Teacher Motivation in Mathematics Teaching in Wixárika Indigenous Contexts: Situated Configurations of Values, Expectations and Costs through the SEVT Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46219/rechiem.v18i1.223Keywords:
teacher motivation, Indigenous education, mathematics teaching, SEVT, costsAbstract
This article examines teacher motivation for teaching mathematics in a Wixárika mountain community in San Miguel Huaixtita (Mezquitic, Jalisco, Mexico), characterized by bilingual instruction without adequate materials, multigrade teaching with limited support, and low curricular contextualization. A qualitative interpretive multiple-case study was conducted with 10 teachers from primary education and telesecundaria –a Mexican lower-secondary modality mainly oriented toward rural contexts and hard-to-access communities–. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews informed by Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) and were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify codes and patterns. The findings show that motivation operates as a situated system of expectations, values, and costs: linguistic mediation shapes conceptual access and increases preparation demands; utility value and attainment/identity value sustain the meaning of the task by linking it to community practices and students’ educational futures; and structural costs (resources, connectivity, reform demands, travel, and family life) reconfigure instructional decisions. Repertoires of teacher regulation used to sustain teaching under constraints, as well as differences across educational levels, were identified. Implications are discussed for bilingual materials policies, context-responsive teacher education, and institutional support.
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