Educational Research by Tatiana Linares

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 “Cultural and linguistic immersion through digital resources to improve the quality as in learning as in teaching English as a foreign language in Colombia”

RESEARCH PROBLEM

The MEN (Ministerio de Educación Nacional) has planned different goals to reach bilingualism through the last decade. Despite their effort, those reasonable and optimistic goals seem to be far from Colombian education in the way I see it as a teacher who is in classrooms diary. Course, I think, we are the main responsible for taking the lead with these plans and improving in our professional area. But I consider there is a key aspect in Learning and Teaching English that should be included in the syllabus that is: cultural and linguistic immersion. If we analyze with reliable sources of information, we can show that there is a low percentage of students even and worst teachers that can aim to go other countries to improve their communicative skills, considering that language target is worth to communicate and be part of another culture, that´s what we try when we speak in another language. What can we ask ourselves around this research: What kind of alternative digital resources have the English teachers in Colombia for access to linguistic immersion without evaluate the idea of travel to another country to do it?


PURPOSE OF MY RESEARCH

To reach the ideal standard in the foreign language: English, to get access for more information resources, create a wide professional network and know interesting places, in this research the readers can analyze the importance of cultural and linguistic immersion to improve the quality as in learning as in teaching English as a foreign language in Colombia.

Proposing experimental learning in the search for existing digital resources is what is proposed in this research to contribute to the growth of English language proficiency in both students and teachers.

See: Template 2

See: Survey


ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING THE DATA


Conclusion

Graphic 1

We can deduct from graph number one that on a scale of 1 to 10, 71.4% of respondents consider it very important to learn English, which positively influences respondents' motivation to learn English.

Graphic 2

In graphic 2 we see that 57.1% of those surveyed took advantage of the last year in which education was fully virtual to take an English course.

Graphic 3

Bearing in mind the characteristics of the surveyed population, in which 50% are dedicated to teaching and pedagogy, we can infer a problem in graphic 3; only 14.3% consider that the management of their communication skills is very good.

Graphic 4

From graph number 4, we could find one aspect of why it is difficult to access bilingual education, the educational costs.

Graphic 5

The desire of most of the people surveyed is to have a wider labor network, which would greatly influence the economic progress of the country.

Graphic 6

This important graph shows us the fairness in choosing the study method preferred by the trainees. This leads us to conclude what type of students they are and what tools we would use to give the opportunity to those who are not part of the 21.4% who would access cultural linguistic immersion in another country.

Graphic 7 & 8

These two graphics (7 and 8) shows that in our role as guides in the training of others, we still have a long way to go, by providing others (at least the 50%) with digital resources that can facilitate and accelerate their learning, promoting linguistic immersion through existing media.

Graphic 9

64% of the respondents who, as we have seen, show interest in learning English and seek options to do so to the extent possible, recognize the  importance of having contact with native speakers or, as we focus on in this research, having experiential learning through linguistic-cultural immersion.

Graphic 10

Here we can see the importance of providing clear and specific information to consumers, or rather to citizens, so that they themselves can acquire commitment and autonomy in learning by clearly knowing the competencies they are expected to achieve.

Discussion

  • People in condition to work consider important to learn English to wide their professional network, which would contribute to the economic developing to the country.
  • English language learners tend to attribute strong English proficiency to practice and exposure to English speaking media, while low proficiency is blamed on a lack of practice.
  •   Colombians who have not learned English attribute this to the cost and a lack of access; however, they would undertake study to improve their employability and quality of life or to travel abroad.
  •  The acquisition of communicative skills is related to important elements such as acting in the new culture and collaborating with its representatives.
  • Teachers could be updated with digital resources and give or provide among their students to promote the autonomous learning.
  •  Organizations should supply clear information about the competences to reach, to get a commitment for themselves. 

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