%0 Journal Article %A G. Bickel and D. Jensen %D 2012 %J International Journal of Educational and Pedagogical Sciences %B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology %I Open Science Index 66, 2012 %T Understanding Cultural Dissonance to Enhance Higher Education Academic Success %U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/9661 %V 66 %X This research documents a qualitative study of selected Native Americans who have successfully graduated from mainstream higher education institutions. The research framework explored the Bicultural Identity Formation Model as a means of understanding the expressions of the students' adaptations to mainstream education. This approach lead to an awareness of how the participants in the study used specific cultural and social strategies to enhance their educational success and also to an awareness of how they coped with cultural dissonance to achieve a new academic identity. Research implications impact a larger audience of bicultural, foreign, or international students experiencing cultural dissonance. %P 1170 - 1176