Building alliances to understanding and working with students affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the question, What are the differences in the attitudes and beliefs between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers with regards to students with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)? I randomly selected Aboriginal (n=5) and non-Aboriginal teachers (n=5) to participate in a semi-structured interview and to complete a series of 13 vignettes with the researcher. The teachers represented five schools in northwestern BC three at the local high school and seven from four elementary schools. I assessed the interview data qualitatively and the vignettes quantitatively. The data revealed that there were many shared beliefs between the two groups of teachers. The differences were apparent in their variant orientations, or the nuances in behaviour. Many of the dominant orientations were similar between the two groups. I conclude the thesis with recommendations for further research and present my conclusions for the study. --Leaf ii.