Percepciones sobre la identidad del profesor rural en la Región del Ñuble, Chile

Abstract

The research presented in this article has attempted to generate in-depth and first-hand knowledge of how the identity of teachers working in rural areas is shaped and configured. The study was carried out in two rural communities in the Nuble region. Through a mixed study, with a qualitative predominance, it was possible to investigate the perceptions of a sample of practicing teachers at different stages of their careers. The findings of the study show that the rural teacher's identity is shaped by various characteristics particularly relevant to the rural educational context of Nuble. These features are equally transferable to other educational realities of rural communities in Chile. The study revealed that rural teachers are perceived as professionals with great vocation, motivated for their work, highly professional, and multifaceted. They also establish close relations with their educational communities and commonly work in challenging conditions due to the scarcity of resources for carrying out their work optimally.