Creencias sobre la educación intercultural y prácticas de ensenanza de profesores de secundaria de la población indígena yaqui

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify beliefs regarding intercultural education (IE) and to analyze teaching practices of 37 teachers at secondary schools in the Yaqui indigenous community (in the state of Sonora, Mexico). Semi-structured interviews were applied to teachers and classroom observation was conducted. Content analysis of the answers from teachers during the interviews permitted the identification of six beliefs about IE: a) acquisition of cultural knowledge b) interaction among different cultures; c) deficit and compensatory; d) egalitarian; e) relevant education; and f) values education. Analysis of the registries of classroom observations demonstrated limited development of activities that promote intercultural competencies and cooperation among students; teachers impose behavioral norms and although the majority of teachers ask about student pre-existing ideas, they do not use these ideas as part of a metacognitive strategy.