A Slippery Slope for Miskitu Families Living in the Pearl Lagoon Basin of Nicaragua

281 Pages·2017·2.01 MB·English

Te University of San Francisco
USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library |
Geschke Center
Doctoral Dissertations Teses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects
2015
Keeping Kids in School: A Slippery Slope for
Miskitu Families Living in the Pearl Lagoon Basin
of Nicaragua
Patricia Ann Conway
University of San Francisco,
The University of San Francisco
KEEPING KIDS IN SCHOOL: A SLIPPERY SLOPE FOR MISKITU FAMILIES
LIVING IN THE PEARL LAGOON BASIN
OF NICARAGUA
A Dissertation Presented
to
The Faculty of the School of Education
Department of Leadership Studies
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education
by
Patricia Ann Conway
San Francisco
November 2015
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Dissertation Abstract
Keeping Kids in School: A Slippery Slope for Miskitu Families Living in the Pearl
Lagoon Basin of Nicaragua
In 2014, Miskitu participants in the communities of Raitipura and Kahkabila and
several of their children had dropped out of school. Earlier quantitative research revealed
a problem of low matriculation in elementary and high schools in all of Nicaragua. This
inquiry differed from others in that it was a qualitative study focusing on one group of
people: the Miskitu community members living on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast. This
investigation employed the participatory-action research methodology, allowing
participants to tell their own stories about the events leading up to their dematriculation.
The six participants, male and female, are of Miskitu heritage, were at least 16
years of age, were born and continue to live in either Raitipura or Kahkabila, and all but
one speaks Miskitu as their first language. Participants revealed reasons for dropping out
of school by discussing their school experiences, the elementary school curriculum, and
indications of the Miskitu language and culture in and out of school. A variety of themes
emerged from these conversations: poverty, teen pregnancy, health services, relationships
between parents and teachers, parental concerns regarding school curriculum, school
attendance, and indications of early stages of language loss in the communities.
Many themes were commonly shared among the six participants. Additionally,
participants often gave more than one reason for withdrawing from school. Therefore, it
future work should reflect the understanding that dropping out of school is often not the
result of a single factor and that any action attempting to resolve the problem of high
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drop-out rates must recognize and address the multiple and often interrelated factors that
contribute to dematriculation among Miskitu children attending schools in these
communities.
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This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee
and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by
the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this
work represent the work of the candidate alone.
Patricia Ann Conway November 20, 2015
Candidate Date

