Shifting sands: re-valuing education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Sharon Louth; Tracey Sanderson; Barry Bird

doi:10.1007/s43545-026-01561-y

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Shifting sands: re-valuing education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Shifting sands: re-valuing education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Sharon Louth, Tracey Sanderson and Barry Bird

SN Social Sciences, Vol.6, pp.1-25

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-026-01561-y

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Abstract

Educational aspirations

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career pathways

Community collaboration

High expectations

This study investigates the impact of an educational aspiration intervention program on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. The Marigurim Yan (Strong Walk) program was co-designed and co-facilitated by Elders, the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community and University educators. The project design focused on the salutogentic factors that actively promote learning and educational engagement, specifically cultural identity, belonging, community collaboration, high expectation relationships and culturally responsive Aboriginal pedagogies. A quasi-experimental mixed methods research design assessed the impact of the program through surveys and reflective questionnaires. Quantitative analysis conducted through paired samples t-tests found significant differences in the students’ knowledge and understanding of educational pathways and post school career options. Qualitative data found changes in participants perceptions of their strengths and skills, along with changes in their intentions for education and career choices. Responses indicated a shift in students’ mindsets, where they began to set goals and take responsibility for their own learning. Marigurim Yan’s attention to enhancing educational attainment through employing salutogentic pedagogical strategies provides a successful model for such programs in the future. Further investigation into how education might be re-valued to widen the focus from attendance and engagement to attainment is warranted.

Details

Title: Shifting sands: re-valuing education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people
Authors: Sharon Louth (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Tracey Sanderson - University of the Sunshine Coast
Barry Bird - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: SN Social Sciences, Vol.6, pp.1-25
Publisher: Springer
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1007/s43545-026-01561-y
ISSN: 2662-9283
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: The data sets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request.
Organisation Unit: School of Education and Tertiary Access
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991246192702621
Output Type: Journal article

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