Prácticas racistas en educación básica media: una aproximación desde las miradas docentes

Abstract

The present work titled “Racist Practices in Lower Secondary Education: An Approach from Teachers´ Perspectives” addresses the behaviors and expressions of racism within the educational field, such as exclusion, discrimination, and even the devaluation of individuals based on their skin color, ethnic or cultural background. To address this issue, the objective of this research is to understand teachers' perceptions of racism and the educational practices that are reproduced in lower primary education. The study was conducted under a qualitative approach with an exploratory-descriptive scope and a phenomenological design. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with 11 teachers from two private institutions, both located in the city of Cuenca. The analysis of the collected data was conducted using ATLAS.TI. The findings were organized into two main categories: 1) Teachers’ perceptions of racism in lower secondary education, and 2) Racist practices in lower secondary education. Both categories were analyzed through the lens of interculturality. The results showed that various racist practices are often “softened,” which minimizes the seriousness of this social issue. Teachers from both institutions acknowledged the presence of discrimination and exclusion as manifestations of racial reproduction. Finally, the continued use of the term race to refer to people form minority groups or those with different physical characteristics was observed.