Teacher identity is shaped by the interaction between the teacher and the community of practice (Loo, 2021). Teachers’ personal experiences, as well as their emotions and interactions with students, colleagues and the entire educational community, influence their identity (Nichols et al., 2017; Walker-Gibbs et al., 2018). A crucial element of teaching identity is their professional (pedagogical) identity, which can be understood as how teachers define and assume their duties and comprehend their relationships with others who perform the same responsibilities (Avalos & Sotomayor, 2012). One of the main determining factors in teacher identity is the context; through interactions with the environment, identities are reconstructed socially and culturally (Baeza, 2022; Loo, 2021). Understanding teacher identities in rural Indigenous contexts is key to reviewing teacher education programs and professional development. Moreover, one of the leading causes of teacher attrition is the lack of preparation educators have to work in multicultural contexts. This situation is a global concern, as reported in countries such as Spain, Britain, Sweden, Canada and Australia (UNESCO, 2009). However, a limited number of studies have explored teachers’ identity in rural contexts and with a high Indigenous population. Some of these studies suggest that some essential components of teacher identity are the power relationship established with students and their knowledge of their learners (Perso & Hayward, 2015; Walker-Gibbs et al., 2018; White, 2015). The size of the school and the community can also influence their identity. For example, in small towns there are limited options for professional development (Walker-Gibbs et al., 2018).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The relationship with the local community is also essential to teacher identity. Several studies found the best way for teachers to understand their students’ culture is by working closely and collaboratively with the local community (Harrison & Murray, 2012). However, similarly to other countries affected by European colonization, in Chile, education has reproduced the dominant western culture, ignoring the incorporation of Indigenous traditional knowledge into school (Quilaqueo et al., 2014; Vera et al., 2017). Children are receiving a decontextualized and racist education, which is against preserving Indigenous culture and constructing a multicultural society (Mendoza & Sanhueza, 2016).

Theoretical framework

This study adopts an Indigenous decolonized approach, informed by the United Nations (2008) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. This declaration acknowledges the impact Indigenous communities have suffered from the effects of colonization, such as the loss of their ancient land and discrimination in their access to justice and education. It also emphasises the right of Indigenous children to receive an education that respects their local culture. Furthermore, the Indigenous decolonizing perspective highlights the knowledge of minorities affected by colonization in finding solutions to local concerns. Indigenous knowledge is shaped by interaction with nature and the relationship with other community members and the local context (McKenna et al., 2021). Consequently, Indigenous knowledge cannot be separated from the place in which this is generated (Higgins & Kin, 2018). In the interaction between Indigenous wisdom and research focused on social justice and democracy, Indigenous knowledge is built (Chilisa, 2012; Smith, 2012). From this point of view, this research includes the voice of Indigenous community members as the first source of information 

This study intends to contribute to the knowledge about the experiences of rural teachers in Indigenous contexts. Through hearing the voices of teachers working in rural schools in the Atacama Desert in Chile, and members of the Atacameños Indigenous community, this research answers the question: How do the lives and pedagogical experiences of teachers in Indigenous rural contexts determine their professional identity?

This qualitative study was conducted using a combination of decolonizing Indigenous methodology (Chilisa, 2012; Nakata, 2014; Rigney, 1999; Smith, 2012) and constructivist grounded theory (GT; Charmaz, 2014). The decolonizing approach considers the voices of minorities in colonized contexts as primary sources of information. This study acknowledges how research participants have been affected by colonization as Indigenous traditional culture has been undervalued (Battiste & Henderson, 2000), and Chilean teachers have been educated in an educational system based on Western knowledge and approach (Baeza, 2022). Meanwhile GT was used with the aim to generate new theory in a context of social inequality (Birks & Mills, 2012; Charmaz, 2014). GT has been widely used for research in rural settings and Indigenous education (see Ma Rhea et al., 2012; Starr & White, 2008). It is expected the results of this study will support the improvement of Indigenous education, particularly in the Atacameño context. Participants Participants of this research include five non-Indigenous teachers working in a rural school in the Atacama Desert and five members of the Atacameños community. Atacameños people are one of the Indigenous groups recognised in the Indigenous Law of Chile (Ministry of Planning and Cooperation of Chile, 2017). They represent 2% of the Chilean population (Chilean National Institute of Statistics [INE], 2017), who live primarily in rural communities close to the Cordillera de Los Andes (high altiplano). The teacher participants were chosen with the collaboration of the local Director of Education, and Indigenous participants were recruited using snowball sampling, supported by Atacameños Elders and leaders. This methodology was chosen because it respects the local protocols and included the community in the research (Chilisa, 2012). Information gathering and analysis The postcolonial approach used in this study “promotes the use of Indigenous interview strategies that invoke Indigenous world views” (Chilisa & Phatshwane, 2022, p. 232). Accordingly, life story interviews were used as the main source of information, which is recommended as one of the best methods in Indigenous research (Kovach, 2009). Interviews were conducted in the first language of participants (Spanish) and audio-recorded individually with each participant. Memo writing was also used to register information, such as informal conversation with participants and comments from the interviews. The analysis of responses used GT technics, which included: transcription of the audio records; member checking, and improvement of participants’ transcriptions according their feedback; analysis of transcription using emerging topics and categories; and focused analysis.

