VOICES OF PERSISTENCE: A QUALITATIVE LENS OF INDIGENOUS LEARNERS’ ACADEMIC JOURNEY

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Indigenous learners in sustaining academic persistence within digitally mediated learning environments, with particular attention to technostress and its influence on learners’ emotional, cognitive, and motivational processes. Guided by Colaizzi’s phenomenological method, the study sought to understand how Indigenous learners experience persistence, how they interpret its meaning within their educational context, and what recommendations they offer to support persistence among their peers and future students. Purposive sampling was employed to select Indigenous learners from elementary to secondary levels, and data were gathered through in-depth individual interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that learners’ persistence is shaped by intertwined experiences of anxiety, cognitive overload, physical fatigue, and feelings of inefficacy arising from technological demands and access constraints. Despite these challenges, learners demonstrated persistence through emotional regulation, hope, developing digital competence, and reliance on family and teacher support. Persistence was interpreted not merely as endurance but as a value-driven and relational process grounded in optimism, self-belief, and gradual skill mastery. Learners also recommended strengthening emotional support practices, enhancing digital competence, fostering supportive relationships, promoting manageable learning pace, and cultivating hope as key strategies to sustain academic persistence. The study highlights the importance of culturally responsive, learner-centered approaches in addressing technostress and supporting Indigenous learners’ educational engagement. The findings contribute to Indigenous education discourse by foregrounding learners’ voices and informing equitable educational practices and future research directions.