Intercultural Bilingual Education in Latin America

Research and Publications

The project employs one full-time researcher, Dr. Juan Carlos Llorente.

Since May 2008 Dr. Kantasalmi as a researcher of the Department of Education has been focusing his research to comparing the development of Sámi Higher Education and the various initiatives of organizing Indigenous Higher Education in Latin America. In addition to research and consultancy activities the project bears relation to the teachings of the Department in courses of Comparative Education and Schooling & Development.

In the project frame there is currently one post graduate student Tuija Veintie, preparing her Doctoral thesis "Assumptions about knowledge and learning in the Intercultural Bilingual Teacher Education of the Amazonian Indigenous Populations in Ecuador".

The purpose of Veintie's ongoing research project is to examine how Amazonian indigenous teacher education students' assumptions about knowledge and learning are reflected in the everyday teaching and learning practices. Targeted are teacher education students and teacher educators at one intercultural bilingual teacher education institute in the Ecuadorian Amazonia. The students represent Amazonian indigenous populations, and teacher educators are of indigenous or non-indigenous origin. Theoretically the research leans on post-colonial and critical theory. Methodological underpinning is in ethnography and educational anthropology. Results of this study can be used to improve intercultural teacher education, and in the production of culturally pertinent educational materials, which can make a remarkable contribution to the quality of education of the indigenous populations.