Foreign language education in rural schools: Struggles and initiatives among generalist teachers teaching English in Mexico

• Published in: Studies in second language learning and teaching Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 133 - 156
• Main Authors: Izquierdo, Jesús, Zúñiga, Silvia Patricia Aquino, Martínez, Verónica García
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kalisz Wojskowe Biuro Historyczne im. gen. broni Kazimierza Sosnkowskiego 01.03.2021; Military Historical Bureau of Lieutenant-General Kazimierz Sosnkowski; Adam Mickiewicz University; Adam Mickiewicz University Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts; Adam Mickiewicz University Department of English Studies; Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
• Subjects: Barriers; Education policy; Educational Policy; English (Second Language); english as a foreign language; English as a second language; English as a second language instruction; English Instruction; Foreign Countries; Foreign languages learning; High schools; Instructional Effectiveness; Interviews; Language instruction; language planning; Language policy; Polls & surveys; Rural areas; rural education; Rural Schools; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Second language teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Secondary schools; Semi Structured Interviews; Social aspects; Sociocultural factors; Study and teaching; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher education; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Improvement; Teacher Surveys; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Mexico; United Kingdom; language policy, language planning; English as a foreign language; teacher education; rural education
• ISSN: 2083-5205; 2084-1965
• DOI: 10.14746/ssllt.2021.11.1.6

In many countries, English as a foreign/second language (L2) teaching has become compulsory in urban and rural public schools. In rural areas, the challenges for the implementation of this state-sanctioned policy have been explored among L2 teaching specialists. However, this mixed-methods study considered a different teacher group and examined the struggles and initiatives of generalist teachers who are obligated to teach English in rural schools. To this end, data were collected from 115 teachers in 17 rural secondary schools in the Southeast of Mexico. First, the participants completed a survey with closed-ended questions that elicited information about teacher education, teaching experience and knowledge of the rural school system. Then, a subsample of participants completed an individual thematized semi-structured interview. They were selected on the basis of L2 teacher education involvement. In the survey data, response patterns were identified using frequency analyses. The interview data were analyzed using categorical aggregation. The data revealed that the generalist teachers struggle with L2 professionalization, sociocultural and instructional challenges. Nonetheless, only few participants have been engaged in L2 teacher education which could help them overcome these challenges. Instead, they rely upon limited strategies to counteract the day-to-day challenges at the expense of effective L2 teaching practices.