What type of study is this?

This is a Qualitative Study study.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to identify professional demands faced by elementary teachers in rural borderland schools in northern Chile.

December 9, 2025Open Access

Situated Science Education and Curricular Justice in Rural Borderland Schools: Elementary Teachers’ Voices from Northern Chile

Key Points

This research aims to identify professional demands faced by elementary teachers in rural borderland schools in northern Chile.
Conducted four focus groups with 21 in-service teachers from rural and urban schools.
Performed thematic analysis to identify challenges and enabling factors in teaching practices.
Examined the context of rural borderland education and its unique demands.
Found challenges in teacher preparation, including limited disciplinary training and reduced instructional time.
Identified enabling factors such as students' experiential knowledge and opportunities for interdisciplinary integration.
Emphasized the necessity for teacher education policies that consider local territorial realities.

Abstract

The teaching of natural sciences in complex school contexts, such as border and peripheral zones, faces challenges linked to curricular relevance, teacher preparation, and structural conditions. This study explored the professional demands of elementary teachers in northern Chile through four focus groups with 21 in-service teachers from rural and urban schools in the tri-border region. Thematic analysis revealed challenges including limited disciplinary training, scarce resources, reduced instructional time, and pressure from standardized tests. Enabling factors included the natural environment, students’ experiential knowledge, and interdisciplinary integration. Findings stress the need for situated teacher education policies responsive to territorial realities.

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