Linguistic Factors Associated with School Performance in Indigenous Children of the First Cycle of Bilingual Primary Schools

Abstract

The mother tongue is the main means of communication of the Mayan indigenous child to be linked to their school environment, so the school must consider their ways of life and cultural traditions and rely on well-prepared bilingual teachers. In this research, carried out to 37 students, 31 parents, and three teachers of bilingual primary schools in the municipalities of Calkiní and Hecelchakán of the state of Campeche (Mexico) during the 2001-2002 school year, the main purpose was to analyze the use of the Mayan language in the school and family context, to relate the linguistic factors associated with the quality and school effectiveness represented by the school performance as well, analyze the influence of the teacher. It was determined that the child's mother tongue, the support they receive from parents and teachers to learn Mayan and Spanish, as well as the use they give to both languages in different communicative situations are factors that favor school performance, when comparing these indicators with the marks obtained in both subjects. The importance of teacher / bilingual participation was also determined when preparing an initial diagnosis of their students and planning their school activities considering the learning of the Mayan language.