Space, place, and pathways
How a First Nations student centre supports diverse transitions into university
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24229869 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James Beaufils (0000-0003-1002-464X), Rebecca Taylor (0000-0002-8677-0246), Daniel Edwards (0000-0002-1154-8405) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1326-0111 • E-ISSN: 2049-7784 |
| Publisher | The University of Queensland (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.55146/ajie.v55i1.2069 |
| OpenAlex | W7202194885 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
First Nations students’ transitions into university are frequently treated as linear and uniform, despite diversity across language groups, communities and life trajectories. This study examines how a dedicated First Nations student centre in a metropolitan Australian university supports students across the “university lifespan”: imagining university, application and enrolment, first year and ongoing study. The paper draws on literature, administrative completion data, and interviews with 16 First Nations students and 8 staff. Thematic analysis identified three interlocking mechanisms through which the Centre strengthened success: pathway translation, place-based belonging, and wraparound scaffolding across academic, housing/financial and wellbeing domains, especially during the first weeks of semester. Students described the Centre as their primary access point to university systems, enabling programs, tutoring, accommodation supports and health services. Findings indicate that improving First Nations participation and completion requires not only expanded entry pathways but sustained investment in culturally safe infrastructures that hold students through transition pressure points and support diverse, non-linear journeys.
First Nations students · place-based belonging · student retention · student transition to university · student well-being · Higher Education Research Studies · Indigenous and Place-Based Education · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights
Transforming lives
‘I see myself as undeveloped’
The importance of Indigenous centres/units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Re-defining ‘success’ in relation to outreach programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
‘I am not alone’
Success and University for Indigenous students
Success’ in Indigenous higher education policy in the Northern Territory, Australia
Do numbers speak for themselves? Exploring the use of quantitative data to measure policy ‘success’ in historical Indigenous higher education in the Northern Territory, Australia
Confirmation of Aboriginality, financial equity and policy implementation in higher education
That's the bloodline’
Exploring definitions of success in Northern Territory Indigenous higher education policy
Aboriginal students' journeys to university - privileging our sovereign voices
The Cultural Interface
| Highly cited | No |
|---|