Primary caregivers play an important role in the lives of Indigenous children. They help them to grow up strong and achieve educational success. The colonisation of Australia has resulted in a negative discourse portraying Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men as drunks, low-achievers and poor fathers. This paper aims to challenge this stereotype by using data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. A univariate and bivariate analysis is undertaken to examine Indigenous and non-Indigenous fathers and involvement in the lives and education of their children. Results show no significant difference between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fathers and that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander fathers are positively engaged in their children’s education despite experiencing structural disadvantages. These findings challenge the discourse that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men are poor fathers. To help Indigenous children grow up strong, Indigenous fathers need support to overcome the negative effects of colonisation.

Item Type:	Non Refereed Conference Paper
Keywords:	Aboriginal education, self-concept
Research Division:	Indigenous Studies
Research Group:	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education
Research Field:	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander curriculum and pedagogy
Objective Division:	Indigenous
Objective Group:	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education
Objective Field:	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Prehn, J (Dr Jacob Prehn)
ID Code:	133754
Year Published:	2019
Deposited By:	Provost
Deposited On:	2019-07-09
Last Modified:	2019-11-14
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