Early literacy profiles of Awajún children in the Peruvian Amazon: evidence from intercultural bilingual schools

Guevara-Goñas R.E.; Diaz M.S.Y.; Tongo-Alarcón D.; Bautista W.Z.; Quiac S.C.; de la Puente E.E.R. · Reading and Writing (2026) · DOI: 10.1007/s11145-026-10885-3

Resumen

This study examines early literacy among Awajún Indigenous children in the Peruvian Amazon and interprets achievement patterns in relation to the educational conditions through which learning opportunities are made available in intercultural bilingual education settings. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, we assessed 1443 first- and second-grade students from 71 EIB primary schools with an Awajún-language literacy assessment that captured emergent writing, phonological awareness, and reading comprehension. Quantitative findings reveal uneven cross-grade profiles: alphabetic writing is not widespread in either grade, phonological awareness remains fragile, and literal and inferential comprehension show limited differentiation between cohorts. To contextualize these patterns, qualitative evidence from classroom observations, field notes, open-ended survey responses, semi-structured interviews with educational specialists, and a participatory workshop with teachers documented a set of recurring conditions that help contextualize restricted opportunities to learn: multigrade organization, teacher turnover, uneven preparation for teaching literacy in Awajún, scarcity of culturally and linguistically appropriate materials, limited infrastructure, and classroom routines centered on copying and tracing rather than meaningful writing and comprehension-oriented reading. The study contributes situated evidence on early literacy profiles in Awajún EIB schools and identifies actionable priorities for strengthening early-grade literacy through sustained instruction in the mother tongue, systematic phonological and writing practices, stable pedagogical support, and improved access to relevant materials. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2026.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas