State of the Art of EFL Teaching and Learning in Public Schools

under the SEC and BLR Guidelines in Five Colombian Regions

Mauricio Enrique Arango Vélez

Research report to obtain the degree of Master’s in English Didactics

Advisor

Margarita María López Pinzón

Universidad de Caldas

Master’s Program in English Didactics

Manizales

2019
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………………8

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………....9

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………10

1. Justification ……………………………………………………………………………….....12

2. Context, Setting, and Description of the Problem ………………………….……………….14

2.1 Description of the Context …………………………………………..…...………….13

2.2 Description of the Problem ………………………………………………………….14

3. Research questions and objectives …………………………………………………………..16

3.1 Research questions …………………………………………………………………..16

3.1.1 General research question ……………………………………………………….16

3.1.2 Specific research question …………………………………………………….....16

3.2 Objectives …………………………………………………………………………...16

3.2.1 General objective ……………………………………………………………….16

3.2.2 Specific objective ……………………………………………………………......16

4. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………………………………...………17

4.1 Bilingualism…………………..…...…………………………………………………17

4.1.1 Bilingualism in Colombia……………………………………………………………19

4.2 Colombian Foreign Language Bilingualism Plans and Policies ……………….........21

4.2.1 National Plan of Bilingualism (2004-2019) ……………….…………………….22

4.2.2 Program for Strengthening the Development of Competences in Foreign

Languages (2010-2014) …………………………………………………………23

4.2.3 Law of Bilingualism (Law 1651 of July 12th, 2013) …………………………….23

4.2.4 National Plan of English: Colombia Very Well!...................................................24

4.3 Colombia Bilingüe Program (2014-2018) …………………………………………..27

4.3.1 Colombia Bilingüe Teacher Training……. ……………….…………………….29

4.3.2 Colombia Bilingüe Materials ………………………………………………........31

4.3.2.1 Suggested Curriculum Structure ………………………………………….…32

4.3.2.2 Textbooks ………………………………………………………………........32

 4.3.3 Evaluation and Monitoring ……………………………………………………...33

4.4 Teaching English to Teenage Students ……………………………………………...33

4.4.1 Describing Adolescents……………………...…………….…………………….33

4.5 Related Studies……………………………………………………………………….35

5. Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………...38

5.1 Type of Study ………………………………………………………………………..38

5.2 Participants ………………………………………………………………………..…39

5.3 Data Collection and Instruments …………………………………………………….40

6. Action and evaluation stages………………………………………………………………...41

6.1 Students’ questionnaires…………………………………….………………….…....41

6.2 Teachers’ questionnaires…………………………………………………………….50

6.3 Coordinators’ interview………………………………………………………..….…60

7. Findings……………………………………………………………………………………....68

8. Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………..75

References…………………………………………………………...……………………….82
 List of Tables

Table 1: Reasons to teach and learn English in Colombia………………………………………......25

Table 2: English instruction in some countries and their results….………………......…………26

Table 3: English Fellowship Program summary…………………………………………………30

Table 4: Teachers’ benefit through the CB incentive program...............................................…...30

Table 5: Number of participants in the study…………………………………………………….39

Table 6: Data collection instruments…………………………………………………………….40

Table 7: Usefulness of learning English to achieve some goals……………….……..……….…42

Table 8: Frequency of activities carried out in English classes……………………………….…45

Table 9: Frequency at which materials used in English classes………………………………....46

Table 10: Curricular themes developed in English classes……………………………………....47

Table 11: Age distribution of teachers……………………………………………………...……51

Table 12: Teachers’ highest academic qualifications…………………………………………....51

Table 13: Usefulness of learning English to achieve some goals……........................……...…...52

Table 14: Frequency at which materials are used in English classes……………………...….…56

Table 15: Curricular themes developed in English classes……………………………………....58

 List of Figures

Figure 1: Level B1 attained by 11 graders in the Colombian public sector………………….….29

Figure 2: Colombia Bilingüe Program Strategies…………………………………………….….29

Figure 3: Colombia Bilingüe English Kit components………………………………………......32

Figure 4: English, please! Fast Track components………………………………………….…...32

Figure 5: The convergent design general diagram……………………………………………….38

 Appendices

Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………………87

Appendix B………………………………………………………………………………………90

Appendix C………………………………………………………………………………………94

Appendix D……………………………………………………………………………………....95
 8

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Professors Margarita López and Odilia Ramirez for their support throughout

the development of this research project. Additionally, I want to thank four students from the

Modern Languages program for their help in this research: Santiago Castillo, Vanessa Giraldo,

Sebastian Henao, and Juan Camilo Ruiz.

 9

Abstract

This document gives an account of the findings of a project that describes the state of the

art of the EFL teaching and learning in public schools under the Suggested English Curriculum

(SEC) and Basic Learning Rights (BLR) guidelines in five Colombian regions. Participants

included 1526 students from 10th and 11th grades, 61 English language teachers and 24

coordinators from 26 targeted schools. Based on the mixed methods research proposed by

Creswell (2018), questionnaires and interviews were used as instruments to collect and analyze

both quantitative and qualitative data. Findings suggest that participants perceive positively the

actions and policies towards the strengthening of the process of teaching and learning English as

a foreign language in Colombia, especially from the Colombia Bilingual Program. The data also

provides evidence of the research contributions to the EFL teaching and learning in Colombian

high schools. Similar studies carried out in non-targeted schools and elementary schools of the

Colombian public sector are suggested.

Key words: EFL teaching, EFL learning, SEC, BLR, mixed methods
 10

Introduction

The present research proposal determines the state of the art of the EFL teaching and

learning in public schools under the Suggested English Curriculum (SEC) and Basic Learning

Rights (BLR) guidelines, in five Colombian regions: Coffee, North, Center, Pacific, and

Northeast.

This study arose from the need to report theoretical and methodological references to

understand and contribute to the pedagogical and research practices related to bilingualism in

Colombia. Specifically, the study focused on the current Colombia Bilingual Program (2014-

2018) whose purpose was to bridge the gap between private and public school students’ access to

English language learning opportunities. It also came after identifying a need to have a national

or standardized curriculum for the EFL teaching and learning in Colombia and because of the

low proficiency level shown by 11th grade students in the national standardized test.

To determine scientifically and systematically the impact this education policy has had on

bilingualism, information was collected from the actors participating in the education process:

students, teachers and school coordinators; a Mixed Methods design (Creswell, 2018) was

undertaken. The main inquiries were (1) What is the EFL teaching-learning process like in

public schools under the SEC and BLR in five Colombian regions? (2) How have the SEC and

BLR impacted the pedagogical practices in the EFL classroom in five Colombian regions? and

(3) How do the educational community members in five Colombian regions perceive the SEC

and BLR as part of the bilingualism program?

Researchers developed the study collecting quantitative and qualitative data by carrying

out student and teacher questionnaires as well as coordinator interviews. Both forms of data were

integrated and analyzed, and their results were used to obtain a more complete understanding of

the problem, to validate one set of findings with the other, and to determine whether participants

responded in a similar way or not. In this document, statistical data, testimonials in way of

transcription are the forms of evidence that provided strength, validity and reliability to the

study.
 11

The findings of this research study suggest that most coordinators and teachers have been

working on making some adjustments to their own curricula by means of the SEC and BLR

guidelines and specifically considered their academic period length, methodological approaches,

cross-curricular topics, students’ current linguistic level, the CEFR level to be attained and the

type of assessment undertaken.

In conclusion, this study suggests that participants are aware of the benefits of leaning

English and specifically its importance to strive for their academic and professional goals. The

targeted schools of the public sector in the five Colombian regions are applying the SEC

proposed methodological paths and the materials and resources used are the suggested by the

MEN. Similarly, the type of assessment that promotes the teaching-learning process in the

targeted schools is both assessment for learning and of learning. The study also contributes to the

government entities responsible of the educational policies, including Local and Regional

Education Authorities, with elements to make decisions regarding the SEC and BLR and the use

of materials that are in line with the needs of each region.

 12

1. Justification

Learning English as a foreign or second language has become an essential need to respond to

the challenges brought along by a globalized world. As in other non-English speaking countries,

several initiatives to improve the level of English as a Foreign Language have been proposed in

Colombia. In recent years, probably, the most relevant action that has been implemented is the

launch of the Suggested English Curriculum (SEC) and the Basic Learning Rights (BLR) (MEN,

2016a). These pedagogical tools are aimed at “generating the educational equality and turning

English teaching and learning into a tool to strengthen the integral formation and relevant for the

XXI century students (MEN, 2016a, p. 7). Hence, this research project may provide input for the

revision and evaluation of the local, regional and national education policies by offering valuable

feedback from the fieldwork with students, teachers and school coordinators about the effect of

the initiatives intended by those policies.

The study is intended to advance the understanding of how the SEC and BLR have been

adapted and adopted by public school’s curriculum designs, integrated into school life in diverse

contexts and perceived in the classrooms by teachers and students in the pedagogical practices

and in the teaching and learning processes.

When it comes to the administrative aspect, the current study may provide governmental

entities and local authorities such as Boards of Education with proper elements to carry out

revision, adjustment and evaluation of the SEC and BLR so that it responds to the real

community needs. The Secretary of Educations can take the elements relevant for each region

from the scientific results of actions, tendencies, approaches and principles provided in the study

to make some changes to their own curricular designs and material as well as to reinforce the

ones that have guided bilingual education in the country.

Socially, the study casts light on the way the implementation of the curriculum and the

learning rights has been promoting equal opportunities for public school students to have access

to the learning of English considering that these contemplate the demographic cultural and social
 13

diversity of Colombia. By the same token, the study may allow further analysis of the relation

between the SEC themes (Democracy and Peace, Sustainability, Health, and Globalization) with

students’ performance in the social context. This relation is additionally enhanced provided that

the approach of those themes helps the holistic training of the students and, at the same time,

enables their ability of establishing relations between distinct issues, making an analysis of the

way the learners deal with them and proposing new ideas resulting from their learning, by using

L2 as a mean to communicate them (MEN, 2016a)

All in all, the main contributions of this study are related to the curriculum not only in the

public high schools but also in foreign language teaching, undergraduate and graduate programs.

By listening to the voice of the agents involved directly in the implementation, their perceptions,

opinions and experiences are objectively analyzed and reported to provide the academic

community with a scientific description and interpretation of the state of the art of the EFL

teaching and learning in Colombia. The fact that the study also involves undergraduate and

Masters’ students may contribute significantly in terms of their research training to optimize the

academic production development plan established by the University of Caldas administration.

 14

2. Context of the research, setting and description of the problem

2.1 Description of the context

The study was carried out in five Colombian regions which were considered following the

division proposed by MEN (2016e): Coffee, North, Center, Pacific, and Northeast. Specifically,

it was undertaken in targeted public high schools in: (1) Manizales and Medellin (Coffee), (2)

Cartagena and Monteria (North), (3) Neiva (Center), (4) Cali and Palmira (Pacific), and (5)

Bucaramanga and Floridablanca (Northeast). The total number of schools chosen was 26, with

an average of 3 schools per city.

2.2 Description of the problem

In Colombia several initiatives to increase the proficiency level of English have been

proposed; however, there are still doubts regarding the conditions, educational participants’

competences and pedagogical conditions to implement a genuine bilingual program in Colombia

(Fandiño, 2012c; Usma, 2009; Cárdenas, 2006). The understanding of the teaching-learning

processes depends on the knowledge of the educational contexts and the dynamics incorporated

by their participants, mainly students and teachers inside the classrooms. In particular, the

National Ministry of Education has proposed several initiatives intended to improve public

school students’ English proficiency as well as teachers’ communicative and methodological

competences. In 2004, the MEN launched the National Bilingual Program with the objective of

educating Colombian human capital to further the country’s economic development (MEN,

2004, BC, 2015).

Although the MEN supported the goals of the national English language policy including

mandatory English in schools and, up to some point, fluency at B1 for secondary school

graduates, B2 for university graduates and B2 or C1 for teachers of English, there was no

national or standardized curriculum (BC, 2015). Some of the findings obtained from the Teach

Challenge study conducted in 2014 showed the need of curriculum for English and a teaching

model according to the contexts of Colombian schools MEN (2016b). As a matter of fact, Teach
 15

Challenge found that 39% of a total of 194 schools were developing an initiative or project

related to the improvement of English, they manifested that those projects dealt with the

development of the school curriculum (32.5%), importance of fostering bilingualism (17.5%)

and provision of materials and technological resources (17%). Similarly, there were projects

encouraging public event in the school (14.4%) and teacher training (7.2%)

Colombia Bilingual Program designed a follow-up, monitoring and evaluation program

led by 15 Bilingualism Pedagogical Operators who applied a register to each targeted school and

mainly 9th and 10th grade students. Those actions were currently focused on the fellowship

program, teacher training, and printing and distribution of educational materials (MEN, 2017).

The Teach Challenge study, mentioned above, promoted the implementation of an English

national curriculum and the MEN, in turn, has proposed some initiatives to carry out a follow-up

program, but no research study describing the current state of the EFL teaching and learning

process under the SEC and BLR guidelines has been conducted yet.

As part of the government’s proposal of making Colombia the most educated Latin

American country by 2025, one of the priorities is that children and teenagers attending public

schools have further possibilities to learn English from early school grades (MEN, 2017). From

the beginning, the Ministry of Education’s purpose has been to bridge the gap between private

and public school students’ opportunities to have access to English language learning. According

to (MEN, 2016e), the national standardized examination showed that imbalance. The results of

Pruebas Saber, English section, indicated that only 1% of Colombian public school 11 th graders

attain pre-intermediate level B1. In 2015, there was a slight increase to 3.2%. Later, in 2016, that

figure kept rising and reached 5.6%, which according to MEN (2017) is a result of the

comprehensive CB strategies implemented since the beginning of 2015.

