Making it personal: Academic counseling with Māori students and their families

Abstract

The engagement of indigenous students and their families has often been a challenge for mainstream schools. Many indigenous students and their parents have reported a sense of disconnection from educational contexts due to a lack of personalized or ongoing relationships with the teachers or the school. There are indications in the literature that well-conducted academic counseling can increase engagement with students and their families. However, despite the evidence, New Zealand research has shown that many students do not receive any form of academic counseling. This study examined the effectiveness of an academic counseling intervention from the perspective of 78 Māori students in 12 focu..