Understanding Indigenous Learners’ Experiences During the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v24i4.7009Keywords:
COVID-19, Indigenous students, Canada, online education, society, culture, health, well-beingAbstract
This paper focuses on the experiences of Indigenous learners at Athabasca University. Having access to online education provided a sense of normalcy for students during the global pandemic while many post-secondary institutions and Indigenous communities were closed. The purpose of the research was two-fold: a) to determine the dynamics of reaching Indigenous learners and measuring their adaptability in learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and b) to understand the effects of the pandemic on the mind, body, spirit, and social environment of Indigenous distance education learners and their families. This research included qualitative and quantitative methods, specifically, a survey, focus group, and individual interviews. We share the results of online research involving Indigenous students during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. We concluded that listening to Indigenous students supported their online education while giving them an outlet to express their experiences. This research identified Indigenous student adaptations towards their spirituality in specific ways inherent to their culture given the reactions to COVID-19, their responses, and reflections.
References
Baldwin, C. (1994). Calling the circle: The first and future culture. Swan Raven & Co.
Bicker, L. (2019, December 5). North Korean missile and Kim Jong-un’s ‘Christmas Gift’ decision. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50654146
Brant Castellano, M. (2018). The spiritual dimension of holistic health: A reflection. In M. Greenwood, S. de Leeuw, & N. M. Lindsay (Eds.), Determinants of Indigenous peoples’ health: Beyond the social (2nd ed., pp. 54–60). Canadian Scholars.
Brasfield, C., (2001). Residential school syndrome. BC Medical Journal 43(2), 78–81. https://bcmj.org/articles/residential-school-syndrome
British Broadcasting Corporation. (2020, January 8). Iran plane crash: The victims of Ukraine Flight PS752. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51032823
Canadian Federation of Students Ontario. (2021). Fact sheet Indigenous education. https://cfsotario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Indigenous-Education_Factsheets_2021_EN.pdf
Cucinotta, D. & Vanelli, M. (2020). WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic. Acta Biomed 19(1). 157–160. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v91i1.9397
D’Errico, P. (2020, April). Jeffrey Amherst and smallpox blankets. Research Gate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.23231.66724
Government of Canada. (2021). COVID-19 daily epidemiology update: Summary. https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/epidemiological-summary-covid-19-cases.html
Government of Canada. (2022). TCPS 2 (2022) – Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/tcps2-eptc2_2022_chapter9-chapitre9.html
Heavy Head, R. (2018). Blackfoot influences on Abraham Maslow HB [Video]. Blackfoot Digital Library. https://digitallibrary.uleth.ca/digital/collection/bdl/id/3090/
Heidenreich, P. (2020). Northern Alberta community confirms province’s first known COVID-19 case on a First Nation. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/6855103/alberta-coronavirus-covid-19-sucker-creek-first-nation/
Ibarra-Nava, I., Flores-Rodriguez, K., Ruiz-Herrera, V., Ochoa-Bayona, H., Salinas-Zertuche, A., Padilla- Orozco, M., & Salazar-Montalvo, R. (2021). Ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality in Mexico: A cross-sectional study based on national data. PLOS ONE 16(3), Article e0239168. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239168
Isaac-Mann, S., Adams, E., & Mala, T. (2021). Editorial. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 16(2), 11–12. https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v16i2.36039
John Hopkins University & Medicine. (2021). Mortality in the most affected countries. Corona Virus Resource Centre. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality
Kovach, M. (2009). Indigenous methodologies characteristics, conversations, and contexts. University of Toronto Press.
McIvor, B. (2020). Wet’suwet’en reading list. First Peoples Law. https://www.firstpeopleslaw.com/public-education/blog/wetsuweten-reading-list
McLoughlin, C. & Oliver, R. (2000). Designing learning environments for cultural inclusivity: A case study of indigenous online learning at tertiary level. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 16(1), 58–72. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/44554/.
Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute. (2010). Sacred connections traditional tobacco [DVD]. Dynacor Media.
Ottmann, J. (2017). Canada’s Indigenous peoples’ access to post-secondary education: The spirit of the ‘new buffalo.’ In J. Frawley, S. Larkin, & J. A. Smith (Eds.), Indigenous pathways, transitions and participation in higher education: From policy to practice (pp. 95–118). Springer Open. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4062-7
Reading, C. & Wein, F. (2009). Health inequalities and social determinants of Aboriginal peoples’ health. National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. https://www.nccih.ca/docs/determinants/RPT-HealthInequalities-Reading-Wien-EN.pdf
Reedy, A. K. (2019). Rethinking online learning design to enhance the experiences of Indigenous higher education students. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 35(6), 132–149. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.5561
Robertson, L. (2006). The residential school experience: Syndrome or historic trauma. Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 4(1), 1-28. https://journalindigenouswellbeing.co.nz/media/2018/12/3_Robertson.pdf
Simpson, L. B. (2008). Oshkimaadiziig, the New People. In L. Simpson (Ed.), Lighting the eighth fire the liberation, resurgence, and protection of Indigenous nations (pp. 13–21). ARP Books.
Sioui, G. E., (1992). For an amerindian autohistory. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. University of Otago Press.
Stonechild, B. (2006). The new buffalo: The struggle for Aboriginal post-secondary education in Canada. University of Manitoba Press.
Tian, X., An, C., Chen, Z., & Tian, Z. (2021). Assessing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urban transportation and air quality in Canada. Science of the Total Environment 765(April 15), Article 144270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144270
Waldram, J. B., Herring, D. A., & Young, T. K. (1995). Aboriginal health in Canada: Historical, cultural, and epidemiological perspectives. University of Toronto Press.
Weber-Pillwax, C. (2001). What is Indigenous research? Canadian Journal of Native Education 25(2), 166–174.
Wilson, S. (2008). Research is ceremony: Indigenous research methods. Fernwood Publishing.
World Health Organization. (2020, February 11). Coronavirus press conference [Press conference transcript]. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/who-audio-emergencies-coronavirus-full-press-conference-11feb2020-final.pdf?sfvrsn=e2019136_2
World Health Organization. (2020). Statement on the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). https://www.who.int/news/item/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)
World Health Organization. (2021). WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard https://covid19.who.int/
Yellow Horse Brave Heart, M. (2004). The historical trauma response among Natives and its relationship to substance abuse: A Lakota illustration. In E. Nebelkopf & M. Phillips (Eds.), Healing and mental health for Native Americans speaking in red (pp. 7–18). Altamira Press.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors.
This copyright agreement and use license ensures, among other things, that an article will be as widely distributed as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific and/or scholarly archive.
You are free to
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms below:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