Consequently, both lack of a national or standardized curriculum for the EFL teaching

and learning in Colombia and the low proficiency level shown by 11th grade students in Pruebas

Saber resulted in promoting the current bilingualism initiative, Colombia Bilingüe (2014-2018).
 16

3. Research questions and objectives

3.1 Research questions

3.1.1 General research question

1. What is the state of the art of the EFL teaching and learning in public schools under the

SEC and BLR guidelines in five Colombian cities?

2. What is the impact the SEC and BLR have had up to now on the pedagogical practices in

public school classrooms in 5 Colombian regions?

3. How do members of the educational community in five Colombian regions perceive the

bilingual education policies promoted by the SEC and BLR?

3.2 Objectives

3.2.1 General objective

To describe the EFL teaching- learning process in public schools under the guidelines of

the Suggested Curriculum and Basic Learning Rights in five Colombian regions.

3.2.2 Specific objectives

1. To describe the EFL teaching-learning process in public schools under the SEC and BLR in

five Colombian regions.

2. To determine the effect of the SEC and BLR on the pedagogical practices in the EFL

classrooms in five Colombia regions.

3. To explore the educational community members´ perceptions on the bilingual educational

policies in Colombia.
 17

4. Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework which supports this research study is outlined into four

sections. The first one is related with the bilingualism. The second section entails the foreign

language bilingualism plans and policies developed in Colombian during the last three decades.

The third section refers to the current Colombia Bilingüe program and its three strategic lines.

The fourth one encompasses the theory related to the teaching English teenage students. Finally,

some studies related to curriculum implementation are presented.

4.1 Bilingualism

Considering that in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States

bilingualism programs have been implemented since the 1970’s with the name of linguistic

immersion (Sanchez and Obando, 2008), in Colombia the program can be considered recent.

Participants’ personal and professional motivation to acquire the linguistic competences have

been two essential factors for the proper development of those programs. Similarly, their

implementation under proper conditions such as curricular design based on linguistic and

learning objectives, use of authentic and meaningful materials and a minimum of class hours

result in their proper development (Richards & Rogers, 2001, as cited in Sánchez and Obando, 2008)

In fact, both the bilingual proposals and Bilingual Law in Colombia, to great extent, have

considered such conditions without ignoring the national context.

As to the concept of bilingualism, Fandiño & Jiménez (2012) have pointed out that

defining this term has not been an easy task and that several authors from several disciplines

have tried to clarify the concept. Linguistic, sociologist, political, psychologist and pedagogical

factors are some the many to be considered to define bilingualism. For presenting and

developing a bilingualism program, several definitions aligned with linguistic competences,

program goals as well as contexts have been considered. In the specific case of the Ministry of

Education, the term has been updated and it refers to “the different degrees of fluency with
 18

which an individual is able to communicate in more than one language and culture and these

degrees depend on the context with which we each person copes” (MEN, 2006 p.5).

Grosjean (1982) has posed that it is necessary to have a holistic vision of bilingualism

and that the coexistence and constant interaction of the two languages in the bilingual person

produces a distinct but complete identity. Grosjean (1982) has also stated that bilingual people

use two languages – separate or together – with different people and purposes and the fluency

levels of a language depend on the need of using it. Since bilingual people are human

communicators, they develop a communicative competence that is enough to carry out their

everyday activities and this competence leads to the use of one language, the other, or both at the

same time (Grosjean, 1982). Another perspective of bilingualism makes emphasis in that

bilingualism cannot be explained just from the linguistic aspect, but the cognitive, social and

cultural dimensions should also be considered (Romaine, 1995, as cited in Fandiño & Jiménez,

2012a p. 46).

These definitions are related to the bilingualism programs in Colombia, which have

promoted the importance of English to enhance the intercultural awareness and access to other

media and social opportunities. The government has supported the quality of education in

Colombia fostering bilingualism as one of the strategies to make the country more competitive

internationally (MEN, 2016a). Those proposals have been furthered by the benefits that

bilingualism brings to the school and societies in general. In that line of thought, Ardila (2012),

considering that bilingual people coordinate both linguistic systems, has highlighted some

advantages of bilingualism, namely, increase of mental flexibility; dominance of the

development of those cognitive functions related to attention and inhibition; the use of a higher

amount of cognitive strategies in solving problems and expanding the metalinguistic awareness

and upper communicative skill. In the same way, Miramontes, Nadeau and Cummins (1997)

present a list of the principles that enhance the benefits of bilingualism: (1) Learning is a process

of dynamic and constructive development, (2) Students’ first and second language should

interact between them, (3) Bilingualism is a cognitive, social and an economic resource and

schools should help students to develop bilingualism, (4) multicultural knowledge is important
 19

not only to widen academic but global knowledge as well, and (5) the most effective programs

that include students with linguistic diversity are those that involve the education community as a

whole.

4.1.1 Bilingualism in Colombia

When developing and implementing bilingualism policies, it is necessary to consider the

benefits that bilingualism bring about as well as that contexts which play a fundamental role in

such process. Specifically, several studies show the importance given to bilingualism in

Colombia. Truscott (2006) points out that the tendency in Colombia is to focus on English-

Spanish bilingualism at the cost of bilingualism in other foreign languages, or indigenous

languages. Truscott additionally states that even though there is a need for an equitable language

policy that includes all the languages and cultures represented in the nation, emphasis has been

given to English and the aim is to be competitive in international markets. A point worth

mentioning is that, in Colombia, it is necessary to look both outwards towards a globalized world

and inwards to focus on local complexities (Truscott, 2006). After posing the question, how can

bilingual education programs actively help towards the creation of more understanding, a more

tolerant society?, Truscott (2006) provided several ways forward: (1) Adoption of a critical

perspective; (2) Development of bilingual education programs in the public or state sector, (3)

Development of cultural sensitivity through appropriate professional development, (4)

Development of coherent intercultural institutional policies, (5) Revaluation of the role of

Colombian bilingual teachers, and (6) Understanding of basic principles of bilingualism and

bilingual education.

Similarly, in her article Reflections on Language Teaching and Bilingualism in

Colombia, Truscott (2012) explored the relationship between ELT and the development of

bilingualism in Colombia. It was highlighted that according to Met & Baker (as cited in de

Truscott 2012, p. 24), there are many distinct manners of developing bilingualism, depending on

the diverse contexts involved and the type of bilingualism proficiency intended. In fact, total

immersion, partial immersion, intensified foreign language programs, non-intensified foreign

language programs with linguistic support in the school context, and foreign language programs
 20

are the most common way Colombian school approach to bilingualism (Truscott, 2012).

Although there is firm belief in Colombia that “only schools which intensify contact with

English to cover at least 80% of the curriculum provide “true” bilingual education” (Truscott,

Ordo ez & Fonseca, as cited in Truscott, p. 25), the development of proficiency in two or more

languages is not just simple a question of the number of hours dedicated to the teaching and

learning of English or any other language (Truscott, 2012).

Along with the number of hours, classroom practices with English learners is another

relevant issue that characterize those bilingual interventions and specifically certain key features

outlined in the following questions and adapted from Freeman & Freeman (as cited in de Mejia,

2002, p. 25) are needed to ensure proper linguistic and cultural development: (1) Are students

involved in authentic reading and writing experiences?, (2) Is there an attempt to draw student

background knowledge and interests? Are students given choices? (3) Is the content meaningful?

Does it serve a purpose for the learners?, (4) Do students have opportunities to work

collaboratively?, (5) Do students speak and listen as well as read and write during their learning

experiences?, (6) Are students’ primary languages and cultures valued, supported and

developed?, and (7) Are students involved in activities that build their self-esteem and provide

them with opportunities to succeed?

Through her bibliographical revision, Gómez (2017) examined the background of

bilingualism in Colombia, the plans and the policy launched between 2004 and 2016. This paper

claims that when considering English as the answer to strengthen the development of the nation,

some aspects involving teachers and students should be considered. Thus, since teachers are the

ones implementing the methodologies and strategies in their schools all over Colombia, they

need to be more involved in the decision-making process and evaluation of the bilingualism

plans. Gómez (2017) also points out that along with centering on improving students’ English

level, importance should be given to the strengthening of pre-service and in-service teachers’

English level so that they can attain the expected B1 level. In the same line of thought, the author

highlights the relevance of considering the local conditions such as number of students per class,
 21

materials available, use of target language in the immediate context and daily life, among other

features of the students to find the most appropriate methods to teach English in Colombia.

4.2 Colombian Foreign Language Bilingualism Plans and Policies

According to the Ministry of Education (MEN, 2014a), in 2004 Colombia gave priority

to English as a foreign language and directed its efforts towards the development of the

communicative competence. The reasons to determine that priority to the learning of English on

the Colombian educational system were (1) the role of globalization in the discussion and

analysis of themes related with human rights, environmental protection, social equity, cultural

manifestations and ICT (Information and Communication Technology), which in turn, leads to

foster a consistent interaction between the local and the global level and (2) the prevalence of

English with respect to access to knowledge, either on academic and scientific texts or the high

number of information available online (MEN, 2014a). Along similar lines, the Ministry of

Education has considered the relation between English proficiency and development proposed by

Coleman (as cited in MEN, 2014a) since English proficiency has a positive impact in the access

of better job opportunities, international cooperation, information and research studies, student

mobility, and conflict resolutions.

Since the beginning of COFE (Colombian Framework for English) project in the 1990s,

the Colombian government has designed a series of initiatives to promote the teaching and

learning of English in the nation such as the NPB, Programa de Fortalecimiento al Desarrollo

de Competencias en Lenguas Extranjeras (Program for Strengthening the Development of the

Competences in Foreign Languages-PSDCFL), Programa Nacional de Inglés: Colombia Very

Well (National English Program: Colombia Very Well-NEP), and Colombia Bilingüe 2014-2018

(Bilingual Colombia) (Correa & Gonzalez, 2016). Those plans and policies have been aimed to

increase the competitiveness of Colombian citizens so that they can participate in international

dynamics.
 22

4.2.1 National Plan of Bilingualism (2014-2019)

The National Plan of Bilingualism program (NPB) began simultaneously with the

presentation of the Education Plan, which aimed at building a long-term route focused on the

main challenges and goals of the education in Colombia (MEN 2014a). According to Correa and

Gonzalez (2016), the NPB was based on a series of diagnostic tests that the government applied

in 2003 and 2004 to volunteer secondary school English teachers and students across the

country, with the support of the British Council, which portrayed them as having a very low level

of English (Cárdenas, Cely & González, as cited in Correa and González, 2016). Fandiño &

Bermudes (2012) have pointed out that the implementation of the project contemplated the

importance of proficiency in a foreign language for societies interested in becoming part of

global dynamics of economical, academic, technological and cultural character and highlighted

that the communicative competence in English of a society results in providing their citizens

with raising both their cultural awareness and individual and group growth. Although the NBP

prevailing goal was to make Colombia citizens bilingual in Spanish and English by 2019 and in

accordance with international standards (MEN, 2005, as cited by Usma 2009), emphasis was

given only to the improvement of the communicative competence in English in the public and

private schools and universities of the country.

According to Cely (as cited in Usma, 2009) there were five targeted areas in the

implementation that included the following actions: (1) Developing standards for English

teaching and learning, (2) continuously evaluating communicative competence in students as

well as in-service and pre-service teachers within and outside the formal school system, (3)

providing professional development programs for teachers in order to develop their pedagogical

knowledge as well as communicative competence in English, (4) supporting the use of new

information and communication technologies for the teaching of English, and (5) consolidating

bilingual and trilingual models in the different ethnic communities around the country.

Additionally, the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) was adopted as the

guiding document from which teachers and students’ levels of English proficiency were to be

determined across the whole educational system.

 23

In 2006, the government presented Guia 22: Estándares Básicos de Competencias en

Lenguas Extranjeras: Inglés (Guide 22: Basic Competences Standards for English as a Foreign

Language). These standards represented “clear and public criteria that allowed to establish the

levels children had to reach in each grade” (MEN, 2006 p.3). It is worth mentioning that

according to MEN (as cited in Gómez, 2017) the NPB was presented to English teachers in 2007

through workshops given to 4,300 teachers from all Colombian regions and the Guide 22 booklet

was distributed to educational institutions (schools and universities) across the country.

4.2.2 Program for Strengthening the Development of Competences in Foreign Languages

2010-2014

In 2010, with the change of government, the Program for Strengthening the Development

of Competences in Foreign Languages (PFDCLE for its acronym in Spanish) was launched. As

specified by MEN (as cited in Gómez, 2017), the PFDCLE gave continuity to the strategies

proposed in the NPB and added others to strengthen the English language instruction in

Colombia. This initiative centered on four lines of action: (1) Teacher training and professional

development opportunities to primary and secondary school teachers from the public sector, (2)

Pedagogical aspects with English and methodology including language immersions and

development of educational materials such as Let’s Learn English with the Adventures of Bunny

Bonita,9 English for Colombia-ECO, My ABC English Kit: Supplementary Materials for English

Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools in Colombia, and English, please!, (3) Institutional

by encouraging universities to create English programs or have the existing ones to attend to the

particular needs of their populations, and (4) Follow-up and evaluation.

