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College of Wooster

Publication Date

Fall 12-7-2014

Program Name

Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

Abstract

This study examines the use of teaching in Quechua as a tool to help maintain the cultural identity and strengthen the self-esteem of young Quechua speakers. I went to three rural schools to complete my fieldwork: I.E. Nº 50492 in Ocongate, I.E. Nº 50765 in Sallikancha, and I.E. Nº 501432 in Kumunkancha. All the schools use the method of Bilingual Intercultural Education in Quechua and Spanish, and are part of the project “Fe y Alegría”. The objectives of this investigation are to describe, analyze, and explain the method of teaching in Quechua in bilingual intercultural schools in rural communities to respond the main question of the investigation. In order to arrive at concrete conclusions, I used various methods to collect information: a) I interviewed teachers and the director of one of the schools, b) I observed the classes and the ways in which the teachers taught in Spanish and Quechua, and c) I observed the children both inside and outside of the classroom to note their behavior, way of dressing, communications, associations, and games they played. After two weeks of fieldwork I analyzed the results using the information I collected from the interviews and observations. I arrived at the conclusion that bilingual intercultural education and teaching in Quechua strengthens the self-esteem and cultural identity of young Quechua speakers in a variety of ways. It is dependent on certain factors: how the bilingual intercultural education is applied in the classroom, the opinions the parents have about bilingual intercultural education and teaching in Quechua, and the ways the communities are incorporated into the education. The schools where the teachers promote Quechua as something beautiful and important, incorporate customs from the communities in the classroom, and receive support from the parents are those in which the students show the most pride for their language and culture.

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | First and Second Language Acquisition | International and Area Studies | Latin American Studies | Typological Linguistics and Linguistic Diversity

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