A Document Analysis of Community College Published Scholarship about Native American Students and Tribal Colleges and Universities

ABSTRACT

This document analysis study identified how many articles’ purposes focused on Native American peoples and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are published in five community college journals and one professional magazine, and how this published research portrays Native American peoples and TCUs. Utilizing a document analysis design, five peer-review journals and one professional magazine committed to community college research were searched using the terms: “Native American” “American Indian” “Indigenous,” “Indian,” “native,” and “Tribal Colleges and Universities.” The journal searches yielded 1,993 articles with only 17 articles specific to Native American peoples or TCUs. Two findings emerged from this study: 1) the reinforcement that tribal colleges and universities provide culturally relevant opportunities to aid in student success; and 2) challenging stereotypes and promoting Indigenous learning at non-Native community colleges. This document analysis study provides four recommendations for future research and practice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. CCJ is published by The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The AACC (2021) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges.