The role of academics in making university a place of belonging for Australian Indigenous students.

摘要: Place is a concept used to explore how people ascribe meaning to their physical and social surrounds and their emotional affects. Exploring the university as a place can highlight social relations affecting Australian Indigenous students’ sense of belonging and identity. Themes are presented from research at two Australian universities, based on three focus groups with Indigenous undergraduate students, interviews with two Indigenous postgraduate research candidates, and four Indigenous and eight non-Indigenous staff. Students prioritized relationships with academics, stressing their flexibility and understanding affected their persistence at university. Students situationally manage self-identification, implying academics need to engage effectively with all students, however, academics felt they required professional development in appropriate pedagogy. Universities were seen as tokenistic in valuing Indigenous community and culture. Students highlighted that academic workload stresses sometimes deterred them from seeking help, requiring institutional recognition and resourcing to foster Indigenous students’ sense of place and belonging through relational learning.