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

Abstract

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.

University Language Instructors’ Preparedness for Technology-Mediated Instruction and Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Moreover, it diverges from the limited access to technology and connectivity that language teachers had often reported in other levels of public education (Izquierdo et al, 2017). Their technology access is even remarkably different from the technology and Internet which are available to teachers for language instruction in Mexican rural schools (Izquierdo et al, 2021).…”

“…For instance, they were at ease with resources such as pdf files, videos, PowerPoint presentations and websites. For inperson instruction, these resources are becoming normalized in public classrooms (Izquierdo et al, 2017(Izquierdo et al, , 2021. Teachers have been observed to rely on PowerPoint slides and videos for the provision of grammar and pronunciation rules, in addition to vocabulary.…”

English language education in a rural school

“…Around the world, the teaching and learning of English in public educational institutions faces certain challenges (Izquierdo et al, 2021). In addition, Torres & McCandles (2021) argues that "the implementation of (...) strategies have created challenges for English teachers not only in the international context but also in Latin America" (p. 89).…”

“…The lack of specialized or quality English teachers, educational resources, geographical location, availability of technology, and a limited number of teaching hours are factors that impede the development of language skills and affect the quality of language education (Hossain, 2016;Puma, 2017). Consequently, students lack motivation to study English (Shahnaz & Saleha, 2021), and they are frequently immersed in a lack of school alternatives (Izquierdo et al, 2021).…”

Investigating the Relationship between Job Burnout and Job Satisfaction among Chinese Generalist Teachers in Rural Primary Schools: A Serial Mediation Model

“…More importantly, the cohort of generalist teachers responsible for teaching several disciplines in rural primary schools has not received adequate attention regarding their workload, psychological situation, and career promotion. Compared with their counterparts solely teaching one discipline, a generalist teacher is a more challenging and stressful profession because they have to be able to teach all basic subjects, such as mathematics [ 43 ], science [ 44 ], music [ 45 ], language [ 46 ], arts [ 47 ], physical education [ 48 ], and even dance [ 49 ], often to more than one grade level. In addition to broad subject knowledge and skills, they are expected to be equipped with proficient teaching techniques, including information technology, to teach effectively in the classroom.…”