The initial level of education in rural contexts

Abstract

The research presented deals with the challenges of teaching at the Initial Level in diverse rural contexts, in the provinces of Córdoba and Chaco. It was proposed to recognise the perceptions about Initial Level teaching in rural environments, within the framework of teaching careers, from the perspective of the actors involved. A qualitative multiple case study was carried out, covering eight educational experiences of rural teachers in the provinces of Córdoba and Chaco. In accordance with the established objective, the focus of interest was centered on the training of teachers who perform their functions in rural contexts. For data analysis, a strategy combining qualitative approaches of a restorative and analytical nature was adopted. The main results show that in rural environments various challenges arise at the individual, institutional and systemic level, which are manifested in the daily work of teachers. Among these challenges, initial training, work in multigrade classrooms and the lack of recognition by the educational system of the specific needs of rural schools stand out. The findings will allow for the definition of actions and proposals for gradual training in rural educational environments that include the initial level.