Abstract
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Indigenous communities have strengths and wisdom beyond Westernized culture’s recognition
and understanding. However, there continues to be significant difference in literacy and life
skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults. In this article, I reflect on a project that
investigated how technology could best support adult literacy learners in an Australian
Indigenous community. The project provided insights into how local people perceive the
concept of literacy and the significant role it plays in critical thinking and quality decision
making. The aim of my research was to create a set of principles to support adult literacy
learners, which could be interpreted and applied on a global level. From this project, a new
theoretical framework—the Community Strength Model—emerged. The cyclical model serves
as a tool to assist researchers with conceptualizing the collective process of learning within an
Indigenous culture, where being true to Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous ways of learning
is imperative to successful outcomes. It also provides a structure to facilitate respectful research,
which can be adapted for Indigenous communities globally.
Keywords: Indigenous culture; theory; synchronous technology; literacy; Indigenous
ways of knowing