Institutional Support and Interpersonal Climate as Predictors of Learning for Native American Students

A national sample of 647 Native American students who took the National Survey of Student Engagement was used to test a path model to predict learning for Native American students. Institutional support for students’ success and a positive interpersonal environment contributed both to engagement and learning. Support for student success was the strongest predictor for learning in all 3 domains tested. Strategies for providing such support are considered in light of the historical and contemporary challenges Native American students encounter in formal educational settings that routinely dismiss and misrepresent their cultures and experiences.