Looking for Pura Vida

Using a transnational theoretical framework, this study explores U.S. families expatriating to Guanacaste, Costa Rica in search of educational alternatives to U.S. schooling. In order to meet the needs of this influx of U.S. families to the region, schools such as La Paz Community School in Flamingo, Guanacaste have emerged. This qualitative inquiry explores emergent themes from 16 semi-structured interviews conducted with US parents whose children attend La Paz. Findings reveal participants’ desire for a progressive educational alternative for their children that embraces a more collective vision of learning. For interviewees, frustrations with U.S. K-12 schools became symbolic of cultural criticism of US social norms and the desire to recreate a lifestyle removed from daily pressures in the United States.

本研究运用跨国理论框架，探讨了为寻找美国学校教育之外的教育选择而移居哥斯达黎加瓜纳卡斯特的美国家庭。为了满足大量美国家庭涌入该地区的需求，像位于瓜纳卡斯特弗拉明戈的拉巴斯社区学校这样的学校应运而生。这项定性研究通过对16位孩子在拉巴斯上学的美国家长进行半结构化访谈，探究了浮现出的主题。研究结果显示，参与者希望为他们的孩子提供一种进步的教育替代方案，这种方案包含一种更具集体性的学习愿景。对于受访者来说，对美国K - 12学校的不满成为了对美国社会规范进行文化批判的象征，也体现了他们想要重新创造一种远离美国日常压力的生活方式的愿望。