Advising Rural and Native American Students: The Role of Advisors Role in Cultural Reproduction

Abstract

One in five students in the United States live in a rural community. Research has shown students from rural areas are less likely to graduate college when compared to their urban peers. In Oklahoma, Native American individuals are 66% of the rural population. Yet, the educational experiences, needs, and concerns of Native American and/or students from rural areas are often left out of the research centered on college advising. Additionally, the forms of cultural capital these two student populations bring with them to college and how their capital may differ from dominant groups is ignored in the college advising literature. There is no research on how advisors view cultural capital or what role it plays in the advising process. This qualitative inquiry study explores the lived experiences of 15 advisors working at the university and community college level in Oklahoma. Oklahoma was selected for the study due to the high number of Native and rural students in the state. Study participants had little to no knowledge about rural or Native American students. The advisors were unaware if their students identify as Native American or are from a rural community. Another major finding is that advisors gave no value to the forms of capital that Native American or rural students bring to college and the advising process. Instead, Native American and rural students are “treated like everyone else.” More concerning, advisors misrecognized Native American students, defining and treating them as “international students.” Most importantly, this study reveals how advising contributes to cultural reproduction of the dominant social group on Native American and rural students. Advising is continuing the oppression and forced assimilation of Native American students. Keywords: Advising, Rural, Rural Communities, Rural Students, Native American, Native American Students, and Cultural Reproduction