DIAGNOSIS OF TRAINING NEEDS OF SARAGURO INDIGENOUS LEADERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

Abstract

This paper exposes an interpretive analysis of the educational situation of indigenous community leaders in the Saraguro ethnicity located in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and the perception of those leaders about the possibility of joining to a non-formal training process provided through Information Technology and Communication (ICT) to satisfy their specific training needs. We used a non-experimental design and transactional mixed methodology, with two research instruments: a survey and a semi-structured interview. A total of 22 Saraguro indigenous leaders participated in the study. Among the findings it appears that concluding high school has been the top while the limit of schooling for this population segment, a situation that continues in the new generations, however, although technological illiteracy is restrictive, leaders believe that the ICT would enable the strengthening of the skills intrinsic to their cultural heritage.

Keywords

• indigenous education
• training needs
• educative technology
• digital literacy
• Information and Communication Technologies