4.2.3 Law of Bilingualism (Law 1651 of July 12th, 2013)

To achieve the bilingualism goals, the government took several new measures including

the issue of the Ley 1651 of 2013, called Ley de Bilingüismo (Bilingualism Law). Specifically,

Usma (2013) stated that the main changes brought by this Law were that foreign language

became a goal along the whole education system, the four skills were included, certification of

programs was emphasized and English prioritized and that the challenges were to hire
 24

elementary school teachers, strengthen teacher education, and engage all the actors in the

implementation, and improving foreign processes and results.

4.2.4 National Plan of English: Colombia Very Well!

The National Plan of English (NPE) 2015-2025 was an essential, long-term, cross-

sectorial strategy that compiled the PFDCLE experiences and resized its components with a

larger scale interventions and higher investment (MEN, 2014b). The NPE gave priority to

strengthen the teaching of English as a school subject and reinforced the teaching-learning

process of English classes. As to English level, one of the objectives of the NPE was that, by

2025, 50% of 11th graders reach a level B1.

According to MEN (as cited in Gómez, 2017) the NPE: (1) continue with the diagnosis

and training of teachers in language and teaching skills through a system of incentives; (2)

Support the inclusion of a minimum of three hours per week of English in the secondary

education and half an hour per week in primary education in all the public schools; (3) provide

schools with technology, both on-site and virtual tools, as well as supporting the development of

materials, tools, and initiatives that enhance the English language learning; (4) align the

standardized national examination of 5th and 9th grades to the CEFR to have a record of the

process of students and institutions; (5) launch advertising campaigns to improve the English

learning through mass media; and (6) raise the English level of private schools by establishing

minimum parameters and sharing experiences and materials. Shortly after the presentation of the

NPE, a new administration in 2014 brought several changes and thus in the NEP as well (Bonilla

and Tejada, 2015)

According to MEN (2014), during the previous bilingualism programs implemented in

Colombia, there were relevant advances in teacher training, pedagogical developments and the

teaching and construction of capacities. The following are some of the outcomes obtained from

that analysis:

● In 2013, the amount of 11th grade students with level -A was 59%, and only 6% reached

B1 or above.
 25

● Private schools presented a better performance than public schools since 17% of private

school students attained level B1 or higher.

● In the regions, there were no advances as to reaching the national goal of students’

English level. The goal was that by 2025, 50% of 11th graders achieve a B1 English level.

● The diagnostic tests analysis carried out through the Teach Challenge between 2008-

2013 study showed that approximately 63% - 86% of teachers had a B2 level or lower.

● Between 2,200 and 3,800 additional high school English teachers were needed to provide

3 hours of English classes weekly with each group.

● There were enough Modern Language graduated student annually to fill the existing

vacancies, but it would take between 5 and 10 years to fill the gap with B+ candidates.

● The Secretary of Education programs required more continuity. Almost one-third of the

Secretaries had English programs and from 2010 and 2012 one-third of the Secretaries

decelerated their interventions in English programs.

After analyzing ICFES measurements and thinking about the forthcoming challenges to keep

the strengthening of the language teaching and learning processes in Colombia, the MEN (Table

1), presented a summary of the reasons why English should be learned in the nation.

Table 1

Reasons to teach and learn English in Colombia

Why English in Colombia?

Benefit
● Cognitive Development
Personal Development ● Job opportunities
● Opportunities to study abroad
● Access to information
Description
Higher cognitive development with other
language
Differentiation when looking for a job
Access to education in several countries
Access to state-of-the-art knowledge

● Equity
● Inclusion Access to English on the part of the
Social ● Homogeneity population of all socioeconomic levels
Development ● Cultural Exchange Learning of other cultures

● Foreign investment Attractive to locate operations

● Growth of local companies Easier for local companies to access to global
Economic development markets

● Increase in revenue Ease of development of sector that require the

language
 26

The diagnostic carried out between 2008 and 2013 by MEN underlined that the efforts of

the regional and national English programs had not been able to accomplish meaningful

advances in the achievement of goals. Even though the base line also showed that programs such

as the PFDCLE included necessary components to improve the English learning environment for

children and young, the system required the structural strengthening of the key pillars (teachers

with proper level, pertinent study plans, pedagogical model, English outside the classroom, and

technological infrastructure) in order to ensure the effectiveness of the teaching and learning

English processes in the nation. Additionally, The Ministry of Education also considered some

examples of countries with outstanding systems that chose to teach “English as a school subject”,

which could lead to reach a level B2. Table 2 shows that Colombia’s educational system is

similar to that in Norway, Germany, South Korea, China, Chile, Costa Rica, and Japan, where

English is a mandatory subject in the school curriculum.

Table 2
English instruction in some countries and their results

English is no English as English as mean of Complete

mandatory a subject instruction instruction in
English

English is not a English as a English used as a English used as the

mandatory subject. mandatory subject meaningful part of principal means of
in the curriculum the curriculum. instruction. (Results
(Results of A1 – B2 (Results of B1-C2 of C1/C2).
Description
depending on the depending on the
devoted time) time devoted to the
language teaching.).

Cambodia Norway Belgium Singapore

Vietnam Germany Goa USA
South Korea The Philippines United Kingdom
Examples China Quebec Australia
Chile Abu Dhabi Hong Kong
Colombia
Costa Rica
Japan

Furthermore, international experiences reflected some common policies potentially

applicable in the Colombian education system (MEN, 2014b):

 27

● Countries that have English as a school subject offer between 3 and 5 hours of English a

week. All of them also strive to augment the exposure to English outside the classroom with

diverse strategies such as: Conversation Clubs after class (Japan) Summer Camps in English

(Chile) and Intercollegiate English Contests (China).

● The path followed by most of the educational transformations, namely China, Japan,

Malaysia and Chile, is to begin with the strengthening of the teaching of the language in the

last school grades to reach elementary school grades at the end.

● In all those countries students have used textbooks to learn English, but the difference is that

some countries follow only a specific textbook, while others allow schools to select some of

them among some approved textbooks (Japan).

● Teacher training has been a key characteristic in all transformation with large scale efforts

and intended to improve English teacher’s communicative and pedagogical competences.

4.3 Colombia Bilingüe Program (2014-2018)

In 2015, Education became one of the main underpinned areas of the NPD and is

established as “the most powerful instrument to raise social equity and long-term economic

growth, with a vision addressed to bridge the gap in access and quality to the education system,

among individuals, population groups and regions.” (MEN, 2015, p. 1). Along with Excelencia

Docente, Jornada Única, Colombia Libre de Analfabetismo and Más Acceso a la Educación

Superior, Colombia Bilingüe is one of the five MEN’s strategic lines that contribute to achieve

that major goal and to determine the direction of education in the country by promoting

Colombia toward becoming the most educated country in Latin America by 2025.

After considering the Colombian education system context and the international

experiences that have shown effective paths to improve the competences in English, CB program

emerged based on two decisions: (1) Give priority to the strengthening of the teaching of English

as a school subject for the next ten years and (2) Fortify the teaching-learning process making

effective use of the average hours currently provide in school (MEN, 2016b). Taking into
 28

account the number of hours that public school students are provided during their elementary and

high school, 3 hours per week for secondary and half-an-hour for elementary schools, CB has set

as a main goal that 50% of 11th graders reach level B1 in 2025.

CB implementation began with high school students following important international

cases such as Germany, Norway, and Chile that have shown that it is possible to start the path by

strengthening the last high school grades, as a first step, and to advance towards primary school

(MEN 2016b). Even so, in 2017, CB also started its intervention in primary schools ranging from

teacher training to the enhancement of the development of basic competences (A1) and the

creation of proper methodology to start the exposure of students to English. In this sense,

primary and secondary teachers´ professional program was created to support CB goals of

proving teachers with opportunities to improve their English proficiency level and being trained

in the use of the pedagogical model English, please! (MEN 2016b).

Colombia Bilingüe 2014-2018 was initially framed with the purpose of the English

language learning in Colombia and its initial strategies were centered on 41 Secretaries of

Education, 1,400 teachers, and 128,000 students (MEN, 2015). In 2016 MEN confirmed that

Colombia has significantly advanced in the fostering of English teaching and learning but reality

is that most of the population cannot communicate in English. The reason is that English

teaching was not a priority in the public education system, and the MEN want that all boys, girls,

and teenagers registered in public schools had the opportunity to learn English.

MEN confirmed that despite the resources invested, and efforts put in the improvement of

language proficiency levels, only 1% of eleventh graders from the Colombian public sector

reached a B1 levels. Consequently, CB aimed to achieve by 2018 that 35% of those Colombian

eleventh graders attain a B2 level, and 8% reach an A1 level (MEN, 2018). Figure 1 portrays the

B1 level was 5.6% in 2016 on account of the entire strategies implemented through CB since

2015 (MEN, 2018).

 29

Figure 1. Level B1 attained by 11 graders in Colombian public sector.

Since 2015, several strategies centered on students, teachers, Secretaries of Education and

public schools have been proposed (Portal Colombia Aprende, 2018). In fact, Colombia Bilingüe

has intended to generate actions, in different fronts, such as teacher training, and incentive plans,

diagnostic of the language level of teachers, the allotment of didactic material and textbooks, and

the establishment of a pedagogical model which includes a curricular proposal. In that sense, CB

has raised in its interior the synergy of three strategic lines: Training, Materials, and Monitoring

(MEN, 2016b).

Figure 2. Colombia Bilingual Program Strategies.

4.3.1 Colombia Bilingüe Teacher Training

Colombia Bilingüe has proposed the following articulated and integral work lines to improve

public school teachers’ English level:

 30

1. English Fellowship Program. This program started in January 2015, and its main objectives

were to support the teaching of English in co-teaching with Colombian teachers, create

motivational cultural environments, further pedagogical dynamics that allow students to use

English inside the institutions, and support English teachers with their language.

Table 3 shows information about the Fellowship program from 2015 to 2018 (MEN, 2018).

Table 3

English Fellowship Program summary

2015 2016 2017

Fellows in targeted institutions 350 600 520

Cities in Colombia 34 46 60

Supported teachers 1,050 1,300 1,560

Fellows in teachers’ immersions 130 165 30

Benefited students 98,000 176,000 124,800

Targeted institutions benefited 150 350 371

Benefited soldiers through the 75 80 80

wounded soldiers in combat program

2. Incentive program. Program aimed at furthering teachers’ good practices, improving the

communication in English levels and fortifying language teaching methodologies. Through

this program, teachers have had the opportunity to participate in both national and

international immersions in La Tebaida – Quindío, The Unites States, India, and the United

Kingdom (MEN, 2018). Table 4 shows the number of benefited teachers during the Incentive

Program from 2015 and 2017.

Table 4
Teachers’ benefits through the CB incentive program

Immersion Places (2015-2017) Benefited Teachers

La Tebaida - Quindío 404

United States 72

India 74

United Kingdom 12

Total 562
 31

3. Professional Development. The program has provided teachers with both on-site and virtual

training. The following is a list of some of those professional development opportunities and

the institutions that have worked in alliance with the Ministry of National Education:

● Training in the use and adaptation of the Suggested English Curriculum and the Basic

Rights of English Learning in agreement with the Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira.

● Training in the use and appropriation of English, please! Fast Track edition and Way to

go!, in alliance with the British Council Colombia.

● Virtual massive training for teachers. Online English course Learn English Pathways in

alliance with the British Council Colombia.

● Classroom learning for elementary teachers. English course and methodology in alliance

with Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira.

● Online training in Pathways.

4.3.2 Colombia Bilingüe Materials

Considering that Colombia did not have a curriculum for English language teaching and

that public-school teachers did not have materials for their teaching, CB goals were to develop a

general curriculum, provide guidelines for the design of the study plans and the development and

publishing of materials to learn English from 6th to 11th. In January 2016, the 11,500 public

schools in Colombia received 22,000 Colombia Bilingüe English Kits (CBEK). Teachers were

equipped with useful tools to define learning goals and objectives considering their local and

regional contexts as well to develop meaningful projects, tasks, tests and materials that foster

English language learning process. (MEN, 2018). The CBEK includes the following documents:

Suggested Curriculum Structure, Basic Learning Rights, Pedagogical Principles and Guidelines,

Guide No 22: Basic Standards of Competence in a Foreign Language: English (Figure 3).
 32

Suggested Curriculum Basic Learning Pedagogical Principles Guide

Structure Rights and Guidelines No 22

Figure 3. Colombia Bilingüe English Kit components.

4.3.2.1 Suggested Curriculum Structure

Considering English as a necessary language to broaden both personal and professional

horizons and to provide people with access to better education and jobs, MEN, in partnership

with Fundación Universidad del Norte, national and international experts and English teachers

from all over Colombia created and validated the Suggested English Curriculum Structure

(SECS) in 2015 (Red Maestra, 2016). In February 2016, the curriculum was launched in public

schools for grades 6th to 11th.

4.3.2.2 Textbooks

English, please! is a textbook series for 9th, 10th and 11th grades whose syllabus was

designed to levels A1 and A2 with a progressive exposure to level B1 and aligned with the cross-

curricular standards of citizenship competences (MEN, 2014). Additionally, its spiral curriculum

promotes the development of the linguistic skills in an integrated manner so that students

improve their language proficiency through the discovery and use of effective learning strategies.

In 2016, the Ministry of Education released English, please! Fast Track (Figure 4).

