What factors do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students say affect their social and emotional wellbeing while at university?

In essence, the concept of social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is very broad. The capacity to achieve good wellbeing rests largely with the individual’s relationship with family and community and connection to land, as well as spiritual and physical wellness (Australia. Department of Health and Ageing 2004). This relationship between social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at university is an area not previously investigated at length. One of the most critical factors associated with difference in educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is attendance (Department of Employment Education and Workplace Relations 2008). In tertiary settings, retention rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have always been low. Historical factors including disconnection from family and kinship structures as well as poor health and low socio-economic status contribute to the complexities accompanying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into university. These issues all impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of the student. This research aims to explore what impacts universities have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ overall wellbeing. This will be done by examining how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students cope with studying at a university, what variables within the individual’s own life affect their ability to cope at university, whether gaps exist for students at university in regards to their social and emotional wellbeing and what strategies could be implemented to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students