Abstract
This chapter explores the narratives that indigenous students of a normal rural school of the north of Mexico have about English learning and how this process is connected to their native language and the acquisition of Spanish. Through the biographical-narrative method, an interpretative framework and a qualitative approach, this research examines the testimonies of six key informants using in-depth interviews. The results show that students experience an acculturation process that makes them abandon their native language in favor of the use of Spanish, which is the predominant language in all of the education levels in Mexico. In this way, tensions between the cultural identity of the family origin and their performance in other contexts, such as higher education, is identified. In regards to English learning, a late and sporadic contact is observed, which is formalized once they access higher education
TopBackground
The school where this research takes place, is a Normal Rural School, named “Ricardo Flores Magón”, after one of the most important historical figures in the Mexican Revolution. This higher education institution is located in the state of Chihuahua, in the North of Mexico. It was founded in 1931, and it functions as a boarding school for women from low income backgrounds. It covers students’ meals, school uniform and school supplies, and it also provides medical and psychological assistance in case they need it. Students can choose between two bachelor’s degrees: elementary education and preschool education, which takes them four years to complete. The school has a population of approximately 400 women, who are mostly from states located in the North of Mexico: Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, Cohauila, and Sinaloa.
Since the school year 2017-2018, an affirmative action policy was implemented at the school, which stated that 15 spaces were reserved exclusively for indigenous women who are proficient in their native languages and who would like to become teachers; the enrollment was increased to 20 spaces and maintained for the following years. The purpose of this program is to train bilingual teachers (in Spanish and Indigenous languages), who can work in indigenous communities and help preserve their endangered languages.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Mayo: Or Yoreme, they live in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa. The origin of their name comes from the Mayo river.
Normal Rural School: Public Mexican universities in Latin America that educate students to become preschool and elementary school teachers.
Tarahumara: Or Raramuri, a group of indigenous people that live in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Their name means “runners by feet”.
Tepehuan: Group of indigenous people that live in the northwestern of Mexico, specifically the state of Chihuahua and Durango. They are divided in Ódami (Northern Tepehuán) and O’dam (Southeastern Tepehuan)
Zapoteco: An indigenous group mainly located in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. One of the most developed civilization during the Mesoamerican period.
Affirmative Action: Policy in the higher educational level to include a particular group of students based on a specific characteristic. In the case of this study, the affiliation to an indigenous group.