Distance Education: The Formation Of Cultural-Identity And Self Identity

The Consequences of Distance Education: the Formation of Cultural-Identity and Self-Identity

1) Today, Canadian teens face many hardships in relation to education. In today’s day and age, Aboriginal education has become a growing topic of discussion for policy makers and educators. The past wrong doings of residential schools has created a negative legacy amongst Aboriginal people and their perception of Western education, as well as their experience in Western schools. Numerous Indigenous students want a meaningful education, however, many of their communities do not offer schooling past elementary school. Thus, students who are sent to off-community schools, face a new set of struggles while outside their reserve. Overall, students
The primary sources assessed, point to the fact that distance education takes a major cultural adjustment by students. This includes an adaptation to a new way of living, adjusting to different food sources, a cultural-linguistic divide, in addition to sometimes-severe homesickness. Many students as well as members of ones communities, feel burdened with the reality that in order for the younger Indigenous population to better their quality life, they must leave their reserve, however, this creates a cultural divide. One of the main underlying issues pertaining to Indigenous education points to a lack of educational resources, paired with the notion that Aboriginal cultural relevance is not always a primary focus for many Western schools and teachers. Therefore, there are many barriers Indigenous students in distance schools face, in order to achieve the same educational benefits that non-Indigenous students
Culture is discussed through the importance of language, as discussed in Language Challenges of Aboriginal Students in Canadian Public Schools. Naghmeh Babaee emphasizes that Aboriginal students, speaking English as their second language, should receive an education in their primary language with English as a supplementary component. Similarly, Personal, Cultural and Political Implications of Language Loss or Change, highlights that “Language is a vital component of cultural maintenance” (Friesen 2). Moreover, one’s language is a part of who they are, thus when one’s language is lost, it affects how one is able to socialize with their culture (Friesen 3). Language loss is a concern shared among many Indigenous