Ngobe of Panama: Perspectives on rural, indigenous schooling from parents and teachers

This exploratory research is about rural schooling in an indigenous community in Panama. This phenomenological study focused on the schooling in Salt Creek (Quebrada Sal), a Ngobe community, with the following research questions: What are the barriers to continued education in this community? How do adult leaders within the community provide support to improve education and overcome barriers through this school? What do the adult leaders of this community see as the values and goals of education for their children? The study findings served 2 main goals: (a) Knowledge about rural education in a Ngobe community was expanded, and (b) information was revealed which would be useful for instruction of this population or populations that share similar features in other locations such as the United States. The data were collected from interviews with participants and through observations on 2 visits to the community. All 31 parent or teacher participants were selected by purposeful sampling, with the criteria of having high interest in the education of children and the willingness to participate in this study. The findings showed that the barriers to continued education were instability of parents' financial resources, location of school, inadequate community services which support education followed by school facilities and instructional materials. Parents and teachers provided support to education through teaching life skills, academics and values at home and at school. Values and goals of education for the community's children were found to emphasize self-worth, passing the cultural knowledge, and being responsible. The findings were related to research on the relationship between school facilities and materials to student progress, parental involvement in school, socio-developmental paradigms of individualism and collectivism, and the relationship between self-esteem and primary language use. It was concluded that effective academic support for the students in this study and other populations from similar backgrounds must incorporate instructional strategies accommodating their students' cultural orientations. Implications for instructional practice and teacher preparation were suggested to support practices that focus on academic success and continued education for students from an indigenous community.