Understanding the Relationship Between Cultural Wellness and Academic Achievement on Standing Rock Reservation
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UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL WELLNESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ON STANDING ROCK RESERVATION By Derek A. Stewart BA (South Dakota State University) 2014 MS (Capella University) 2017 A DISSERTATION Presented to the Affiliated Faculty of The College of Graduate and Professional Studies at the University of New England Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the degree of Doctor of Education Portland & Biddeford, Maine November, 2018 Copyright by Derek A. Stewart 2xxx ii Derek A. Stewart 11/28/2018 Educational Leadership UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULTURAL WELLNESS AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT ON STANDING ROCK RESERVATION ABSTRACT Academic achievement concerns are common among reservation schools in North and South Dakota and elicit numerous questions regarding how to address these concerns to improve educational outcomes for Native American students. This study examined the relationship between cultural wellness integration, based on the Medicine Wheel model, and the following academic achievement measures: standardized achievement tests, attendance, graduation rates, and behavioral disciplinary referrals. The specific research questions that guided this study are: 1) Using a Medicine Wheel model, how are schools on Standing Rock Reservation integrating cultural wellness? 2) How do cultural wellness integration practices relate to academic achievement in schools on Standing Rock Reservation? 3) What are common cultural wellness related concerns hindering academic achievement among students on Standing Rock Reservation, and how can schools address those concerns? This study utilized a mixed methods design comparing quantitative with qualitative data to determine how cultural wellness correlates with academic achievement measures. Data consisted of 65 surveys from seven school districts on Standing Rock Reservation with 10 interviews from staff including administration, teachers, and paraprofessionals. In alignment with Indigenous methodology, this study examined cultural wellness integration by using the four directions/domains of the Medicine Wheel: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The iii quantitative survey analysis revealed a significant relationship between mental familiarity and emotional wellness integration. In-School Suspension (ISS) was assessed using survey data analyzing the frequency of emotional wellness responses by including negative emotional wellness questions documenting the frequency teachers reported sending students to ISS. The data indicated mental familiarity (the level of understanding for the following terms: boarding schools, forced assimilation, historical trauma, intergenerational trauma, and Adverse Childhood Experiences corresponded with emotional wellness responses by 17%; meaning, on average, a one-unit increase of emotional wellness increased the value of mental familiarity by 0.33 units. With an increase in mental familiarity, we saw a decrease in negative emotional wellness responses (ISS). The quantitative data was further supported by the qualitative data; the themes generated from the qualitative interviews reported the importance of understanding “where the students are coming from” and the building of relationships between school staff and students as major issues influencing academic achievement and behavioral concerns for students on Standing Rock Reservation. Other findings from the qualitative data reported Historical Trauma and low self- esteem as common cultural wellness concerns impacting educational outcomes and increasing classroom student behavioral concerns. iv University of New England Doctor of Education Educational Leadership This dissertation was presented by Derek A. Stewart It was presented on 11/28/2018 and approved by: Dorothy Williams, Ph.D. Lead Advisor University of New England Andrea Disque, Ed.D, Secondary Advisor University of New England Chris Fried, Affiliate Committee Member v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my family, friends, and mentors, thank you for the strength and support over the course of this study. I would like to first thank Dr. Williams and Dr. Disque; your guidance and feedback were invaluable in the process of completing my dissertation. The time that was dedicated to reviewing my research and helping me further develop my study will not be forgotten. I would also like to thank Dr. Fried for providing critical feedback and support throughout the process of my dissertation. I would also like to thank my wife “mitawicu” who has always been there for me and is the reason I was able to complete this study. Without your wisdom and support I would not have been able to accomplish this. Thank you to my mother, Lisa Valenzuela Stewart, for always supporting me going to college and believing in me when I didn’t. Without your voice encouraging me I would not have pursued this educational journey. To my late father, Allen Stewart, thank you for being a great father to me. Thank you to my sister, Dr. Stewart Wigglesworth, for being an amazing role model to look up to; you have always inspired me. To my brother Allen, who has always looked after me like a father, I appreciate you always. To my Sister Dana, I love you very much; thank you for always looking out for me. And, to my greatest motivators, my children, Hunter, Hailey, Jasper and Micah, I appreciate all the love and support you have given me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 Problem ..................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the study .................................................................................................. 4 Positionality Statement ...................................................................................... 5 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 6 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................. 7 Assumptions ............................................................................................................. 10 Limitations ......................................................................................................... 11 Significant of the Study ............................................................................................ 12 Definition of the Terms ............................................................................................ 13 Summary ................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................... 17 Conceptualizing Historical Trauma .......................................................................... 17 Forced Assimilation .......................................................................................... 19 Boarding Schools ............................................................................................... 20 Intergenerational Trauma ................................................................................. 22 Psychological and Social Concerns ......................................................................... 24 Adverse Childhood Experiences ...................................................................... 26 Effects of Trauma on Learning ......................................................................... 28 Traditional Cultural Beliefs ...................................................................................... 30 The Medicine Wheel ......................................................................................... 32 Academic Achievement ............................................................................................ 35 Cultural Discontinuity ....................................................................................... 37 Cultural Integration ........................................................................................... 38 vii Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................ 40 Summary ................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 3: METHEDOLOGY .................................................................................... 43 Setting ....................................................................................................................... 44 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 45 Participants ............................................................................................................... 46 Data Collected .......................................................................................................... 47 Qualitative-Quantitative Data ............................................................................ 50 Participants Rights .................................................................................................... 51 Analysis of Data ....................................................................................................... 52 Validity and Reliability ..................................................................................... 53 Limitations ..............................................................................................................