English, please! 1 Fast English, please! 2 Fast English, please! 3 Fast English, please! 1 Fast
Track Edition: Student’s Track Edition: Interactive Track Edition: Teacher’s Track Edition: Audio
Book - Grado 9° Book - Grado 10° Guide - Grado 11° MP3 - Grado 9°

Figure 4. English, please! Fast Track components.

 33

4.3.3 Evaluation and Monitoring

The Colombia Bilingüe Program designed a follow-up program to evaluate the actions

for focalized schools 2016-2018, which considered that the program impact could be determined

through an accompaniment process with the participation of the main actors of the educational

process: students, teachers, schools, parents, and local education authorities (MEN, 2016a). A

group of 15 professionals (Gestores de Bilingüismo) led this evaluation and monitoring program

by using follow-up registers to each school and students, mainly 9th and 10th graders.

4.4 Teaching English to Teenage Learners

As it was mentioned before, by following the path taken by countries such as China,

Japan, Malaysia and Chile to improve the English teaching in high school grades, Colombia

Bilingual Program also began with 9th, 10th, and 11th students.

Regarding the role of chronological age on the acquisition of a second language, Nunan

(1999) points out that the effect of age on acquisition has been widely documented emphasizing

whether young learners acquire a second language more efficiently and effectively than older

learners. Nunan (1999) asserts that it is necessary to distinguish between the effect of age on the

route of acquisition (whether the same target language items are acquired in the same order for

various learners), the rate (how quickly the learners acquire the language) and the ultimate

attainment (how proficient they end up being).

4.4.1 Describing adolescents

Adolescent can be defined as “a stage in the life cycle between 13 and 18 years of age

characterized by increasing independence from adult controls, rapidly occurring physical and

psychological changes, exploration of social issues and concerns increased focus on activities

with a peer group and establishment of a basic self-identity.” Bigner (1983 as cited in Pereira,

2008 p. 7). As to the educational aspect, adolescence is defined as the time spent in high schools

and early colleges. Along with facing physiological and biological, Ray, Mahapatro & Karl

(2011) believe that adolescents also experience cognitive changes since they develop a capacity
 34

for abstract thinking, discern new ways of procession information and learn to think creatively

and critically.

When describing learners, Harmer (2007) remarks that the age or our students is a main

characteristic in making our decisions as to how and what to teach. He further adds that learners’

needs, competences and cognitive differ according to age and, in that sense, teachers may expect

that children of primary age acquire much foreign language by playing; while, for adult learners,

it is it is expected a higher use of abstract thought. Contrary to what many people think about

teaching language to adolescents, the author remarks that they may well be the most exciting

students of all because of their greater ability for abstract thought and their passionate

commitment to what they do once they are engaged.

Additionally, Harmer (2007) believes that when teaching language to adolescents,

teachers should consider when being provided with the right goals, most of them understand the

need for learning and can be responsible enough to complete what is asked of them. However,

some factors linked to adolescence such as a pronounced search for identity, a need for self-

esteem, acute need for peer approval, and vulnerability to the negative judgments of their own

age group became challenges when teaching teenagers. Hence, he provides some ideas to ensure

success learning with teenagers provides some ideas: (1) Provoke student engagement with

material which is relevant and involving since there is almost nothing more exciting than a class

of involved teenagers pursuing a learning goal eagerly; (2) Link language teaching far more

closely to the students’ everyday interests through principally the use of humanistic teaching; (3)

Design materials at the students’ level proposing topics which they can react to. For example,

instead of just answering questions and doing abstract learning activities, teenagers must be

encouraged to respond to texts and situations with their own thoughts and experiences, and (4)

Stimulate intellectual activity by helping teenagers to be aware of contrasting ideas and concepts

which they are expected to resolve by themselves even with some teachers’ guidance.
 35

4.5 Related Studies

This part relates the summary method, finding and conclusion of studies such as thesis

and academic articles related to the curriculum implementation in several educational settings.

The study Indonesian EFL Teachers’ Perception on the Implementation of 2013 English

Curriculum (Darnish, 2015) was conducted through a qualitative design in one state vocational

high school in Kuningan, Indonesia. The research used questionnaires and interviews to obtain

the data about teachers’ understanding and perception on the implementation of 2013 English

Curriculum. This curriculum, officially launched on July 15 2004 and started with first, fourth,

seventh, and tenth graders, intended to restore character education and improve students’ creative

thinking in Indonesia. The study revealed that the teacher’s understanding toward the 2013

English Curriculum was quite close to the basic principles of the curriculum and most of teachers

claimed that it cannot be easily implemented at that moment since they found several difficulties

during the implementation process. Specifically, they identified problems in applying new

learning revolution, developing assessment rubrics and assigning more hours for English classes.

It was recommended that the teachers put more efforts on applying the 2013 English Curriculum

in the teaching and learning process. Therefore, the teachers were expected to improve their

teaching methods, improve their creativity and adapt to the progress of knowledge and

technology.

Similarly, a research on the Effects of an EFL Curriculum for Young Adults (Dubetz,

2014) was conducted in Salvador, Brazil. The study reported information about the

implementation of the ETI (Empregabilidade, Tecnologia e Ingles) curriculum, which was

designed to promote education and employability opportunities and to ensure young adults’

development of positive attitudes toward learning a foreign language. In fact, those goals were

consistent with national educational goals in Brazil. The results of this mixed method study

demonstrated that the published ETE curriculum was implemented differently than intended. Of

194 students between the ages of 16 and 21 who completed the ETE course over two

implementations, 93 were randomly selected from those who completed all assessments. Results

of the study of the relationship between the implemented curriculum and participants’ oral
 36

language proficiency in English demonstrated that while participants in two cohorts did not reach

target levels of proficiency, proficiency levels for students in the second year of the

implementation were higher than those of students in the first year. Likewise, participants had

positive attitudes toward learning English at the end of the implementation. School and teacher

variables under investigation did not have a significant impact on student outcomes, though there

was evidence that students with a teacher implementing the curriculum a second time scored

higher on the oral language proficiency assessment than students of teachers in their first year of

implementation.

Another study was the Implementation of the New Eighth Grade English Language

Curriculum from the Perspectives of Teachers and Students (Gunal & Enging, 2012). It aimed to

reveal the teachers’ and students’ perceptions on the implementation of the NELC (New English

Language Curriculum) and the challenges faced by them in that process. The study was based on

qualitative research design with 10 English language teachers implementing the NELC in public

shools in Polatli, Turkey, and 73 8th grade students. Data collection was completed with in-depth

interviews for teachers and focus group interviews for students. The study revealed that NECL

was not implemented effectively due to the lack of necessary materials, crowded classes,

insufficient class hours, lack of gradual implementation of the NELC, lack of guidance and

support for teachers. Since the study was concerned only the perceptions of 8th grader students

and the teachers implementing the 8th grade NELC, authors suggested to conduct more studies

involving other grade levels and evaluate the curriculum in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.

In 2012, Badugela completed her Doctoral dissertation: Problems facing educators in

implementing the National Curriculum Statement (NCS): The case of Tshifhena secondary

school, Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study looked at the challenges

teachers had when implementing the NCS for 10 to 12 grade students at a particular high school.

The NCS, used by teachers in schools for guidance on what they must teach targeted grades of

learners, contained policy statements for learning and teaching that explain how teaching should

be done in terms of objectives, outcomes and assessments standards. For this research the case

study design and examined a bounded system or a case over time in detail, employing multiple
 37

sources of data such as distribution of questionnaires and conducting interviews with the

concerned parties. It was found that the implementation of the NCS was problematic and far

from satisfactory. The study highlighted the need for the Department of Education to prioritize

educational resources for schools and educator training in curriculum implementation. Thus, the

support and active involvement of the department alone was not enough and the role of

principals, educators was needed for the successful delivery of curriculum in schools. Likewise,

teachers should improve their professional qualifications so that they go to class fully prepared to

teach.

The main contributions of these studies are centered on the relevance of using English

school curricula to improve class methodology and consequently students’ language performance

in the TL. Consequently, the current research is aligned with these related studies since its

contribution is focused on the role of students, teachers, and coordinators to support and get

involved in the development of the Suggested English Curriculum (SEC) in Colombia,

 38

5. Methodology

5.1 Type of study

Because of its descriptive nature, this study is framed within the Mixed Methods

approach proposed by Creswell & Plano (2018), which included collecting and analyzing both

qualitative and quantitative data, integrating the two forms of data and their results, using

specific mixed methods design, and framing the study within theory and philosophy. Creswell &

Plano (2018) further highlight that the most important characteristic is the use of two sets of data,

one quantitative and one qualitative. On the other hand, Driessnack, Sousa & Costa (as cited in

Pereira, 2011) consider that the Mixed Methods refers to “a unique study that uses multiple or

mixed strategies to answer the research questions and/or prove hypothesis” (p.17).

The advantage of the mixed methods research makes it an approach commonly used in

more and more social and educational fields and consequently it permitted us to explore, through

primary research, the participants´ (students, teachers, and school coordinators) perspectives and

then systematized data for its better understanding. In the same line of thought, the study was

aligned to what Grbich (2013) stated since combining quantitative and qualitative results helped

to clarify and answered the research questions from distinct perspectives, enhanced the validity

of the findings and increased the capacity to cross-check one data set against other.

QUAN QUAN QUAN

data data results
collection analysis
Compare Interpretation
and Contrast
QUAN + QUAL
QUAL QUAL QUAN
data data results
collection analysis

Figure 5. The convergent design general diagram.

 39

In concordance with the mixed methods approach, data analysis was carried out

following data triangulation (Freeman, 1998 & Burns 2001) and taking into account the data

collection instruments such as student and teacher questionnaires (Cozby, 2008) and school

coordinator interviews (Burns, 2001). Such triangulation was undertaken by means of the

elemental activities that make up the data analysis (Freeman, 1998): (1) Naming involved taking

the data apart and labeling the data in some way, that is, given names to the codes that emerged

from the data (grounded) and also from outside (a priori); (2) Grouping entailed reassembling

the names given to parts of data by collecting them into categories. It began to create a structure

around the data, like the scaffolding on a building as it was being constructed and was carried out

by pawing through texts and marking them up with some colored pens (Ryan and Bernard,

2003); (3) Find relationships included to look at what does not fit into the emerging structure of

the analysis without rejecting those pieces that did not fit called outliers because they could

provide relevant perspectives about the analysis; and (4) Data Display was aimed at setting out

the patterns and relationships we saw among the categories. They allowed us to see how parts

connected into a whole.

5.2 Participants

The current study involved students, teachers and coordinators. They all belonged to 26

targeted schools located in 9 Colombian cities: Manizales and Medellin (Coffee), Monteria and

Cartagena (North), Neiva (Center), Cali and Palmira (Pacific), and Bucaramanga and

Floridablanca (Northwest). The table below displays the number of participants per region.

Table 5

Number of participants in the study according to region

Region Coffee North Center Pacific Northwest Total

10th 201 181 80 169 139 770

Students
11th 168 193 103 140 152 756

Teachers 21 15 7 8 10 61

Coordinators 6 6 2 5 3 22
 40

5.3 Data Collection Instruments

During the development of the study, the researchers used the techniques and instruments

for data collection shown in Table 6:

Table 6
Data collection instruments

Data Collection Instruments

Technique Instrument Source Purpose

1. Surveying Questionnaire 10th and 11th To find out students’ perceptions about the SEC
graders and BLR implementation in their English classes.

2. Surveying Questionnaire English teachers To determine teachers’ insights about their

experiences in implementing in their school.

3. Interview Interview School To find out school coordinators’ perceptions about

transcription coordinators the SEC and BLR implementation in their school.
 41

6. Action and evaluation stages

In this section a description of the results and analysis of the instruments is presented.

The student and teacher questionnaire information were systematized using Quia. This

technological tool helped to view the results from various perspectives and specifically to

understand how many respondents answered each question. As to the coordinator interviews,

they were recorded, transcribed and then analyzed.

6.1 Students’ Questionnaire

A total of 1526 students completed the questionnaire whose overall goal was to identify

the perception they had about the English classes in their high school. The following are the

results and the corresponding analysis of the questionnaires.

Demographic information

These results obtained from the questionnaire indicated that there was a moderate

difference between the total number of 10th graders (51.44%) and the number of 11th graders

(48.56%). In terms of gender, 54% girls and 46% boys participated in the study. In all the five

regions the number of girls overcame the number of boys. Concerning students’ age, they ranged

between 14 and 19 or more, being 16 the age with the highest number of students, 39%.

44% of the respondents claimed that 1st grade was the year they began their English

classes. Meanwhile, 20% said that they started in 6th, which means that many schools provided

English classes when students began their elementary school.

As to the level of difficulty to learn English, most students responded that it was

moderate. The following excerpt is an illustration of a student’s opinion:

It was not impossible to learn English if you do it with passion and discipline. Even though it was
not that easy, what I think is that practice helps to understand the topics in class.

In addition, 43% of them considered that their ability to learn English was good and a

student highlighted that having classes primarily focused on the speaking skill, counting on

teachers’ support and not being afraid of making mistakes were the most relevant aspects related
 42

to their English classes. All in all, we confirmed that the perception students had towards the

learning of English was positive.

