Student Voice Through Yarning
Rationale
The voices of students can often be under-represented in efforts to understand the progress and success of education initiatives aimed at improving the outcomes of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students.
This resource provides an overview of the importance of drawing on student voices and provides guidance on how this can be facilitated in a culturally appropriate manner through yarning.
There is no single ‘best’ way or approach to yarning, as each Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community may have their own cultural principles, protocols and practices. As such, it is important to consult the local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities for their advice (Martin, 2008) on designing, facilitating, and interpreting yarns. Below are general guidelines on yarning informed by the literature on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander research methods. This should be adapted to the cultural principles, protocols and practices set out by local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.
People working with schools can seek the assistance of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. (NSW AECG) within their area for clarification on culturally appropriate practices.
Timeframe for use
Flexible time frame, this is an alternative data collection method.
Intended audience
All NSW Public Schools and NSW Department of Education Support Staff.
Instructions for use
The information provided here is not intended for formal research or evaluation purposes. Formal research and evaluations require ethics and NSW State Education Research Applications Process (SERAP) approval.
Appropriate ethics processes are required for any research or evaluation (formal or informal) where people are providing information. In NSW Public Schools, the principal of a school can provide advice on research/evaluation ethics. Use this resource in consultation with your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.
Evidence base
Student voice is well known in the literature internationally (see International Journal of Student Voice) and in Australia (see Australian Council for Student Voice and NSW Department of Education). This resource aims to connect this literature with Aboriginal ways of being, knowing, and doing. As a brief overview of Aboriginal ways of being, knowing, and doing, Burgess and colleagues (2023) describe this as: first, the sharing of oneself to build trust (ways of being), which then allows opportunities for deep listening (ways of knowing), and relationship building (ways of doing) to follow. Martin-Mirraboopa (2003) describe Aboriginal ways as connecting with deep relatedness between people and ideas which is achieved by honouring and enacting respectful relationships. It is a holistic and personal experience that underpins knowledge-making, notions of truth, and moral being. These elements are interwoven and cannot be separated (Amazan et al, 2024). Rather than a data collection exercise, yarning is relating and knowing each other respectfully.
Alignment to system priorities and/or needs: This resource also supports and aligns with:
- Our Plan for NSW Public Education: To advance equitable outcomes, opportunities and experiences by embedding diverse learner, family and staff voices in decision-making.
- The Aboriginal Education Policy
- The Partnership Agreement with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. 2020-2030
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy 2015
- Closing the Gap
- The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration
- Wellbeing Framework for Schools
- Re-imagining Evaluation: A Culturally Responsive Evaluation Framework
Alignment to School Excellence Framework (SEF):
This resource facilitates alignment with the SEF theme ‘A planned approach to inclusion and wellbeing’ by providing school staff with a strategy to develop a planned approach to collecting and analysing whole school wellbeing and engagement data. Using this resource can help ensure student voice and agency is used to inform and refine practices and processes which are responsive and proactive in meeting emerging needs. It also aligns with the SEF element ‘Data skills and use’ as it supports schools to use yarning to identify student achievements, progress and wellbeing needs.
Consulted with: Aboriginal Education and Communities, Teaching Quality and Impact
Reviewed by: Aboriginal Education and Communities
Created/last updated: June 2023 – July 2024
Anticipated resource review date:
This resource will be reviewed in December 2024. To ensure ongoing improvement of this resource, feedback can be provided via the survey or the QR code below.
