| The purpose of this Delphi study was to ascertain whether a connection exists between athletic participation and educational engagement, and if so, whether this connection can improve educational engagement, academic performance, and bridge the gap between the Native American reservation-based high school and Native American communities. The theoretical framework is based on Tribal Critical Race Theory which combines Indigenous notions of culture, knowledge, and power with Western conceptions in order to actively engage in survival, resistance, self-determination, and tribal autonomy (Brayboy, 2005). Purposeful sampling (Patton, 2002) was used with the intent to include education administration, teachers, athletic directors, tribal education directors, and tribal community leadership who were knowledgeable about the subject being studied, primarily the effects that athletic participation of Native American high school students has on educational engagement, academic performance, and community engagement. Data from three rounds of interviews were coded and categorized using Delphi methodology. The first round included two qualitative questionnaires---a demographic questionnaire and a three open-ended questionnaire which generated unstructured, qualitative data. In the second round, the responses identified in the first round of open-ended prompts formed the second and third round five-point Likert-scale survey items generated from participant responses from round 1 input. Quantitative descriptive statistics data were analyzed utilizing the computer package Statistical Package for Social Scientists, version 22 (SPSS 22). Descriptive statistics data were compiled and the participant's response average mean determined which items were considered most essential. Descriptively, rank ordering of means indicated that participants selected strongly agree or agree on 100% of the items selected and systematically obtain a group consensus.;Findings contain the reported perceptions of the participants which increase our understanding that athletics is an integral part of social life in all communities, and is intricately linked. Athletics have a cultural value among Native Americans and are a common link between the school, community and traditional ceremony youth participation. This dissertation posits that when Native American community-based schools acknowledge athletics as a cultural value, and incorporate athletics into the school's educational engagement efforts and community engagement efforts and overall leadership design, the schools, overall effectiveness can improve. |
