Teaching for Truth: A Descriptive Qualitative Study of a Classroom Strategy for Teaching Health Students to Recognise the Weight of Colonisation in First Nations Health

BackgroundThis study investigated an innovative pedagogical strategy aimed at embedding cultural safety and First Nations perspectives within tertiary nursing education.MethodGrounded in cultural co-teaching, this approach uses the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing to address the historical exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from the Australian tertiary education and health sector. A descriptive qualitative approach combined with thematic analysis identified that students developed an enhanced understanding of colonisation on First Nations health.ResultsFour themes were identified: History Beyond the Coloniser's Story; Power, Empowering, and Possibilities; Connecting Art Interpretations to Clinical Practice; and The Past is in the Present - Culture in Care. The findings highlight the effectiveness of the community-led, arts-based, and reflective teaching strategies in nurse education.ConclusionThe co-teaching model enabled students to reconcile Western and First Nations worldviews, fostering respectful and inclusive learning. This research contributes to the growing evidence base for First Nations-led curriculum design in health education.