Monsters and Weapons: Navajo Students' College Access and Transition Stories

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early-Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

Native American students are an underrepresented population in higher education with discouraging low first-year persistence rates when compared to the general population. Using an integration of Brayboy’s (2005) Tribal Critical Racy Theory and HeavyRunner & Marshall’s (2003) Cultural Resiliency framework, this research explores ten Navajo freshmen students as they enter and transition into college. An Indigenous methodology, grounded in Navajo/Diné perspective, is used to understand the barriers students face and the strengths used to overcome them. Through the assertion of the Navajo traditional oral story of the Twin Warriors, the “monsters” and “weapons” metaphors are incorporated as a way to decolonize methodologies. Therefore, this study focuses on the strength-based interconnected worldview, referred to as “weapons,” where culture and Indigenous ways of knowing are examined. Moreover, the “monsters,” or the nuanced contextual barriers that inhibit their college transition journey will also be explored. Viewing students’ stories from a strength-based lens and context-specific approach can transform conversations of college access and transition. Illuminating Navajo college students’ experiences opens opportunities to creating a more inclusive pathway for more diverse college campuses and enhancing equity in higher education.

Author

• Amanda R. Tachine, Arizona State University - Tempe