Motivation

Concerning motivation, students expressed their opinions about the usefulness of English

to achieve several personal and academic goals. The results are revealed in Table 7:

Table 7

Usefulness of learning English to achieve some goals

Goal Very Useful Somewhat useful

1. Communicate with people from other countries 78% 22%

2. Fulfil with academic requirements 75% 25%

3. Enroll in higher education 83% 20%

4. Obtain better work opportunities 86% 14%

5. Understand TV programs and movies in English 61% 39%

6. Understand songs in English 59% 41%

7. Travel abroad 80% 17%

8. Be able to play video games 31% 69%

9. Surf the net 41% 59%

The features with the highest frequency were those linked to the success in their

academic and professional lives. Students felt motivated to learn English because of the

opportunities to get better work and continue furthering their education. The answers also

reflected an interest in students for learning English to travel abroad. This means English was

perceived as a language to explore other cultures by communicating with people from other

countries. A student expressed that:

By learning English people could have more work opportunities all over the world since it is a
global language and that we could learn and use globally and once we learn it, we could travel
abroad easily.
 43

Nonetheless, although teenagers spent a lot of time surfing the net and playing video

games, both aspects were considered as the least useful to be accomplished through when

learning.

As to the level of importance of the language skills and subskills such as writing,

listening, speaking, reading, grammar, and vocabulary, a high number of students believed that

speaking was the most relevant skill when learning English. One of them manifested his positive

feelings towards this skill and said that speaking a language different from his mother tongue

made him happy and proud. Moreover, many students firmly agreed that vocabulary was also an

essential component to learn English. They seemed to be more aware of the importance of

developing practical vocabulary to communicate by expressing that their lessons had been

focused on the same words and they want it to be changed. Meanwhile, the participants reported

that grammar was the least important language component when learning English, which could

suggest that they did not perceive grammar knowledge as a main language component to

communicate in English.

Class Methodology

Students’ answers allowed the researchers to determine their perceptions about the

methodological approaches, classroom patterns, activities, resources and topics developed in the

five Colombian region EFL classrooms.

When referring to the methodology, a high number of students, 65%, stated that Task-

Based was the approach used in their classes; other students said that Project-Based and

Problem-Based, with 21% and 14%, were the approaches implemented in their classes. The

results concerned with Task-Based as the most useful approach could be caused by three reasons:

First, it was the approach most commonly used by EFL teachers since many lessons centered on

a great a variety of pedagogical tasks including role-plays, oral presentations, information-gap

activities, jigsaw tasks, create brochures, among others. Second, tasks could be designed and

implemented more easily for students with low linguistic level than projects and problems.

Third, the SEC provided more examples of tasks to be developed in classes and consequently
 44

teachers could easily plan their lessons with that variety of tasks. In general, these answers

helped us to confirm that teachers in all the regions planned their lessons considering, to different

extent, the SEC methodological approaches.

As to the opinions about the implemented methodology, 89% of students expressed that

their English class methodology was very interesting. Particularly, they manifested that their

classes were more dynamic. It could be related to the implementation of the three approaches

proposed in the SEC which were connected to their contexts. The students also expressed that

they were more motivated because they felt that their learning was more meaningful that in

previous years and enjoyed the topics proposed in class.

Regarding the BLR, we could confirm that most of the teachers presented the BLR before

the lesson started. This positive aspect could result in helping students to become more aware of

the communicative goals to be reach in their grade and the activities to be develop in a specific

academic term.

Concerning the classroom patterns followed in their English classes, there was a slight

difference in frequency among them. 44% of the students manifested that their class work was

carried out individually, 34% claimed that it was in pairs and 22% in groups. Through these

results, we could see that even though teachers sought to apply several grouping strategies,

importance was given on promoting individual work. In the opinion of the participants, this

classroom patterns allowed students to work on their own level rather than having to adapt to suit

their group members; however, they also highlighted that when completing tasks, projects and

problem-solving discussions, working in pairs or groups could bring about better results.

In reference to the activities carried out in classes, Table 8 confirms that writing was the

most common. The next type of activities was related to the other linguistic skills: reading,

speaking, and listening. These results may come from teachers’ awareness of fostering the use of

both receptive and productive skills to develop students’ communicative competence.

Additionally, some students said that the feedback provided by teachers enhanced their writing,

speaking and vocabulary.

 45

Table 8
Frequency of activities carried out in English classes

Activity Always Often Never

1. Listening 72 23 5

2. Writing 84 12 4

3. Speaking 73 21 6

4. Reading 75 21 4

5. Dialogues 53 33 14

6. Presentations 29 36 35

7. Grammar exercises 41 32 27

8. Translation exercises 60 26 14

9. Debates 17 25 58

10. Dictation 19 29 52

11. Games 38 30 32

12. Songs 29 32 39

Other students expressed that their desire of having varied activities in class, not only the

ones based on the linguistic skills. It seemed that they were not aware of the fact that when

playing games all linguistic skills could be practiced as well. The following excerpt shows what

a student said about it:

Teachers should use more games or similar activities in class so that the class could be more
varied and fun and that they needed more interactive class, based on games and not just in
listening, reading, and writing.

As to the use of materials and resources, Table 9 portrays that the three English, please!

components (textbook, workbook and interactive book) were the materials students said were

the most used. We can say that teachers liked to work this series and found it useful because of

their contents and availability of resources both on paper and online. Many students expressed

that the textbooks helped them a lot to improve their performance and that along with the class
 46

methodology, the textbooks were useful when learning the language; this information is

summarized in Table 9:

Table 9
Materials used in English classes

Material Always Often Never

1. English, please! textbook Material 70 17 13

2. English, please! workbook 51 20 29

3. English, please interactive book 48 23 29

4. Videos 46 26 28

5. Dictionaries 46 24 30

6. Posters 34 32 34

7. Flashcards 23 28 49

8. Board games 8 17 75

9. Technological resources 27 7 66

A feature to be highlighted was that a great number of students who manifested that

technological resources were not used in their schools. They specifically wanted their schools to

use more technology that could lead to have more interactive classes. Thus, it was possible to

conclude that teachers did not have the proper skills to implement technology in their teaching,

were not aware of the importance of these tools for their students, or lack of time to plan and

develop technology-based lesson plans.

In terms of the curricular themes, the results confirmed that SEC themes became part of

EFL classes in the five Colombian regions. Table 10 indicates that each transversal topic,

Sustainability, Health Education, Democracy and Peace and Globalization, was considered to

plan and develop lesson plans.

 47

Table 10

Curricular themes developed in English classes

Sustainability

1. Specify actions to save energy in the community. 25%

2. Create and implement recycling campaigns. 46%

3. Specify activities for environmental conservation in the community. 57%

4. Analyze the Fast Fashion phenomenon. 14%

5. Develop proper actions to reduce inequities (gender, etc.). 24%

Health
1. Establish a physical care routine. 51%

2. Formulate initiatives for the prevention of eating disorders. 31%

3. Establish illness prevention practices in the person. 13%

4. Pose routes for obtaining health services in the community. 19%

5. Evaluate the impact of cultural and social practice (piercings, tattoo, extreme sports, and 40%
sedentary lifestyles) on health.

Democracy and Peace

1. Propose actions for getting along and inclusion in the classroom. 77%
2. Generate awareness about citizens’ rights. 39%

3. Propose actions to promote ethical behaviors regarding citizenship and living together. 22%

4. Recognize the role of language (positive and negative) in the construction of peace. 22%

5. Evaluate daily reconciliation actions for the construction of peace. 18%

Globalization

1. Define own traits of national Colombian identity. 52%

2. Recognize cultural characteristics in some countries. 51%

3. Determine the role of consumerism in adolescents. 22%

4. Value the role of globalization on the use of everyday products. 18%

5. Value the impact of ICT in daily life. 38%

The answers of the students were very interesting since it was very clear that the topics

teachers chose for the English class related directly to trendy issues that had to do with problems

in the environment, personal care, citizen rights and cultural aspects.

 48

Teachers had included environmental topics in their lessons such as environmental

conservation and recycling. It had a strong connection with the environmental advocacy

campaigns proposed worldwide. It was interesting to find out that recycling campaigns were

promoted in English classes since it helped to promote recycling in the country. Therefore,

students could be encouraged to help their schools, communities and environment through their

English classes.

Similarly, it was found that teachers were committed to promote students’ physical care

routine, which could definitely benefit their teenage students. Based on the textbook contents, it

was a topic that teachers seemed to implement from very basic levels by having students practice

their daily routines and progressively proposing lesson plans related with critical issues for

teenagers such as social practice (tattoos, piercings, and sedentary lifestyle) and psychological

disorders (anxiety, depression, eating disorders). Therefore, by proposing this topic, teachers did

care about their teenage students.

Many students confirmed that activities related with tolerance and respect were carried

out in the classroom which could possibly be related with the current post-conflict stage

Colombia is going through, in which many actors of the society, including teachers, are focused

on promoting peaceful coexistence. At the same time, students stated that another common sub-

topic reviewed in their classes was generating awareness about citizens’ rights, which are also

connected to the post-conflict stage and could be adapted to school situations such respect for the

integrity of the person, discrimination due to racial, social, gender, language, disability, sexual

orientation, religion, and political orientation.

This result further indicated that teachers were also aware of the relevance of raising

students’ awareness of intercultural competence. The data revealed that lesson plans included

topics that helped students to define own traits of Colombia national identify and specifically

traditions, food, festival and naturals wonders of their regions. Likewise, classes were intended

to help students understand and value other cultures.

 49

Assessment

In terms of the frequency of the several types of assessment implemented in classes, the

predominant procedure was mid-terms (85%) and final exams (80%). These results suggested

that schools mainly provided students with assessment intended to measure their progress at the

end of a unit of a course with a grade. Provided that a high number of students, 60%, manifested

that the less assessment procedure was portfolios, teachers did not provide them with alternative

assessment but kept attached to traditional ones.

Additional Comments

A high number of students expressed their favorable perception about the English

Fellowship Program. They said that the methodology of the native speakers was excellent and

that they wished to have more foreign teachers that helped towards their speaking skill

improvement. Consequently, we could see that the program had a favorable impact on students

and the co-teaching approach followed by fellows and teachers worked out well. The following

excerpt confirmed students’ interest in improving their speaking skill by having a native speaker

in their classroom. One student manifested that:

El Ministerio de Educación debería invertir más en profesores nativos para que podamos
mejorar en los dialogues, escucha, entonación y otros aspectos para que Colombia sea un país
bilingüe. (The Ministry of Education should invest more in native teachers so that they could
improve in the dialogue, listening, intonation and other aspects that makes Colombia a bilingual
country.)

As to their teachers’ role in their learning process, some students expressed that teachers

were creative and did their best to provide very dynamic and enjoyable classes. Meanwhile,

others remarked that teachers lacked training to teach classes properly. The following excerpts

exemplified two students’ view:

Los profesores deberían estar más entrenados para ensenar inglés, sobretodo a los estudiantes
que no entienden con facilidad and también usar más herramientas didácticas para aprender el
inglés con más facilidad. (Teachers should be more trained to teach English especially to students
who did not understand easily and also use more didactic tools that make learning English
easier.

Los profesores deberían entender más a sus estudiantes y no juzgarlos porque no tienen una
pronunciación o lectura adecuada. (Teachers should understand more their students and do not
judge them because of the lack of proper pronunciation or reading.)
 50

These answers certainly provided information to corroborate that students wanted to have

teachers as guides that support the learning process with proper pedagogical practices adjusted to

students’ needs, linguistic level, and context.

Additionally, students stated that they believed it was important to start learning English

in primary school. The following excerpts illustrate this view:

The MEN should implement the teaching of English from elementary school since they felt that
learning the language from early school years could help a lot towards becoming competent in
English and that even though some school offer English classes in elementary school, there
should be more hours.

These comments suggested that students were aware of the relevance of starting their

English process in early school years. Students’ claim demonstrated that most schools did not

provide English classes in primary school, which had change recently with the interest of the

MEN to provide Transition to 5th graders with English classes based on the suggested curricular

proposal launched in 2017.

6.2 Teachers’ Questionnaire

A total of 61 Colombian teachers completed the questionnaire, which aimed at

determining the perceptions about their experiences in implementing the SEC (Suggested

English Curriculum) and BLR (Basic Learning Rights) in their schools. The following are the

results and the analysis of the questionnaires.

Demographic information

The demographics looked at the age, highest educational qualification, and number of

years in service. Table 11 sought to find the age distribution of the teachers.
 51

Table 11

Age distribution of teachers

Age No of respondents Percentage (%)

Below 25 2 3
25-29 2 3
30-39 23 37
40-49 16 27
50-59 16 27
Above 60 2 3
Total 61 100

Table 11 reveals a middle-age population of teachers in the five Colombian regions. It

could mean that these teachers may not plan and develop their classes considering current issues

related to the teaching of English. Meanwhile, Table 12 shows the distribution of respondents’

highest academic degree.

Table 12
Teachers’ highest academic qualifications
Degree No of respondents Percentage %

Normalista 0 0
Bachelor’s Degree 11 19
Specialization 25 42
Master’s Degree 22 36
PhD 3 3
Total 61 100

The academic qualification of teachers portrays that most of them completed graduate

studies. Therefore, with this advanced knowledge, they would strive to apply it in their everyday

teaching practices.

Motivation

Table 13 displays the answers provided by teachers that helped to determine their

opinions about how useful was the learning of English to achieve some personal and academic

goals.
 52

Table 13
Usefulness of English to achieve some goals

Goal Very Useful Somewhat useful

1. Communicate with people from other countries 72 28

2. Fulfill with academic requirements 74 26

3. Enroll in higher education 68 32

4. Obtain better work opportunities 69 31

5. Understand TV programs and movies in English 56 44

6. Understand songs in English 56 44

7. Travel abroad 68 29

8. Be able to play video games 36 64

9. Surf the net 45 55

In general, they perceived English as a language that expands personal and professional

opportunities, which was aligned with what students expressed about the same issue. Teachers

believed that English was useful to fulfill with academic requirements and communicate with

people from other countries. The results indicated that teachers perceived English as a global

language that increased students’ professional opportunities and raise their intercultural

competence awareness.

