Factors impacting non-Indigenous educators’ inclusion of First Nations’ content in schools: A systematic literature review

This systematic review is a rigorous analysis of Australian literature that identifies the factors (barriers and enablers) that impact non-Indigenous educators’ inclusion of First Nations' content in Australian schooling. Understanding the barriers and enablers to pedagogical inclusion are an important elements to upholding the various governmental policies and redressing education inequities in the settler-colonial Australian context. Key databases, specifically Informit, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched which resulted in n = 40 articles deemed to meet the in/exclusion criteria. Inductive thematic synthesis was conducted to provide valuable insights about the relevant barriers and enablers for non-Indigenous educators to include First Nations content in their practice. Findings indicate that lack of knowledge and prioritisation for First Nations content were significant epistemic barriers with standpoint and confidence identified as affective barriers. Enablers were identified as relationships with First Nations Peoples to inform shifts in pedagogical lens, as well as ongoing professional development and support. The results of this systematic review suggest that redressing the current state of Australian education requires tackling of multifaceted, complex, and interrelated factors to facilitating sustainable change so that all students have the opportunity to develop social-justice worldviews associated with valuing and truth-telling.