Indigenous education in the Atacama Desert: Factors influencing teachers’ identity in Atacameños rural contexts

Abstract

One of the leading causes of teacher attrition is the lack of preparation teachers have to work in Indigenous and rural contexts. The lack of teacher preparation and the wrong expectations of educators about rural context cause frustration and demotivation. This study explores teachers’ experiences working in Indigenous rural settings, with the aim of identifying the factors influencing in their pedagogical identity. Participants included teachers of rural schools located in the Atacama Desert and members of the Atacameños Indigenous community.

Interviews were analysed using a postcolonial Indigenous methodology. Results of this research origin the FITIRIS model (Factors Influencing Teachers Identities in Rural Indigenous Settings), this model revels four crucial dimensions that influence teacher identity and experiences in local schools: eternal support, personal resources, and the relationship with the members of the local community and the school context.