In terms of language skills and subskills, 88% of the teachers selected vocabulary as the

most important. In this regard, teachers seemed to be aware of the relevance lexical knowledge.

By choosing reading as the second most important feature, teachers supported the relation

between vocabulary and reading comprehension and, at the same time, it could mean that

classroom exercises were mainly addressed on the national standardized examination. Unlike

students, speaking was not considered as the most relevant skill.

Along with the language features achieved through English classes, in this part of the

questionnaire, teachers commented on some of the expectations regarding the teaching and

learning English in Colombia. To express this expectation, a teacher stated that:

 53

The MEN should continue with bilingualism policies because they let the students from public
school compete with the private school ones and that is was the first opportunity to have English
materials which had information about our country or state.

This suggests that teachers were aware of the importance that bilingualism policies had

on their pedagogical practices and their connection with students’ contexts.

Class Methodology

The answers led to find out teachers’ perceptions about methodological approaches,

classroom distribution patterns, BLR, activities carried out in classes, materials and resources as

well as curricular themes.

Teachers were aware of the proposed methodological approaches suggested by the MEN.

71% strongly agreed that Task-Based was the approach followed in their classes. Even though it

was the approach suggested for 6th and 7th grades, the results indicated that teachers also used it

with 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th grades as well.

In addition, both Project-Based and Problem-Based were used in their classroom but in

less scale. This means that even though, in Project-Based and Problem-Based, students actively

work planning, evaluating and developing a project or problem solution discussion related to the

real world and language was used as an instrument to complete them, this approach could require

a little more time to prepare and develop. Two teachers expressed their opinions for this view:

It is an excellent tool and guide to implement their planning and help them a lot and the most
important was that all students in our country could have the same opportunities to get the best
learning methods and resources.

The major challenge they had faced in implementing the SEC were the varied and meaningful
methodologies, which involve interesting topics.”\

Regarding the implementation of the skills, teachers stated that reading activities were the

most prevalent followed by speaking and writing. It was also noticed that teachers were aware of

planning classes considering the productive skills, which, to some extent, were not the focuses

on public schools in the past.

 54

As to their opinions about the Suggested English Curriculum and the Basic Learning

Rights, the results confirmed that the majority of teachers recognized the SEC as a useful tool to

promote a sense of global and national identity. Having on a nationwide curricular proposal may

have helped teachers saw this proposal as a way of going beyond their local contexts and explore

the national and global spheres. Likewise, by perceiving the SEC as a tool to increase peace

inside and outside classes, teachers favored inclusion, respect, value promotion and peaceful

coexistence in Colombian EFL classrooms.

Also, teachers recognized that the SEC supported the use of a cross-curriculum approach,

which means that they made strong effort on implementing it by considering several areas of

knowledge. Furthermore, it helped to nurture their students’ learning about the language itself

and through the language, at the same time. Although several teachers said that the SEC was

very illustrative, some other claimed that there were some difficulties when adapting its

methodological paths proposed in it. They further highlighted that the SEC strongly impacted the

way they planned lessons. The following an excerpt of one of the teacher’s view about the SEC”

It was difficult to work with the SEC but then he noticed it was useful and he had obtained good
results with students.

Additionally, a high number of teachers pointed out that the MEN should offer more

training and follow-up sessions centered on real teaching experiences. They also wished to keep

getting more support through the creation or consolidation of academic networks to assess the

how the implementation of the SEC as well as received constant and valuable feedback. Other

teachers went beyond and said that the current bilingualism policy was a manner to transform

their students’ lives and of course their future society and world.

Regarding the BLR, 85% of the teachers indicated that they let their students know them

before lessons initiated. Therefore, the importance given to the BLR indicated that most students

were aware of the abilities to be developed in their classes and provide with some examples of

the way the BLR could be achieved. At the same time, most teachers recognized that the BLR

were useful because they stated the functions learners needed to complete the classroom

assignments and impacted their everyday teaching practices.

 55

On the other hand, other teachers claimed that the BLR were not that useful as assessment

tools. A reason could be that the illustrations provided by the MEN to let teachers and students

know the BLR were primarily based on dialogues and monologues, which were not aligned to

the common types of assessment used by teachers, namely written quizzes, unit/mid or end of

period or course exams. The following excerpt reveals what a teacher expressed about the SEC

and BLR together:

BLR were easy to implement and could be used in all the classes but the SEC contents and the
required level to teach some topics were not aligned with reality. Students did not start 6th level
having an A level, sometimes they even finished attaining A1.

This issue means that some teachers were not aware that the SEC could be flexible and

adaptable to students’ linguistic level, needs, and contexts.

As for the number of hours, most teachers confirmed that their students usually received

three hours a week. However, they expressed that this amount was very little in order to achieve

the objectives and have successful learners of the language. To exemplify this view two teachers

pointed out:

Those number of hours were not sufficient to attain our classroom goals. The major difficulty we
had faced in implementing the SEC was the number of hours each group was assigned for the
subject and many times some of them were lost due to the extra-curricular activities the school
planned every year or by national holidays and consequently English time class was not enough
for developing all the program.

The major difficulties were that each module had 3 units with 3 lessons, so they did not have
enough time to work with students.

Concerning the materials and resources, the data displayed in Table 14 allowed us to

assert that teachers used the materials provided by the MEN. Half of them manifested that both

the methodology and the textbooks encouraged them to teach the target language and the main

activities proposed in the textbooks was the relation of the interdisciplinary topics with students’

regions and interests.

 56

Table 14

Frequency at which materials are used in English classes

Material Always Often Never

1. English, please! textbook Material 60 25 15

2. English, please! workbook 41 15 44

3. English, please interactive book 18 30 52

4. Videos 41 41 18

5. Dictionaries 40 38 22

6. Posters 28 51 21

7. Flashcards 30 33 37

8. Board games 23 48 29

9. Technological resources 39 38 23

Furthermore, several teachers expressed their concerns about the difficulties experienced

by students to complete the activities due to their low linguistic level. A teacher further added

her concern about it:

There were specific themes very difficult for students considering their level of
proficiency and she had had to retake some basic topics so that they fit students’
grammar structures and lexical and expression knowledge.

In fact, the SEC was based on the conception that all students had prior knowledge when

they started 6th grade, so the contents proposed were not suitable for them. Thus, the major

challenge they faced was to adapt the curriculum to the grade, age and cognitive level of each

student, because the topics had a high level of vocabulary and grammar. However, most teachers

were aware of this issue and manifested that they made some changes to help students get

through the textbook contents.

In the same way, 15 out of the 61 teachers mentioned that while English Please! Fast

Track textbooks were not fully aligned with the BLR and SEC, Way to go! content was

consistent with them. Thus, the results showed that teachers, to great extent, explored the

textbook and made conclusions about the relation between contents and the BLR and SEC.
 57

As to technological resources, 39% of the teachers manifested they used this tool in class.

Some suggestions shared by them showed why that number was relatively low. Specifically, one

teacher said that schools should have internet connection that allowed students complete online

activities and explored the websites suggested in the textbooks. Specifically, they asked the

MEN to design and run an online platform to supports the activities included in the textbooks.

Another recommendation was to adapt specific rooms in schools for the teaching and learning of

English with technology. Hence, we could evidently notice how the results revealed that teachers

perceived technology as an essential tool for their language classes and were aware of the

limitations brought about using these resources.

Regarding the topics, most teachers made some favorable remarks concerning the ones

developed in their classes. They manifested that those topics were helpful to increase student’s

awareness about the environment, peace in their communities, personal care and intercultural

issues. Specifically, Table 15 shows teachers carried out lessons aimed at promoting recycling

and environmental conservation. It was connected with the global concern on protecting the

natural environment on individual, organizational or governmental level. At the same time,

teachers considered lesson intended to help student with relevant teenage issues such as physical

care routine and the impact of cultural and social practice such as piercings, tattoo, extreme

sports, and sedentary lifestyles on their health. Thus, classes also allowed teenage students to

review topics based on their needs and interest by using the target language.

We also found that more than half of the teachers were concerned about providing their

students with lesson focused on citizen’ rights, inclusion and proper behaviors to live together.

Therefore, teachers’ goal was to support peace education in their classes, which supported the

post-conflict reconciliation process Colombia was going through. Besides, the results indicated

that teachers promoted the development of the intercultural competence in their classes and

consequently their students’ ability to communicate and behave in appropriate ways with people

from Colombia and other cultures.

 58

Table 15
Curricular themes developed in English classes

Sustainability

1. Specify actions to save energy in the community. 62%

2. Create and implement recycling campaigns. 69%

3. Specify activities for environmental conservation in the community. 64%

4. Analyze the Fast Fashion phenomenon. 33%

5. Develop proper actions to reduce inequities (gender, etc.). 36%

Health

1. Establish a physical care routine. 82%

2. Formulate initiatives for the prevention of eating disorders. 54%

3. Establish illness prevention practices in the person. 21%

4. Pose routes for obtaining health services in the community. 13%

5. Evaluate the impact of cultural and social practice (piercings, tattoo, extreme sports, and 48%
sedentary lifestyles) on health.

Democracy and Peace

1. Propose actions for getting along and inclusion in the classroom. 66%
2. Generate awareness about citizens’ rights. 56%

3. Propose actions to promote ethical behaviors regarding citizenship and living together. 52%

4. Recognize the role of language (positive and negative) in the construction of peace. 43%

5. Evaluate daily reconciliation actions for the construction of peace. 33%

Globalization

1. Define own traits of national Colombian identity. 58%

2. Recognize cultural characteristics in some countries. 59%

3. Determine the role of consumerism in adolescents. 34%

4. Value the role of globalization on the use of everyday products. 46%

5. Value the impact of ICT in daily life. 40%

Assessment

Mid-terms and final exams were the prevailing assessment procedures. In addition, oral

production activities, including presentations and role plays and self-evaluation were other

assessment tools undertaken in schools. It indicated that teachers intended to provide their
 59

students with both assessment for learning and assessment of learning. Specifically, the high

number of teachers, 69%, agreeing on the use of self-assessment showed their involvement in

having students reflect on their own learning. Similarly, half of the teachers mentioned that they

used Pruebas Saber 11 samples in class, which could mean that reading comprehension and

vocabulary were also the core of the lessons.

Additional Comments

62% of the teachers believed that the Fellowship Program contributed positively in their

teaching experience since it

the intercultural competence by exchanging cultural features with the fellows. As to the

linguistic aspect, teachers manifested that the program helped them to practice and improve their

English competences by co-teaching and speaking with the fellows. However, other teachers

manifested that even though the program contribution was based on students’ oral skill

improvement, sometimes those fellows lacked proper teaching and classroom strategies.

As to their role in the teaching and learning process and the SEC implementation, many

teachers manifested that the SEC helped them to strengthen their responsibility and commitment.

A teacher said that it was necessary to understand their professional development not only as the

simple idea of accumulating skills or talents but as a very critical process with a high influence

on students’ lives. Similarly, some of them shared thoughts about the impact of bilingualism

policies in Colombia and concluded that the problem was not the MEN policies, but their lack of

commitment. In fact, to express the need of showing commitment, a teacher said:

We need to take active part in the bilingualism program development and that even it might
sound as if they were part of the government, they considered themselves tireless workers that
loved this program and took the most of it.

In addition, several teachers mentioned that the SEC should be implemented in primary

school as well and that students needed to begin 6th grade with some knowledge of the language.

They highlighted that most of the time classes in primary school were given by teachers lacking

the adequate experience and that an hour per week was not enough. Thus, these answers allowed
 60

us to determine teachers’ interest in encouraging the English teaching-learning process before

students entered high school. However, it seemed that some of them were not aware that the

MEN launched the suggested curriculum from Transition to 5th grade in 2017.

6.3 Coordinators

A total of 22 coordinators completed the interview in their schools, whose goal was to

obtain information about their perceptions about the SEC and BLR implementation in their

schools. The following are the results obtained after carrying out such analysis.

Motivation

From the answers, we could determine that coordinators focused the purpose of teaching

English on the opportunities connected to students’ personal and professional lives and bridge

the gap between public and private schools. To illustrate this view, one of the coordinators’

stated:

They believed English opened a world of opportunities to students and the goal was to level the
field between public and private schools and shared with students the benefits of a globalized
world, so they provided them with great opportunities to have a different Project of Life and make
them aware of the L2 pertinence in their future academic plans.

Similarly, coordinators claimed that the importance given to English classes was reflected

on the teachers’ commitment towards bilingualism programs and the activities implemented in

their schools. Some of them specifically expressed that English classes at their schools became

more and more important because their English teachers’ commitment increased. Specifically,

they indicated that along with the relevance given to have qualified teachers and further their

training, the school dynamics was what determined whether the MEN proposals succeed or not.

What we could ascertain now is that the coordinators had an increasing awareness towards the

impact teachers and the school had on the bilingualism programs proposed by the MEN.

