Investigating the impact upon First Nations students on reserve, in relation to their elementary school experience

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the question “To what degree is educational attainment impacted for First Nations students, when comparing a band-operated elementary school with the public system?” Community members (n=26), both parents/guardians and students, shared their thoughts and opinions in the elementary experiences of the children. Collecting data from students and parents/guardians was intended to generate comparative scripts about the community perceptions of the band-operated school and the public system. Exploring what attitudes, beliefs, benefits, and drawbacks community members had for elementary systems would help to decipher what the impact was. Quantitative data was gathered from a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Qualitative data was collected from individual parental interviews with three parents from each schooling system, and focus group discussions with three students from each schooling system. The data indicated that those distinctions included family, pride and confidence, appropriate learning and academics, local connections and conveniences, inter-racial relations, and finally, traditional and cultural values and skills. Those themes were consistently evident and are recognized as the core impacts for First Nations students, when comparing a band-operated school with the public system.