Doctoral Thesis Defence

On the 21^st of December, Rosa Zapata Pérez defended her doctoral thesis titled "Initial University Teacher Training in Cultural Diversity. Perspectives from the region of La Araucanía in Chile" within the framework of the Doctoral Program in Education of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This thesis was directed by Dr. Miquel Àngel Essomba Gelabert. Dr Rosa Guitart (U. De Vic), as chairman, Professor Cristina Laborda (UAB), as secretary, and Professor Núria Giné (UB) as vocal, have participated in the defence court.

This doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of the complexity of the Initial Teacher Training (FID) experience in cultural diversity, in order to rethink the teacher training programs in this area. In order to build knowledge based on the meanings that teachers and students of pedagogy involved in the FID process around cultural diversity have on their experiences, by identifying the conditions that favour or hinder this formative process from their points of view.

In this sense, this study has a methodological orientation between the Phenomenology and Grounded Theory, since it assumes the importance and the value of the subjects as protagonists of the social and cultural contexts to which they belong. In addition, it also assumes the subjects’ spatial-temporal location, as because it is the subject that builds and gives meaning to that reality. An intentional sample of 24 teachers and 23 students who were closer to the study phenomenon, at a university in the Araucanía region in Chile, was constructed with qualitative interviews as the main information collection technique used.
 
As a result of the constant comparative analysis and sample variety, it is possible to identify different dimensions and elements that characterize the FID in cultural diversity. Similarly, then a variety of perspectives regarding each one and from the voices of the participants and the sense of living this training in this sociocultural context.

The results explain personal, social and educational policy factors that influence the construction of the notions of cultural diversity and educate in culturally diverse societies. These aspects have consequences for the formative itinerary design of the pedagogy students, in relation to the place and form that cultural diversity and the strategies meant as pertinent appear in this design.

Therefore, some conclusions are oriented to the understanding of these signified meanings, where the university teacher figure and its formation arise as a transversal condition to assume the challenges of an FID in cultural diversity, as well as orientations to consider in the design of a formative program that assumes cultural diversity.