Likewise, coordinators pointed out that their schools planned and developed several

activities aimed at promoting the use of English through school projects. They commented that

schools carried out the English Day at the end of the year, in September or October, whose goal

was to motivate students to develop their communicative competences. Besides, for several
 61

years, other schools had a festival in English called The English Cultural Fair held every year

with themes. We could determine that coordinators strived to have teachers and students shared

with the rest of the school the tasks and project worked on classes

In terms of language skills and subskills, the coordinators’ comments showed that the

communicative competence was developed in their schools with emphasis on both productive

and receptive skills. To express this view, one of the coordinators pointed out:

Bilingualism in their institutions changed their classes from traditional to more communicative
and that the four competences became fundamental in their methodology since they were
included in the standards proposed by the MEN and their Study Plans concentrated on reading,
writing, speaking, and listening.” Another coordinator pointed out that “they attempted to
advance communication by promoting all the language linguistic skills and teachers used the
ones they considered relevant to the proposed topics and activities.

According to the answers it was noticed that some schools focused on communication, an

example of this is what one of the coordinators expressed

Since students did not have proper speaking level, which was commonly the goal, emphasis was
given to that skill, in fact, reading, writing, and listening activities were also carried out but to a
lesser extent. In addition, another coordinator pointed out that “students were afraid of speaking
English even when having proper vocabulary, but the problem was their lack of confidence.

Thus, coordinators were aware of the relevance of promoting the use of the four linguistic

skills in their school English classes and specifically bearing in mind students’ interest in

improving their oral skills.

Half of the coordinators also expressed their interest in using English to teach other

school content areas and particularly that the MEN should promote the teaching of other subjects

in English and support teacher training programs for teachers of those areas. In fact, it would

allow them to learn the language to teach their subjects in English. Besides, most coordinators

made emphasis on suggesting the MEN to give continuity to the English teaching-learning

process since with each new President there was a new Minister with other education policies.

Class Methodology

As to the methodology implemented in their schools, the coordinators claimed that it was

varied and encompassed the SEC methodology path, several classroom patterns, and specific
 62

school methodological practices. Some coordinators said that the goal was to follow distinct

methodology approaches and strategies through tasks and projects in their classrooms by doing

their best to mix communication with the structural components. These results also displayed

their views about the importance of the three methodological focuses that may be used to carry

out the SEC proposal implementation.

At the same time, some coordinators expressed that depending on the school grade,

classes in their schools used tasks, projects, critical thinking development, and multiple

intelligences activities. In addition, some of them shared the procedure followed to deliver the

English classes at their school. A coordinator said that first, they selected some topics usually

connected to the textbook units. Then, they defined the vocabulary, language functions, and

grammar structures and use students’ previous knowledge and proposed tasks in 6th and 7th

grades, and projects in 8th and 9th grades. They also highlighted that Problem-Based approach

was not developed in their classes yet. All in all, it showed their interest in following the SEC

methodological path in their schools and their attendance to the MEN training sessions.

Taking into account flexibility as one of the SEC characteristics, the coordinators

demonstrated that their schools also helped to build knowledge that feeds the curriculum with

other ideas. As a matter of fact, they expressed that they followed a Plan de Aula (Class lesson

plan) that included three classroom stages: (1) Diagnostic of students’ knowledge, (2)

Conceptualization of the grammar structures and vocabulary seen in class, and (3) Transference

in which students meaningfully practiced what they have learned. Another coordinator said that

their methodology was divided into three parts: (1) An introduction in which the teacher set the

class objectives, (2) Class development by having students complete some activities with the

help of teachers and FNE, and (3) The assessment centered more on the process completed by

students instead of just a grade.

In additions the coordinators said that co-teaching was methodology approach used in

their schools. Particularly, they used co-teaching methodology including the four linguistic skills,

planning their classes with the FNE, who began the class with a warm-up activity. Then, the

teacher introduced the topic and the class was divided into two groups. The FNE had students
 63

work on listening and speaking activities and teachers carry out writing and reading exercises

and after that they exchanged groups. It was really important to consider time management and

avoided long activities that made students get bored. Consequently, these answers confirm that

co-teaching was part of the pedagogical component of the Colombia Bilingüe Fellowship

Program and school followed what the MEN proposed in several of the training session offered

to teachers and FNE.

The coordinators shared their perceptions with reference to the implementation and use of

the SEC and the BLR in their lessons mentioning how they started with bilingualism in their

schools. The following excerpts illustrated the perceptions of the coordinators:

“We had been working in bilingualism project since 2009 with the help of the Secretary of
Education and then their school own recently adapted the SEC and BLR.”

“We had been committed to the MEN bilingualism project since 2012, started with the Peace
Corps volunteers and then were included in the Colombia Bilingüe Programme.”

It could mean that some public schools in the five Colombian regions were committed

towards the proposed bilingualism polices no matter the changes experienced in some of them.

Furthermore, other coordinators commented that schools applied adaptability in SEC their

implementation. Particularly, one coordinator mentioned that at the beginning of the school year,

his school restructured its Study Plan concentrating on how to reorganize it including the SEC

and the BLR. In addition, the they had made some adjustments to their curriculum and as an

illustration some schools even planned a model that mixed the BLR with a designed a chart

including the linguistic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic competences as well as the language

skills: listening, reading, writing, monologue and conversation. These results indicated that

schools were able to appropriate this curriculum and kept it valid and pertinent to the context

where it was applied.

Together with adaptability, flexibility, a feature that allowed schools the opportunity to

carry out the review of school PEI components, was mentioned by coordinators. One of them

said that they began gradually complementing their PEI with bilingual aspects considering their

school academic periods, which, at the same time, helped to develop a cross-curriculum
 64

approach. Therefore, those topics were included in the PEI and their fundamental pillars were the

BLR. It showed that some schools took a position on the actions that resulted from the

implementation of the proposal.

There were other coordinators that talked about several difficulties arisen throughout the

SEC and BLR implementation process in their schools. As an illustration, two coordinators

stated:

We reviewed the SEC deeply and found out that the linguistic level proposed in the SEC
was too high for their students and consequently we decided to select only few things for
their classes.

There was not a specific alignment between the proposed BLR order and the SEC
Modules and that sometimes the topics were not organized in the same sequence, that is,
there was not a theme lined up with the same component.

On the basis of the data obtained from the interview transcripts (see Appendix D), it was

noticeable that coordinators also shared their viewpoints about the time allocated to English

classes. Having the optimal numbers of hours was remarked by some coordinators. Specifically,

one of them mentioned that in their schools they provided students with more hours than other

schools: 5 hours from 6th to 9th and 4 hours in 10th and 11th grades. Another expressed that in

her high school, there is an articulated job with the MEN proposal and students received English

classes 4 hours a week, which she thought linked to the good scores student obtained in Pruebas

Saber exam. Emphasis was given to the fact that their school knew they would not get the level

of private school, but compared with other public schools, they had a quite better level.

Meanwhile, other coordinators claimed that the number of hours was not enough to

achieve their English class objectives and that they did not think three hours were enough and

that to acquire a second language, students should have more English class hours. Once more,

private schools were mentioned to express that there was a wide difference between private and

public schools since the former usually offered seven of English hours a week and that is why

they wished they had Jornada Única there. It suggested that schools were concerned about the

importance of offering an adequate number of hours for students to attain the desirable CEFR

English level.
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In addition to providing their perceptions about classroom methodology, many

coordinators shared their ideas on other materials and resources used to foster the English

language teaching and learning in their schools. The favorable use of the English, please!

contents was reflected in interview answers. The next excerpt shows one of the coordinator’s

opinion about materials:

The material used at their school were Way to go! and English please! Fast Track even though
student could not write on them. Additionally, they thought they were so resourceful because
they used everything the MEN sent to their schools including the audios and that used
dictionaries and sometimes the internet to take a lot of information.

As to technological resources, some coordinators said that they promoted this type of

tools in their schools and that their teachers used audiovisual resources such as video beam,

computer, CD player and worked with videos a lot, especially with YouTube and Duolingo. A

teacher highlighted their students still used paper dictionaries when there was no internet

connection. One of their suggestions was to reinforce the textbook with a good online platform in

which students could devote more to time to the study the language.

In terms of the curricular themes, coordinators did not express concretely the SEC topics

developed in their school English classes; however, their remarks demonstrated that, to great

extent, some of the notions and themes to work in the curriculum such as encouraging

knowledge and construction of the national identity and integration with the world were

considered in their schools. In particular, they mentioned that their school curriculum was

organized by the four suggested components: Democracy, Sustainability, Globalization and

Health and that they chose their sub-topics from each of them. Simultaneously, they tried to use

their very own school problem centered curriculum. They made emphasis on the fact that the

learning of English had evolved from having students fill in the blanks towards helped them see

it as a global language and they strived to introduced topics related to environment, citizenship,

and conflict resolution.

Assessment

According to most coordinators, both assessment of learning and assessment for learning

were undertaken in their institutions. The assessment strategies were varied and included
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traditional exams, Pruebas Saber samples, conversations, presentations, and projects. Precisely,

they highlighted that their assessment procedures greatly depended on the school subject and

topics, but basically, there were quarterly exams worth 20% that assess what students had

learned in that academic period. Other said that 25% of their evaluation included quarterly exams

and the other 75% was follow-up that teachers proposed throughout the academic period and

they were sure that students had to present a project that allowed them to express themselves in

English.

Standardized exams were also considered as type of assessment. Some of them claimed

that teachers highly support the national standardized exam competences so that students

completed vocabulary and reading comprehension exercises. In addition, that their assessment

was based on working with the Pruebas Saber exam, which included six type of questions.

Likewise, their students carried out projects, for example, they planned and developed

Gastronomy Fairs that many times was taken as the academic period grade. As to oral work, one

of the strategies used was called Dialogo de Aplicación in which students practiced what they

learned in their classes by conducting interviews. They said that they also created rubrics based

on the activities, for example, in the presentations there was a special rubric focused on the oral

production.

The interview results also indicated that some coordinators agreed on the use of

assessment for learning in their schools. They stated that rubrics had been so useful to promote

the self-evaluation and co-evaluation and that they tried to foster the formative assessment

without being limited to a result but a teaching and learning process and all the steps students

followed to achieve the propose knowledge. Besides, assessment was strongly connected with

working in pairs, small groups and occasionally individually concentrating on specific tasks

related to students’ interests and context.

Additional comments

The advantages the Fellowship program had brought to their were mentioned by 20% of

the coordinators. As an illustration, the following excerpts revealed what two coordinators

mentioned about the program:

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Fellow had worked with the fellows for 3 years and had seen a lot of advance with them and that
these fellows oversaw Conversation Clubs with the students and supported the L2 English
language process with their teachers.

Students enjoyed having fellows in their schools since they could interact directly with a native
speaker.

In addition, there was a specific case that is worth noting since a fellow, through the

website Go Funding and with the help of his friends and family members in the US, collected

some money to donate three video beams and three speakers to their school. These resources

have been extremely useful to use PowerPoint slides, play music, songs, games, and the like.

Several coordinators further added that they thought teachers were one of the main actors

of the educational process. In fact, the following excerpt depicts a comment made by a

coordinator about the role of teachers in their English classes:

What we think is that teachers needed to change their attitude since if they were
committed to their job, our public school were likely to change. English teachers were
professionals that needed constant training opportunities that help them being updated
and used the language properly. If there was no commitment, schools would not have fast
and positive changes.

Even though there could be some difficulties, 25% of the coordinators manifested that

bilingualism in their schools involved the English teaching and learning in primary school

grades. Precisely, they stated that they articulated the bilingualism in their schools with the

process that the MEN was currently implementing, which is running from primary school to high

school. Others highlighted that they were so lucky because they had a teacher in primary school

who supported the bilingualism process in their schools.

The lack of suitable teachers to give English classes in primary school was manifested as

a challenge to be faced. As with the other school subjects, there was a curriculum for English but

the problem was the lack of qualified teachers for primary school grades or their lack of

confidence to teach English. However, they were aware that their students needed more English

classes and that the MEN did not start the Colombia Bilingual Program in the proper direction,

that is, the MEN strategies began in high school.

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7. Findings

After analyzing and triangulating all the instruments, the following findings were

obtained:

EFL teaching-learning process in public schools under the SEC and BLR in five

Colombian regions

The data showed that coordinators and teachers made a considerable effort to adjust the

SEC and BLR proposals to their own school curricula. Specifically, the academic period length,

cross-curricular topics, students’ linguistic level and the intended CEFR level were the features

contemplated when carrying out those adaptations. Meanwhile, it was evidenced that, based on

the samples provided in the SEC, several schools designed their very own lesson plan templates

considering the BLR and SEC main components such as suggested language functions,

objectives, performance indicators, and content. This is how both flexibility and adaptability

were the SEC characteristics used during this implementation which were also aligned with

school internal projects of bilingualism, weekly hour intensity, and context.

Furthermore, the data revealed that most schools applied gradual changes to their PEI

with the BLR as their core. It means that PEI components such as the vision of education and

language, the pedagogical and curricular components, methodologies, and the Study Plan were

reviewed to take position on the actions derived from the SEC and the BLR. Such

implementation indicated that schools compared students’ linguistics level with the SEC

proposed language functions, objectives, performance indicators, and content to determine the

aspects needed to be progressively incorporated.

As for the materials and resources, a high number of participants had a positive

perception on the use of textbooks in their classes. The significant influence in the EFL teaching-

learning process was centered on the use the English, please! components, and specifically, the

English, please! textbook. Teachers and coordinators remarked that those textbooks helped to

enhance students’ linguistic competences and attain the class objectives as well. Precisely, the

varied activities and resources addressed to students’ ages, needs, and interests was the reason
 69

participants regarded the MEN textbooks as a useful tool to plan lessons. In fact, it was

congruent with the English, please! purpose of fostering the development of the linguistic skills

in an integrated manner and interrelating the topics with students’ lives and contexts.

