Focus group and discussion groups as qualitative techniques for the creation of spaces for dialogue and debate in the revitalization of languages

Abstract

This research has been carried out to find ways to make learning the Kichwa language more dynamic and effective in a sector of the Imbabura province. In the first phase of the investigation, the conditions under which Kichwa is taught in two intercultural bilingual institutions (Kichwa-Spanish) were inquired into, where relevant quantitative data such as the difference in Kichwa dialects were obtained, between the teaching text and the mother tongue used by teachers and students of Kichwa in the sector, which causes their disagreement. Furthermore, it was considered pertinent to execute various qualitative techniques such as the Focus Group and the Discussion Groups, to achieve, through this methodological triangulation, contrasted results regarding the “methodological strategies for teaching this ancient language” (original subject of the research) in the bilingual intercultural educational system. Already in practice, in the focus group, (vocalized in Kichwa 80% -Spanish 20%) in which various cultural actors, Kichwa activists and expert authorities in the area, convened on the occasion of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, promoted by the United Nations, presented experiences, points of view and suggestions that answered two specific questions; the first on the status or prestige of ancestral languages, and the second on the state of language in the educational curriculum. At a later time, round tables or discussion groups were formed to talk about interculturality as a concept, involving and regulating everything previously stated, sealed with the signing of a manifesto, with the commitment to continue working to find the best strategies for teaching Kichwa. Once the results obtained have been analyzed, it is concluded that it is necessary and urgent to design a methodological proposal, in order to optimize the strengths suggested in the GF and the GD. In this way, the role of the academy and the need to create spaces for dialogue and debate for the preservation of ancestral languages are recognized.