opening page ornament

The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

Enter website
Back to Publications
You are reading: Community gets you through: Success factors contributing to the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students

Katelyn Barney (University of Queensland)

Published in Student Success Special Issue: Student Engagement and Retention in Higher Education
2018

Abstract

This paper explores success factors contributing to the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students identified through a National Teaching Fellowship. Interviews with Indigenous HDR graduates are analysed to explore inhibiting and success factors to completing an HDR. While the fellowship focused mostly on building successful pathways from undergraduate study into HDRs, interviewees also discussed success factors for completing an HDR. In order to address Indigenous student retention and success in higher education, finding out what contributes to successful HDR completions for Indigenous students across diverse disciplines is critical.

Read the full article here.

View more open access national and international journal articles.

General Indigenous Journal articles
Download the full report
Community gets you through: Success factors contributing to the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students
K Barney, 2019
Featured publications
Investigating the relationships between First-in-Family status, equity groups, and university access
T Zając, G Stahl, W Tomaszewski, and N Xiang ​ , 2025
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study compared the university enrolment patterns of First-in-Family (FiF) students, defined as students without university-educated parents, with that of non-FiF students.
First in Family
Research Reports
Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report
ACSES​ , 2024
This report outlines policy options in relation to parity targets for four priority equity groups in Australian higher education – students from low SES backgrounds, First Nations Australian students, students with disability, and students from regional and remote Australia.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Disability
Understanding school students’ aspirations in uncertain times
L Fray, S Patfield, K Sincock, J Gore, and C Rubie​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study returned to a diverse cross-section of schools in the Aspirations Longitudinal Study (2012-2015) to understand how students’ views about their futures had changed over the past decade.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Indigenous
Evidence-based pedagogies to support online engagement of low SES, and regional, rural, and remote students
F Fan, D Hicks, and S Fischer​ , 2026
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study sought to explore how to support engagement for online students, thereby addressing issues of disengagement and attrition.
Low SES
Low socioeconomic status
More publications
Investigating the relationships between First-in-Family status, equity groups, and university access
Tomasz Zając​ , The University of Queensland (UQ)​
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study compared the university enrolment patterns of First-in-Family (FiF) students, defined as students without university-educated parents, with that of non-FiF students.
First in Family
Research Reports
Equity Policy Options: Parity Targets, Final Report
This report outlines policy options in relation to parity targets for four priority equity groups in Australian higher education – students from low SES backgrounds, First Nations Australian students, students with disability, and students from regional and remote Australia.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Disability
Indigenous
Low SES
Low socioeconomic status
Regional, rural and remote
Regional and remote
Understanding school students’ aspirations in uncertain times
Tomasz Zając​ , The University of Queensland (UQ)​
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study returned to a diverse cross-section of schools in the Aspirations Longitudinal Study (2012-2015) to understand how students’ views about their futures had changed over the past decade.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Indigenous
Low SES
Low socioeconomic status
Regional, rural and remote
Regional and remote
Research Reports
Evidence-based pedagogies to support online engagement of low SES, and regional, rural, and remote students
Tomasz Zając​ , The University of Queensland (UQ)​
A Small Grants Research Program final report. The study sought to explore how to support engagement for online students, thereby addressing issues of disengagement and attrition.
Low SES
Low socioeconomic status
Online students
Regional, rural and remote
Regional and remote
Research Reports