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Teaching Aboriginal Curriculum Content In Australian High Schools, Sarah Booth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many misconceptions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stem from Australia’s period of colonisation in the 18th and 19th centuries when Indigenous people were believed to be inferior by European settlers. It is disturbing that after 200 years these negative ideas still exist and are often perpetuated through the mass media. Even though schools are well positioned to challenge these colonial values; unfortunately there are many factors which affect the depth and quality of teaching Aboriginal content, such as culture, history and contemporary issues.

The government has aimed to disperse the inconsistencies associated with teaching Aboriginal perspectives by implementing a …