'Aboriginal Voices' : An overview of the methodology applied in the systematic review of recent research across ten key areas of Australian Indigenous education

• Published in: Australian educational researcher Vol. 46; no. 2; pp. 213 - 229
• Main Authors: Lowe, Kevin, Tennent, Christine, Guenther, John, Harrison, Neil, Burgess, Cathie, Moodie, Nikki, Vass, Greg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.04.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aboriginal attitudes; Aboriginal education; Aboriginal students; Aboriginal Voices Project; Academic underachievement; Collaboration; Education; Educational Opportunities; Educational Policy; Educational Policy and Politics; Educational Practices; Educational Psychology; Educational Research; Foreign Countries; Grey literature; Indigenous Populations; Learner Engagement; Native education; Native peoples; Native students; Outcomes of Education; Pacific Islanders; Program Descriptions; Research methodology; Social sciences; Systematic review; Systematic reviews; Teaching and Teacher Education; Torres Strait Islander education; Torres Strait Islander students; Underachievement; Australia; Systematic review; Aboriginal Voices; Methodology; Educational research; Indigenous education
• ISSN: 0311-6999; 2210-5328
• DOI: 10.1007/s13384-019-00307-5

The 'Aboriginal Voices' project is a consortium of researchers invested in seeking long-term solutions to the many and varied issues that have been identified as factors contributing to the underachievement of Indigenous students in education across Australia. The Aboriginal Voices systematic review project established an agreed methodology and protocols in order to map ten reviews to an overarching question: 'What are the issues affecting the underachievement of Indigenous students in Australia and how can research inform solutions to the complex and inter-related issues needing to be addressed?' The Project focuses on bringing clarity to the overarching question by applying a rigorous process with an Indigenous methodology to undertake these unique reviews. This introductory paper outlines the development of a critical Indigenous methodology used in these discrete but inter-linked systematic investigations. Using a consistent systematic methodology facilitated the re-aggregation of separate review findings to achieve new whole-of-systems insights into the complex issues affecting the educational opportunities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. [Author abstract]