Many working understandings of giftedness exist within dominating Western frameworks, gatekeeping gifted education from students who do not "fit" inside such frameworks (Owens et al., 2018; Rinn et al., 2020; Sternberg et al., 2021). As a result, K-12 Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are underrepresented in…

Western science largely controls what is learned, funded, studied, and published, yet few scientists are aware of the particular ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions that form the foundation of the Western scientific worldview. Western science is not universal, acultural, or objective, and only the privilege and power of…

Native American students in higher education are often asked to find a sense of belonging in places and spaces that do not reflect their cultures or worldviews. This can lead to isolation and a feeling of having to choose between themselves and their identities as Indigenous peoples. This contributes to poorer mental health, loss of well-being,…

Action towards planetary well-being requires more than environmental awareness, acquisition of knowledge, or technological fixes; it necessitates a sacred connection, recognizing interdependence, and an ethic that maintains dignity for all non-human beings. It requires a shift in our ecological consciousness from the dominator and exploitative…

This qualitative self-study written as a memoir located in the Indigenous paradigm -- signals a reference of challenge to a western worldview. As Ary, Jacobs, Sorensen, & Walker, (2014) put it, "A key difference that has been difficult to understand from a Western perspective that values individual knowledge is the indigenous paradigm…

In this dissertation I examine Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Western science, critically analyzing the underlying values of each, and exploring ways in which both systems can be utilized side by side. In general, Western science has arguably become the worldview utilized in dealing with the many complex multi-level issues of today.…

This dissertation provides a critical analysis of three informal science education partnerships that resulted from a 2003-2006 National Science Foundation grant titled, "Archaeology Pathways for Native Learners" (ESI-0307858), hosted by the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. This dissertation is designed to contribute to…

This Critical Indigenous Qualitative Research study examined the ways in which K-12 Hopi/Tewa educators and principals negotiated curriculum and pedagogy selected for Hopi/Tewa students. Specifically, the study examined: (1) how the developing theoretical frameworks of Red Pedagogy (Grande, 2004) and Tribal Critical Race Theory (Brayboy, 2006)…

There is a great need to raise the levels of science achievement for those groups of children who have traditionally underperformed. Prior cognitive research with Native people suggests that problems with achievement for Native students may be more complicated then simple problems with knowing or not knowing content knowledge. This dissertation…

American Indian and Alaska Native psychologists are in demand. They hold promise to meet the mental health needs of tribal and urban Indian communities by bridging Native worldview and the Euro-American stance of psychology in assessing, designing, and delivering mental health services to Native peoples. Individual stories of Native psychologists…