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Getting There, Being There, Staying and Belonging: A Case Study of Two Indigenous Australian Children's Transition to School
Author(s) -
BellBooth Rachel,
Staton Sally,
Thorpe Karen
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1111/j.1099-0860.2012.00441.x
Subject(s) - indigenous , disengagement theory , inclusion (mineral) , closing (real estate) , equity (law) , population , longitudinal study , sociology , psychology , economic growth , political science , gender studies , demography , medicine , gerontology , ecology , pathology , law , biology , economics
Indigenous Australians are among the most unhealthy populations in the world and yet they reside in a country where the non‐Indigenous population enjoys high standards of well‐being. Education has been identified as the key mechanism for closing this equity gap. At school commencement many Indigenous children are already at risk of disengagement. This four‐year longitudinal study of two Indigenous boys from a socially marginalised community examined key factors affecting transitional trajectories into school. While child characteristics affected level of achievement the critical factors in sustaining positive educational engagement were social support, school practices, inclusion of family and positive expectation.