Innovation in Language Learning
Kichwa Language Teaching Effectiveness and Cultural Relevance in Ecuador’s Intercultural Bilingual School System: a Diagnostic
Sophia Cadoux, University Yachay Tech (Ecuador)
José Pomavilla, University Yachay Tech (Ecuador)
Abstract
Indigenous languages are being lost in Ecuador. The Intercultural Bilingual School System, created to strengthen indigenous languages and cultures, has appeared to have little to no effect on slowing the loss of the Kichwa language and supporting indigenous language revitalization efforts. The purpose of this sociolinguistic non-experimental quantitative-qualitative study was to understand how students and teachers felt about their intercultural bilingual schools in terms of Kichwa language and culture, and to observe the teaching techniques and methodologies currently used in the Intercultural Bilingual school system to teach ancestral language. Kichwa language class observation rubrics were designed, informed by constructivist theory, the communicative approach, comprehensible input approach and accepted pedagogical practices within the Model of Intercultural Bilingual Education in Ecuador, and Kichwa classes were assessed based on the rubric criteria. Through the use of a student survey (N=55; ages 9-10), Kichwa language teacher surveys (N=5) and Kichwa language class observations (N=5) conducted at three intercultural bilingual schools in Imbabura Province, the study found that there was an important necessity to train Kichwa language teachers in language teaching pedagogy and culturally relevant pedagogy, to hire more Kichwa speakers and/or incentivize the use of Kichwa to communicate in the school, produce more didactic material for the Kichwa language, and create Kichwa language courses for different levels of learners.
Keywords: Indigenous language revitalization, intercultural bilingual education, communicative language teaching, sociolinguistics, culturally relevant pedagogy
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