Defining success on their own terms: Narratives of American Indian/Alaska Native master’s degree recipients from a predominantly white institution

Abstract

This is a qualitative, basic interpretive study of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal college/university (TCU) alumni of Haskell Indian Nations University who have subsequently completed and graduated with their master’s degree from a large, predominantly white research university, the University of Kansas between 2013-2019. The purpose of this study is to understand their experiences and successes as graduate students completing their programs at a predominantly white institution. A sub-goal is to identify factors that were effective in their persistence as master’s students. Harper’s Anti-Deficit Achievement Framework (2010) was the inspiration in developing the interview. This study highlights the positive aspects of AI/AN graduate students experiences, shares the success of the students. and includes the challenges and barriers commonly referenced in research studies and scholarly articles for context. The findings from this study shows the main factor in AI/AN graduate student success was support received from family, faculty, mentors and remaining culturally connected. This study encourages more research to be done on AI/AN undergraduate and graduate students and seeks to contribute to the current literature as well as make recommendations for practice and future research.