Learning experiences of rural Guatemalans engaged in formal social development training

People living in rural areas throughout the world often face a great deal of impediment in obtaining a formal education, and this is the case in parts of Central America. Educational opportunities are often interrupted or halted altogether because many children must work in order to help provide waged or nonwaged labor as contribution to the survival of their families. Illiteracy rates are often high in such areas, and when children in these locations become adults, their already low educational opportunities decrease dramatically. This study examines the perceptions of educational experience of 20 Guatemalan campesinos (rural persons) who were participating in a popular education, formal social development program. Conducted on the campus of Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala City, Guatemala, the study explores the structure of the university's CAPS (Centro de Autoformacion para Promotres Sociales [Training Centre for Social Promoters]) program, an adult education program that employs the teaching/learning methodology of noted educator Paulo Freire. Using Freireian methodology, the program instructs its participants in grassroots organization and social development. In this qualitative study, principal data collection methods were in-depth interviews and participant observations, with 20 interviews with 10 male and 10 female CAPS program participants providing the principal data that were analyzed for the study. The interview participants ranged in age from 16 to 62. Observations of the CAPS classes and the interactions of the participants, both inside and outside of the classroom, were documented. Analysis of the data yielded the following principal themes: education, community, and the CAPS program. Findings indicate that, with the exception of several participants who are currently attending formal schools, all of the participants had their formal educational pursuits interrupted or ended due to several prohibitive factors: large families, the need to help contribute to their families' subsistence, and economic difficulties. Almost all participants indicated a desire to have acquired more formal education, in addition to feeling that better educational opportunities will be key in helping their children and future generations have a better life. Grassroots organization, community activism, and sharing what was learned in the CAPS classes with their communities were identified by the participants as being particularly significant. Implications for further research include the possibility of studies conducted with campesinos who are organizing groups and movements within their communities and who do have access to social development programs such as CAPS. This study also has significance for other inquiries into populations of marginalized and/or isolated people in similar circumstances who do not have an equitable access to the social resource of schooling.