Understanding the Complexities of Self-Image in an EFL Rural Setting

In this book, we looked at self-image from a humanistic perspective. We see it as a dynamic and complex process that compromises self-respect and self-confidence. The protagonists of this story come from a rural area. They were a group of eleventh graders from a high school in Samaca, one of the 123 towns in the state of Boyaca, Colombia. As narrators of the story, we wanted to explore, analyze, and interpret how these adolescents perceived their self-image through their life stories under a narrative inquiry method. By telling their narratives, the students could reconstruct and re-signify their reality, while showing us who they are in relation to other people and their contexts. Therefore, life stories offered us the possibility to explore students' inner and social worlds. This research study helped us increase our sensitivity to how the adolescents saw themselves as part of their rural contexts, as well as how this might affect their futures. ResumenEn este libro comprendimos la auto-imagen desde una perspectiva humana. Es decir, como un proceso dinamico y complejo que se relaciona con el auto-respeto y la auto-confianza. Los protagonistas de esta historia provienen de una zona rural. Ellos son un grupo de estudiantes de grado once de un colegio localizado en Samaca, uno de los 123 municipios que conforman el departamento de Boyaca en Colombia. Como narradores de esta historia, quisimos explorar, analizar e interpretar como estos adolescentes percibian su auto-imagen a traves de sus historias de vida, enmarcadas en un metodo narrativo. Al narrar sus historias, los estudiantes reconstruyeron y resignificaron su realidad mientras nos mostraban su relacion con otras personas y su propio contexto. Estas historias de vida nos dieron la posibilidad de explorar su mundo interno y social. Incrementamos nuestra sensibilidad como investigadores y entendimos como los adolescentes se percibian en un contexto rural y las implicaciones que esto tiene para sus vidas futuras.