Recruitment and retention of Native American graduate students in school psychology

Promoting Retention of Native American Nursing Students: Insights From a Qualitative Study

AIM

This qualitative study aimed to identify effective retention strategies for Native American nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Native Americans are underrepresented in nursing and health education programs, comprising only 1.3 percent of the nursing workforce in the United States.

METHOD

A basic qualitative design grounded in self-determination theory was used to solicit narrative accounts from 12 Native American nursing students.

RESULTS

Semistructured interviews revealed three themes: nursing program experience, methods to enhance persistence, and hindrances to persistence. Social support emerged as a critical factor, with participants emphasizing the significance of cultural awareness activities, safety classes, and celebrations fostering a sense of belonging.

CONCLUSION

The study found that social support, financial aid, and cultural awareness are essential for Native American nursing students to succeed. Limited resources and online learning challenges are barriers that need to be addressed. Tailored support systems, financial assistance, and culturally responsive education can enhance retention and success rates.

Introduction to the Special Issue–School psychology and Indigenous Peoples: Critical Perspectives and Indigenous-led Approaches

This issue of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology is the first of two parts of a special issue devoted to the intersection of school psychology and Indigenous Peoples within the Canadian context. Given the limited existing literature that is squarely focused on this intersection, the articles in these two issues are collectively a substantive academic contribution to school psychology educators, practitioners, researchers, and students. These articles challenge mainstream practice, training, ethics, and intervention approaches within school psychology, while also describing exemplary collaborations with Indigenous communities and advancements in Indigenizing and decolonizing school psychology training and practice.

Canadian School Psychology and Indigenous Peoples: Opportunities and Recommendations

School psychologists play important roles in working alongside Indigenous Peoples within Canada; however, a large gap exists between the discipline’s actions and the recommendations set forth by Indigenous Nations and governmental working groups. In this conceptual article, we seek to highlight the need for further Indigenous representation and engagement in the field of school psychology, as well as present key areas of relevance. We first briefly contextualize the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and school psychology, followed by the results of a brief survey concerning Indigenous representation and engagement across five school psychology doctoral programs in Canada. Next, we discuss nine key areas of consideration for school psychologists based on the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Each area of consideration provides school psychologists with a starting point for concrete actions when working with Indigenous students, families, and communities.

A Systematic Review of Indigenous Representation in School Psychology Research

Indigenous youth comprise a significant and diverse collection of populations. School psychologists are uniquely placed to serve Indigenous students and improve their long-term outcomes. However, in the face of longstanding colonial practices and systemic oppression, which have resulted in poor educational outcomes for Indigenous students, school psychology research broadly underrepresents Indigenous students. This proves problematic considering research informs practice. The goal of this review is to evaluate the current standing of school psychology research focused on Indigenous youth and identify areas of need. The current systematic review yielded 57 articles focusing on Indigenous youth from 10 indexed school psychology journals. A significant portion of the articles were published in the 1980s, with fewer than three publications per year in the two decades following. The articles demonstrated a preference for assessment and related topics, with limited research focused on intervention, culture, and equity. This focus on assessment to compare Indigenous youth with youth of other racial and ethnic backgrounds serves to support the systems of oppression in place. These findings highlight the need for school psychology research to exert a concentrated effort toward Indigenous-focused research with more varied topics beyond assessment. Implications for trainers, researchers, and school psychology journals are discussed.

Recruitment and retention of bilingual graduate students in school psychology: Efforts and challenges in increasing professional diversity

The main goal of this paper is to illustrate recruitment efforts, strategies, and challenges in the process of training bilingual school psychologists to serve diverse schools. First, we address the acute and chronic shortage of bilingual school psychologists in the United States, particularly in urban schools where student populations are increasingly diverse. Then we provide a review of strategies and efforts to recruit and retain bilingual graduate-level learners in one school psychology program in an urban university. Quantitative data regarding recruitment and retention efforts are discussed. We identify challenges and future directions to increase diversity in the field of school psychology.