiluaq
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/232; https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/context/graddis/article/1231/viewcontent/karentyler.pdf

ABSTRACT Although the Inuit of Nunavut, Canada gained control of their educational institutions when the territory of Nunavut was formed on April 1, 1999 (Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, 1993), the high school graduation rates of Inuit students remain very low. Academic deficiencies exist in Nunavut, where from 1999 to 2006 only twentyfive percent of Inuit youths graduated from high school (Nunavut Department of Education, 2006). Inuit who do not remain in school have difficulty obtaining leadership positions in this new territory (Berger, 2006). This research was designed to answer the question: “What modern guideposts (nutaaq inuksuit) do Inuit perceive are needed to help more Inuit students complete high school in Nunavut, Canada?†Qualitative case study methods were used that incorporated Inuit Traditional Knowledge (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit). Traditionally, Inuit relied on guideposts (inuksuit) to help them navigate their way through unfamiliar territory. Conceptually, this study will suggest guideposts which encourage Inuit students to complete school by combining traditional and modern (nutaaq) knowledge. Living in the Arctic for fourteen years has made the researcher more aware of the importance of using a culturally sensitive methodology. In the fall of 2007, sixty-six interviews of Inuit youth, adults, and elders in the communities of Pangnirtung and Sanikiluaq were conducted. Interviewees identified what they perceived would help more Inuit students to gain the academic and cultural knowledge they need to graduate from high school. The findings from the interviews are grouped into four themes that individuals viewed as significant to this research: Home, School, Community, and Inuit Culture. Interviewees expressed a belief that these findings are no longer acknowledged in the educational system. However, they are still present in everyday Inuit child-rearing practices as cultural norms. The findings and the cultural norms that are associated with them, were organized into a cultural framework ...