Resilience and First Nations Students: a Study of Resilience in First Nations Post-secondary Students

The drop out rate of First Nations students is a long standing issue and concern. Although it is important to explore the factors for this drop-out, this study takes a different approach and looks at positive adaptation and success. This is a qualitative study which is intended to contribute to an understanding of the resilience processes that enable those who persevere and succeed in spite of great adversity. Using a narrative inquiry method,the stories of six graduates of the First Nations University of Canada, Indigenous Education program, were analyzed. Based on their stories a model using the medicine wheel framework was developed which reflects the characteristics of resilient individuals.