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"There's Nothing Not Complicated About Being Indian:" American Indian Student Experiences in a Mainstream Middle School Stephanie Masta Zywicki Iowa State University

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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2013 "There's nothing not complicated about being Indian:" American Indian student experiences in a mainstream middle school Stephanie Masta Zywicki Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Zywicki, Stephanie Masta, ""There's nothing not complicated about being Indian:" American Indian student experiences in a mainstream middle school" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 13030. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13030 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “There’s nothing not complicated about being Indian:" American Indian student experiences in a mainstream middle school by Stephanie Masta Zywicki A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Education Program of Study Committee: Warren Blumenfeld, Major Professor Ellen Fairchild Isaac Gottesman Tyson Marsh Nana Osei-Kofi Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2013 Copyright © Stephanie Masta Zywicki, 2013. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 Brief History of American Indian Education ................................................................ 2 Current Status of American Indian Education .............................................................. 6 Research Objectives and Questions .............................................................................. 9 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 11 Dissertation Format ..................................................................................................... 12 Overall Study Design .................................................................................................. 12 Research Site: Leaf Lake Middle School........................................................ 14 Participants ...................................................................................................... 17 Conceptual Frames...................................................................................................... 20 Critical Race Theory and the Colorblind Perspective ..................................... 20 The Intersection of Colonialism and Racism .................................................. 21 Education through Assimilation and Acculturation ........................................ 23 Perspectives on Terminology and Race ...................................................................... 24 Situating My Identity .................................................................................................. 26 Entering the Study....................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 2: PUTTING YOUR GAME FACE ON: BEING AMERICAN INDIAN AT SCHOOL ............................................................................................................................... 35 Literature Review........................................................................................................ 37 Cultural Differences ........................................................................................ 37 Identities-in-Practice ....................................................................................... 40 Concepts of “Race” and Racism” in Education .............................................. 41 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................... 45 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 47 Research Site ............................................................................................................... 50 Participants .................................................................................................................. 51 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 54 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 54 Criteria for Depth and Accuracy ................................................................................. 55 Findings....................................................................................................................... 56 “Being” an American Indian at Leaf Lake (American Indian Identity at School) ............................................................................................................ 56 Interactions with Classmates........................................................................... 62 Concept of “Race” and “Racism” ................................................................... 66 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 69 What It Means To “Be” an American Indian.................................................. 70 The Experience of “Race” and Racism at Leaf Lake ..................................... 76 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 79 iii References ................................................................................................................... 82 CHAPTER 3: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: WHAT CURRICULUM TEACHES ABOUT RACE AND CULTURE ........................................................................................ 87 Literature Review........................................................................................................ 88 Defining Curriculum ....................................................................................... 88 The Purpose of Geography Curriculum .......................................................... 90 The Exclusion of “Race” and Colonialism in Curriculum .............................. 92 Theoretical Frameworks ............................................................................................. 95 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 97 Research Context ........................................................................................................ 98 Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 100 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 101 Findings..................................................................................................................... 102 Written Curriculum ....................................................................................... 102 In-Class Content............................................................................................ 105 Student Perspectives ..................................................................................... 110 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 114 Erasing the Concept of “Race” ..................................................................... 114 Normalizing Colonialism .............................................................................. 116 Curriculum Inclusion/Exclusion ................................................................... 118 Culturally Responsive Schooling .............................................................................. 119 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 122 References ................................................................................................................. 123 CHAPTER 4: CENTERING THE AMERICAN INDIAN EXPERIENCE IN THE RESEARCH ON THE EDUCATION OF AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH ................. 127 Entering the Conversation on American Indian Education ...................................... 129 Researching Education in American Indian Communities ....................................... 131 Prominent Research Theories in American Indian Education Research .................. 132 Cultural Discontinuity Theory ...................................................................... 132 Structural Inequality Theory ......................................................................... 135 Interactionalist Theory .................................................................................. 137 Transculturation Theory................................................................................ 140 Alternative Perspectives
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