Aprender desde el campo: brechas y actitudes lingüísticas en la educación bilingüe rural

Abstract

This research analyzes the educational gaps in bilingual learning environments within rural technical education and their relationship with learners’ linguistic attitudes toward English. It is framed within a hermeneutic paradigm and a mixed-methods approach with a qualitative predominance, using an interpretative case study. Data were collected through a socio demographic questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews applied to both apprentices and instructors in rural contexts. The findings reveal that educational gaps related to infrastructure, access and permanence, curriculum, and equity, do not work separately, but they are interconnected and shape the learning experience. Some of these gaps show a direct influence on apprentices’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes, while others do not present a direct relationship. Likewise, it is identified that linguistic attitudes are not homogeneous; rather they are constructed through the interaction of structural, pedagogical, and experiential factors. In this process, the instructor’s role is fundamental in creating more contextualized learning environments. Overall, the research contributes to understanding bilingual education in rural contexts, by highlighting the need to design appropriate pedagogical strategies that integrate both local settings and attitudes towards language learning.