A sample of attitudes toward educational policy, management, and methodology in post-Stroessner Paraguay (1989--2001) as told through the stories of twelve Paraguayan school teachers and administrators.

摘要

Paraguay is facing problems of educating a population, seventy-five percent of which is under twenty-nine years old. This is coupled with the problems of economic development and major political change. The Paraguayan government has embarked upon centralized, top-down educational reform. Little has been done to solicit input from educational constituencies being served, such as teachers, students, and parents.;This study utilized individual stories to determine educator attitudes toward educational policy, management, and methodology of the participant sample. Also, the teachers were observed teaching a brief narrative text to their students. Their teaching was assessed for its democratic constructivist, student-centered characteristics. The study indicates that the authoritarian dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (1954--1989) had an effect on present teacher beliefs and teacher practices as they relate to education policy, management, and methodology and, further, that the dictatorship continues to affect teacher beliefs and teacher practices in the post-Stroessner period.;This Paraguayan-teacher-focused study chose twelve participant educators to tell their stories. The following criteria were used for teacher selection: (1) six teachers from Stroessner-era Paraguay; (2) six teachers from post-Stroessner Paraguay; (3) six having Guarani as their first language acquisition and six teachers having Spanish as their first language acquisition; (4) six males and six females; and (5) geographic site of teaching responsibilities which included four urban area teachers, four suburban area teachers, and four teachers from a rural community setting. Gender, completion date of teacher education, and date of entry into teaching were evenly divided among the male and female educators in each of the three geographic areas.;The ethnographic data provided by this study expands the knowledge base important for needs clarification. It also suggests a methodological approach that could solicit input from, and give voice to, Paraguayan educators who desire educational reform.