This research aimed to understand how the lived and professional experience of educators in Indigenous rural contexts reshapes their teacher identity. Through participants’ responses, the research exposed the lack of teacher preparation to work in rural schools, which is even more limited when schools are located in Indigenous settings. The study also revealed the need to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and vision into teaching, which entails working collaboratively with the local community and developing strategies and protocols to integrate Indigenous community members into schools. The stories of teachers and Indigenous participants were the main source of information to create the FITIRIS model (Factors Influencing Teachers Identities in Rural Indigenous Settings). This model reveals four crucial dimensions, both internal and external, that influence teacher identity and experiences in Indigenous rural schools: external support, personal resources, the relationship with the members of the local community, and the school context. Limited studies have explored teacher identity in Indigenous rural contexts. Therefore, this model represents a contribution to the literature that could be useful to understanding teachers’ experiences in Indigenous rural contexts. Likewise, the model could be used to review the current teacher preparation at universities and investigate how teacher preparation could be improved to provide adequate training to teachers working in Indigenous rural contexts. Finally, this research contributes to giving voice to Indigenous peoples living in remote areas of Chile and highlights their perceptions as an invaluable source to understand the meaning of being a teacher in an Indigenous school.

Ávalos, B., & Sotomayor, C. (2012). How Chilean teachers percive their identity [Cómo ven su identidad los docentes chilenos]. Perspectiva Educacional, formación de profesores, 51(1), 57-86. Baeza, A. (2022). Indigenous education in rural and remote areas in Chile: Exploring teacher and community experiences. Queensland University of Technology. Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). SAGE. Chilean National Institute of Statistics [INE]. (2017). Census of population and living places. http://www.ine.cl Chilisa, B. (2012). Indigenous research methodologies. SAGE Publications. Higgins, M., & Kim, E. (2018). De/colonizing methodologies in science education: Rebraiding research theory–practice–ethics with Indigenous theories and theorists. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1–17. doi:10.1007/s11422-018-9862-4 Loo, S. (2021). Professional development of teacher educators in further education: Pathways, knowledge, identities and vocationalism. Routledge. Ma Rhea, Z., Anderson, P., & Atkinson, B. (2012). Improving teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. Australian Institute for Teaching and School leadership website https://www.aitsl.edu.au/ Kovach, M. (2009). Indigenous methodologies: Characteristics, conversations, and contexts. University of Toronto Press. Mendoza, I., & Sanhueza, S. (2016). Captive diversity in the interculturality of Chilean intercultural education policy. Revista Educadi, 1(2), 83–98. Nakata, M. (2014). Disciplining the savages, savaging the disciplines. Aboriginal Studies Press. Nichols, S. Schutz, P., Rodgers, K., & Bilica, K (2017). Early career teachers’ emotion and emerging teacher identities. Teachers and Teaching, Theory and Practice, 23, 406–421. Quilaqueo, D., Quintriqueo, S., Torres, H., & Muñoz, G. (2014). Saberes educativos Mapuches: Aportes epistémicos para un enfoque de educación intercultural. Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena, 46(2), 271–283. Smith, L. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples (2nd ed.). Zed Books. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2009). Projecting the global demand for teachers: Meeting the goal of universal primary education by 2015 (Technical Paper No. 3). United Nations. (2008). Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf Vera, J., Rodríguez, C., Calderón, N. Cárdenas, C., & Duarte, C. (2017). The perception of Indigenous students about the sociocultural context in rural high school, a longitudinal study. Educacion Superior intercultural: trayectorias, experiencias & perspectivas. Colegio de Postgraduados. Walker-Gibbs, B., Ludecke, M., & Kline, J. (2018). Pedagogy of the Rural as a lens for understanding beginning teachers’ identity and positionings in rural schools. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 26(2), 301–314. White, S. (2015). Extending the knowledge base for (rural) teacher educators. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 25(3), 50–61.