THE TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS AS PERCEIVED BY LUMBEE INDIANS (AWARE, ACCEPT, SHARE, CHOOSE).

Abstract

This investigation focused on selected members of the Lumbee Indian tribe and sought to ascertain the recollected perceptions of their teacher-student relationships. A theoretical framework was chosen which emphasized the personal process, including the following categories: (1) aware, (2) accept, (3) share, and (4) choose. A search of related literature in each category was then conducted. An interview schedule was designed around the theoretical framework, which consisted of 14 questions from the four categories of aware, accept, share, and choose. It was administered to 44 members of the Lumbee Indian tribe. The participants were divided into two groups of 22 each, those who had attended an integrated school system and those who had attended a predominantly Indian school system. They were then qestioned regarding their recollections of the teacher-student relationships that they experienced in school. The data derived from the questions were then analyzed based on a theory of personal processes. A case study was presented in which a brother and sister who are members of the Lumbee Indian tribe shared their recollections of teacher-student relationships as they perceived them in an Indian school at the elementary level and an integrated school at the secondary level. From the data of the 44 interviews, a summary was presented, followed by recommendations for implementing a theory of personal processes in schools that serve Native American Indians. Based on the findings, Lumbees who attended the Indian schools felt that their teachers were aware of them and provided them the opportunity to experience freedom in their schools. Lumbees who attended the integrated schools were in less agreement that they experienced the personal process in school.