Dissertation Committee

Patricia Mitchell November 20, 2015
Chairperson

Brian Gerrard November 20, 2015

M. Sedique Popal November 20, 2015

Betty Taylor November 20, 2015

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This Dissertation is Dedicated to The Miskitu Peoples
of
Kahkabila and Raitipura,
Nicaragua
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dissertation Topic
My interest in indigenous education took hold during the last 3 years of my
graduate work at the University of San Francisco. The inquiry I conducted at that time
focused on how relevant curriculum and education practices could encourage and enable
indigenous children in Oaxaca, Mexico, to remain in school. Later, over numerous
conversations with my friend, Ms. Amalia Dixon, who is of Miskitu heritage, I became
aware that education concerns that had earlier beset families in Oaxaca existed in
contemporary indigenous communities in Nicaragua as well. Thus, it was because of Ms.
Dixon, an educator in the United States and Nicaragua, that I was introduced to the
Miskitu culture, and it was with this foundation that my dissertation journey began.
Research into the education practices of two Miskitu communities in the Pearl Lagoon
Basin of Nicaragua became not only the topic of my dissertation, but would influence the
direction I hope my postgraduate work will follow, as well.
Dissertation Committee Members
I would like to begin by honoring you, Dr. Patricia Mitchell, my dissertation
chair, the person that I have known, respected, and learned from during the entire span of
my education experience at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Mitchell, thank you for
introducing servant leadership into my life and for allowing me to witness how servant
leadership has influenced your teaching practices. The dissertation journey has been
joyful with you, Dr. Mitchell. In the simplest but the most precise terms, you have guided
me carefully along, encouraging me to bring forth my deepest research experiences that
were revealed to me by participants living in the Pearl Lagoon region of Nicaragua.
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Thank you, Dr. Mitchell, for being my teacher, my mentor, and someone I feel honored
to call my friend.
Dr. Brian Gerard, my research would have been greatly lacking without your
significant suggestion during the proposal defense. Thank you, Dr. Gerard for directing
my inquiry to include information regarding the importance of school attendance. School
dropouts really do begin in kindergarten.
Dr. Sadique Popal, thank you for serving on my dissertation committee. I am
grateful that you taught me the importance of including language research in my work in
Nicaragua. Also, as a student in three of your classes at USF, you taught me that learning
can and must be a joyful experience. I brought this concept with me as I entered the
Miskitu communities and found that laughter and joy are universal and are what served as
unifying and clarifying elements in the research process.
Dr. Betty Taylor, I am honored that you accepted the invitation to serve on my
dissertation committee. Your expertise in cultural competency, human rights, and
multicultural perspectives in education helped me to continually focus on these areas with
participants. Thank you very much; I will always be grateful to you.
Influential Professors at the University of San Francisco
From the Organization and Leadership Department, I would like to thank you, Dr.
Ellen Herda. You taught me the importance of seeking meaning through experiences. I
also learned from you that understanding is not fixed, but is always changing, unveiling
new perspectives. It was with this understanding and respect for the plurality of meaning
that I carried out my research in Nicaragua.
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Thank you, Dr. Gini Shimabukuro, for the guidance and support you offered all
of your students in the 709 proposal course. Your instruction and attention to our work
went beyond all expectations as you read and corrected every piece of submitted work.
You were highly appreciated and esteemed by all of your students, Dr. Shimabukuro.
I would like to honor the following teachers who taught classes through the
International and Multicultural Department; classes that provided me with the necessary
tools to meet respectfully with the Miskitu peoples and to learn from them, my ultimate
teachers. These professors are Dr. Emma Fuentes, Dr. Shabnam Koirala Azad, Dr.
Sedique Popal, Dr. Stephen Zunes, and visiting professors Dr. Greg Misiaszek and
Dr. Charlie Clements. Even though I never had classes with Dr. Susan Katz and Dr.
Onllwyn Dixon, I am grateful to them both for the knowledge they transmitted regarding
indigenous peoples in South America and indigenous knowledge.
The Miskitu Participants and Guides
I thank the participants whose names must remain anonymous. You were more
than generous with your patience, your time, and the warmth shown to this stranger from
California who walked one day into your communities. Thank you for so openly sharing
your stories with me and for offering friendship; you were then and remain now my
ultimate teachers. Ms. Eveth Ingram Peachy and Mr. Jairo Schwartz, my friends and
guides: it truthfully can be said that this research could never have taken place without
you. You literally led me through flooded paths and treacherous waters to arrive at our
destinations. How many people can be depended upon to do that? Thank you for
introducing me to the families, translating when necessary, staying with me throughout
all the long conversations, and for arranging the follow-up meetings and later the phone
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calls with participants, once I had returned to the United States. I never could have
imagined meeting such gifted, sincere, and generous persons such as you.
Friends in Technology
Thank you, Rory Lynagh Shannon and Benny Ma, for the technological
assistance you offered me during this dissertation journey and beyond. Your patience and
expertise helped me over the many hurdles that presented themselves in the challenging
realm of computers and printers. You were not only problem solvers and teachers of
technology extraordinaire; you were truly loyal friends without compare.
My Husband
Thank you, Ning Hou, for standing with me throughout the entire doctoral
journey. Semester after semester, you believed in me and encouraged me, trusting that I
would reach my goal. Above all, I am grateful that you understood the purpose and
importance of the research and how you rooted for me during my stay on the Mosquito
Coast of Nicaragua. Thank you, also, to our dear friend, Xiao Min Zhou, who tirelessly
drove me to my many Friday night classes and to both Ning and Xiao Min, who waited
as the hours passed and then drove me home. Forever grateful!

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