Escuela, medio rural y diversidad cultural en un contexto globalcurrículum, materiales didácticos y práctica docente de Conocimiento del Medio : situación, límites y posibilidades en centros onubenses

Abstract

The following research is inserted in rural education and surroundings, populations and small schools, scenarios and participants with a specific profile. Our proposal for this research is to analyze, describe and explore the context and, as well, interpret the data towards the discovery of new improvements proposals. We approach the school in the rural context upon their role in the XXI century and in the postmodern society, globalized and multicultural and close to their human components and on the constant search of education quality. The development of this research is based in three empirical researches (two quantitative studies with qualitative basis and another research developed within a qualitative paradigm) and also on literature review that supports the theoretical framework upon rural schools context. This theoretical framework allows a sense of globalization, creating a diverse theoretical support network of the research itself from a global analysis of the rural education, -Literature review: search and review of data that allows developing a base to discover where the information is related and which kind of influence might have during the research. -Statistical analysis: Population research in Andalucía and population in the region of Huelva: We have created and validated statistical instruments and applied them to teachers in rural schools in Huelva región. In those schools the Directors were also interviewed to gather further data. -Case Studies: on the three researches on the rural schools cassosse we interviewed families, students, the community and students, recorded observations, opinions index among other data gathering techniques. We created data analysis units to access the data. Every rural education center and schools has its own identity and may be defined has unique rural schools, Public Rural Schools (in groups of schools) and schools in rural context. The melting pot of theoretical and methodological techniques from different paradigms allows constant information exchange promoting a greater input of data recorded. We approach the educational reality concerning her dynamic and interactive development. Therefore we use different data recording techniques and mixed techniques, paradigms and research models. The research process is described in phases: proposal and structure of the research and creation of instruments of research; recording and gathering of data; information analysis; developing reports and broadcast conclusions. In order to analyze the data we established categories to incorporate data, after coding the information: rural context and school interaction; physical and human resources in rural schools, teachers, students, families and external agents, curriculum and materials used, organization features and diversity. The conclusions gather from different sources point towards the need to develop further studies in this context. The data gathering allowed developing the conclusions from different perspectives: The rural schools cannot remain focused on itself and in its own context/location, nor going towards educational centers created due economic reasons. The answer to that was constructed and developed within this thesis.