2025/08/25 by Naomi Fillmore, Marnee Shay, Grace Sarra +1 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Cultural Competency in Health Care #Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights #Service-Learning and Community Engagement
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/07294360.2025.2541645
openalex publication_date 2025/08/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
This article presents the findings of a meta-narrative review on researcher capability for Indigenous research in the Australian context. Using existing evidence, the paper proposes a new model for understanding cultural capability for Indigenous research in higher education. The review adheres to Wong et al.'s [2013. RAMESES publication standards: Meta-narrative reviews. BMC Medicine, 11(1), 20] guidelines and examines how cultural capability is conceptualised in the literature for researchers in higher education institutions engaging with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Findings highlight that researcher cultural capability may be understood as a multi-level process occurring at the individual, project, and institution levels, consistent with existing, more general models of ‘cultural competence’ such as that of Cross et al. [1989. Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care: A Monograph on Effective Services for Minority Children Who Are Severely Emotionally Disturbed. CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Georgetown University Child Development Center, 3800 Reservoir Rd]. Examples of the specific skills, knowledges, and practices necessary for ethical and culturally capable research with Indigenous peoples are provided from the reviewed literature. The article concludes by noting future directions for testing and implementing the proposed framework within an Australian Centre of Excellence. This research aims to enhance researcher cultural capability and promote responsible, respectful, and co-designed Indigenous research, ultimately contributing to Indigenous self-determination, improved research outcomes, and greater research impact.