Additionally, comparing English, please! and Way to go! teachers and coordinators found

Way to go! a textbook more aligned to the proposed BLR from 6th to 8th grades. They pointed out

that this textbook content, units, and suggested tasks were linked with the SEC proposed

methodological approaches. Meanwhile, even though English, please! was perceived as a

textbook lacking the content and students’ linguistic level alignment, participants highlighted

that its contents focused on various areas of knowledge in accordance with students’ age and

development.

The study also determined that there was a disagreement about the use of technological

materials in classes. While most students expressed that technology was barely used in their

classes and asked for more technological devices, proper rooms, and good internet connection in

their schools, teachers and coordinators stated that technology was enhanced in their everyday

teaching practices by providing students with diverse websites and apps. The reason for

obtaining these results could be related to some common issues that arise when implementing

ICT in public educational settings such as: limited internet connection, problems of acquisition

and maintenance of the devices, lack of students’ commitment to use technology to learn

languages, lack of competent teachers to enhance their lesson plan with technological resources.

Likewise, a high number of participants remarked that they were glad the teaching and

learning of English became a priority in the Colombian public educative system. This finding

was aligned with the MEN purpose of drawing up strategies to bridge the gap between the

teaching and learning of English in public and private schools. In the same way, several

participants agreed on the importance that the MEN should give to the continuity of the

bilingualism programs and avoid that those programs change or finish when a new president took

over. Thus, it showed participants’ high interest in having the MEN keep strengthening the

English language in all the country’s schools.

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Participants also displayed some very positive perceptions towards the Fellowship program.

In fact, they manifested that it contributed positively to the English teaching-learning process in

their public high schools. Enhancing students’ communicative competence, enhancing the

intercultural competence awareness, and even helping schools to acquire some equipment were

some of the benefits expressed by participants related to the Fellowship Program. This issue

proved to be very favorable and indicated that most Fellows followed the co-teaching

methodology with the Colombian English teachers, used school hours to help improve the

English use of students and English teachers, and participated in several projects associated with

the school such as The English Day to increase the intercultural communication inside and

outside the classroom. Nonetheless, some teachers and coordinators stated that some Fellows

lack the proper teaching preparation and experience to be in their classrooms. To some extent,

they could be right since a bachelor’s degree in education or teaching languages was not one the

requirements to apply to this program and some Fellows had no previous experience before

arriving in Colombia. However, to overcome this situation, the MEN provided them with initial

training and constant support while they were in the public schools all over the country.

SEC and BLR impact on the pedagogical practices in Colombian public high schools

Through the analysis conducted, it was revealed that the methodology led to significant

changes in the EFL learning-teaching process. Participants had favorable views and expressed

that the suggested transversal topics and methodological approaches improved the interaction in

their classrooms. As to the SEC methodological approaches, Task-Based was the predominant in

10th and 11th grades compared with Project and Problem Based approaches. Thus, this finding

was contrary to the sequential order recommended through the SEC in which Problem-Based

approach was suggested for 10th and 11th grades. It might be caused by the teachers’ lack of

knowledge about the benefits and importance of Project and Problem-Based approaches, low

level of student’s linguistic competences or the limited class time to carry out the activities

involved in these methodologies. On the other hand, the preference for using Task-Based could

be caused by the fact that teachers were more informed about this approach, found it easier for
 71

their students to complete their task final products in shorter time, or their students’ level was not

appropriate to successfully complete the Project and Problem Based assignments.

Regarding classroom interaction patterns, the most frequently stated by participants was

individual work followed by pair and group work. Since there was not a noticeable difference in

frequency, it revealed that teachers might be aware of the importance of having a balance among

them. However, even though all the SEC methodological approaches require students complete

their assignments individually, in pairs or in groups, classes would be more interactive when

students work with their classmates. The reason some teachers mentioned for using individual

work rather than pair or group was that their strategies to group students had not worked out well

or they though having students work individually resulted in easier classroom management.

It was also found that many schools mostly allocated three English class hours per week

and recognized that sometimes that number could change due to some extra school activities.

However, although it was the number suggested by the MEN, participants perceived that number

of hours as insufficient to cover the content proposed in the SEC and BLR. Consequently, not

only did they suggest increasing that number of class hours, but also that schools create

opportunities to practice the language. These findings revealed that schools took into

consideration planning and developing activities such as conversation clubs, board game

sessions, tutoring, and educational visits guided in English.

Furthermore, a considerable number of participants’ perceptions demonstrated the

relevance of the curricular themes Sustainability, Health, Democracy and Peace, and

Globalization on the EFL teaching-learning process. The outcome indicated that, to a different

extent, topics were developed in all grades and that each one led to a sub-topic such as

environment, personal care, citizen’s rights, inclusion and interculturality. In fact, it was

consistent with the SEC and MEN textbooks purpose of providing students with topics based on

their ages, interests, needs, and contexts. As an illustration, most teachers developed lessons

based on the environment conservation and recycling campaigns, which was aligned with the

global concern about the environment.

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Likewise, a high number of teachers were aware of the importance of having students

reflect on following a proper physical care routine, the impact of some culture manifestations

such as piercings and tattoos, and the awareness of several psychological disorders. As to the

Democracy and Peace topic, many teachers showed their interest in promoting Peace Education

in their classrooms, which means that students were involved in acquiring the values, knowledge

and developing the attitudes, skills, and behaviors to live in harmony with themselves in with

their classmates, teachers, families and community . When proposing lessons connected with

students’ own culture and other cultures, teachers agreed in that English classes were helpful to

support students’ cross-cultural dialogues by accepting their very one culture manifestations and

going beyond to admit the differences with other cultures. The previous in an indicator that

teachers did their best to plan lesson with the SEC and textbook contents even having the

challenge of adapt them to their student’s linguistic level.

As for the assessment procedures, students were mostly evaluated by means of unit/mid

or end of period, final projects. Meanwhile, assessment for learning, with less frequency was

carried out by students’ self-evaluation and peer-evaluation. It was found that none of the

participants perceived portfolios as a valuable assessment tool, which could be caused by their

lack of knowledge of the portfolio as an innovative authentic assessment instrument to keep track

of students’ class work. Another major finding is that some teachers manifested that they usually

had their students completed several national standardized mock exams to help them to get a

high score. Based on the content of the exam and the predominant use of the learning

assessment, it could be said that teachers were more into undertaking traditional assessment in

their classes. It further reveals that teachers were aware of the relevance that the national

standard exam had for their students and schools as well.

Another outcome worth mentioning is the perception participants had regarding the role

of teachers in the SEC and the BLR impact on pedagogical practices. A high number of

participants coincided that teachers ‘commitment towards their professional development was a

key factor for the proper development of a bilingualism program. Specifically, findings showed

that students related classroom effective practices with their teachers’ creativity and didactics.
 73

Besides, a few teachers recognized that even though many of them kept complaining about the

bilingualism policies proposed by the MEN, they were the ones who needed to be motivated and

committed towards their teaching of English. Overall, it means that when teachers support the

bilingualism project and engaged in professional development opportunities, they could be

making a considerable difference and their classrooms and schools.

Perceptions of the actors of the curricular proposal on bilingualism in Colombia

The findings revealed that participants’ perceptions about the importance of English to

achieve personal and professional goals were alike. Their insights were centered on learning

English to be successful in the academic and professional endeavors and can be listed as

fulfilling with academic requirements, enrolling in higher education, traveling abroad and

communicating with people from other countries. These perceptions were consistent with the CB

guidelines of providing students with the possibility of being fluent in English reaching a level

that makes them competent and providing them a greater chance of success in the academic and

professional fields in the future. Moreover, participants indicated that they perceived the

language as a way to enhance their ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with

people from other cultural backgrounds.

Additionally, even though the improvement of the communicative competence in English

could be evidenced through the use of all language abilities concurrently, bilingualism proposals

were seen as a way to improve speaking. In fact, the SEC, the BLR proposed the progressive

development of language skills in English from 6th to 11th grades including listening, reading,

writing, monologue, and conversation, but this outcome determine the relevance given to

monologue and conversation. Followed by speaking, vocabulary was selected as a language

component that should be expanded through the bilingualism programs. Specifically, students

believed that their classes should help to expand their lexical repertoire. It can be argued that

teachers were not much aware of the relevance of providing students with strategies to work on

their vocabulary enhancement.

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The findings also displayed that most teachers asked the MEN to keep offering constant

teacher training sessions that fortify their linguistic and pedagogical competences. They wanted

to continue with the SEC and the BLR implementation guidance provided by the MEN in 2017

when several workshops were offered nationwide. It was further found that they wished training

could be focused on sharing experiences with other colleagues both face-to-face meeting and

online platforms. In fact, even though the MEN already offered those opportunities,

approximately 60% of the expected participants attended the workshops. Teachers who could not

attend such training calls expressed that some school principals did not give the permission, or

the workshops coincided with other mandatory events held at their schools. As to the online

component, it was a successful experience that it is worth repeating with the suggestions gave by

teachers in the current study.

Similarly, most teachers and coordinators gave importance to teaching content areas in

English. Along with considering the cross-curricular issues proposed in the SEC, namely

Sustainability, Health, Democracy and Peace, and Globalization, participants pointed out that

they wanted their school to provide content subject in English to their students. Taking this into

account, some suggested that they could get support from the MEN include math, biology, social

studies in English in their school schedules. Even though many private schools already offered

these content areas in English for their elementary and high school students, this outcome was

due to the fact the teachers and coordinators might be interested in implementing CLIL (Content

and Language Integrated Learning) approach in the public sector context to favor not only

students’ learning of the language but also their learning through the language.

For many participants English language classes should be offered from early primary

school grades. They considered that better outcomes could be achieved when students start 6th

grade with some knowledge of the language. This finding suggests that many participants did not

know that the MEN also launched the Suggested Curricular Structure Form Transition to 5th in

2017. However, some of their recommendations to begin English classes in primary school could

also be considered such as having more qualified teachers and providing more class hours to

English.
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8. Conclusions

This section presents the main conclusions and pedagogical implications derived from the

participants’ suggestions and discussion of the results of this study.

First, the SEC and BLR implementation may constitute a valuable tool to improve the

quality of education; this study may empower coordinators and teachers to make the proper

adjustments to their own Study Plans. It demonstrates that most teachers become more familiar

with the SEC and BLR contents by attending the MEN training sessions or reading the

documents by themselves. Schools are encouraged to keep on providing teachers with

professional development opportunities centered on the SEC and BLR implementation that also

allow them to share their experiences and concerns with colleagues from other schools. By

offering these sessions and applying the SEC and BLR guidelines, teachers become more aware

of how to deal with issues that might not allow their proper implementation such as limited class

hours, lack of alignment between student’s level and textbook contents, and use of the suggested

methodological approaches properly.

Materials and resources such as Way to go! and English, please! textbooks are an important

and significant contribution the MEN makes to public schools because they facilitate and enrich

the teaching practice. To keep enhancing the teaching-learning process, schools are encouraged

to maintain encouraging the use of both the paper and online tools in English classes. Thus,

textbooks need to be classroom resources and teachers are to select or adjust the topics that best

match the SEC or BLR goals. If it does not happen, teachers might look for other resources

centered on tapping students’ prior knowledge and fulfilling their communicative competence

development. They should also consider that, in general, materials are powerful resources that

allow students to approach to the both the target language and culture.

The use of ICT is a challenging task in public schools; it represents a limitation in lesson

planning, especially because not all schools have the necessary resources (internet connection,

adequate facilities, etc.); however, coordinators and teachers make efforts to promote its use with

strategies to overcome such limitations. As an illustration, technology can be encouraged through

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the Way to go! and English, please! online resources. Additionally, teachers are recommended to

strive to enhance their lesson with technology-based activities that help learners improve their

linguistic level and work on the development and completion of their tasks, projects and solving

of problems at the same time. Specifically, the use of technology can help students do some

research and present the final product involved in each of those methodological approaches.

Schools are expected to work on o the most common issues that constrain the effective ICT

implementation in English classes such as lack of necessary equipment, poor internet connection,

and lack of a proper classrooms. Similarly ICT should not be seen as tools that allow teachers to

cover contents or pedagogical resources to motivate students but they are tools that help to foster

communicative and intercultural competences, critical thinking and autonomous learning.

Other technology challenges are related to students and teachers. Students might not see

technology and their own devices as supplementary tools that enhance the development of their

communicative competence in a foreign language. Meanwhile, teachers could encounter

difficulties when using technology because they are not competent enough to design or

implement technology activities or might lack proper strategies to get students engaged in such

activities. If ICT resources provide students with meaningful activities that promote the

communicative, intercultural, and cognitive competences, teachers should be enthusiastic about

finding ways to use ICT in EFL classrooms. Hence, technology could offer many benefits in the

classroom by fostering students’ engagement and collaboration and most importantly make

learning fun.

Regarding the suggested themes, participants’ positive insights about the interdisciplinary

topics show that they plan lesson including those themes. Being topics related to students’ lives,

teachers should keep selecting and developing lessons that best match those students’ specific

interest, needs and contexts. The lack of alignment between the contents and students’ level

should not prevent teachers from using those topics in class. On the contrary, students can get

more motivated towards the learning of the language when topics related to their age and that tap

their previous knowledge are being reviewed in class. Hence, teachers are challenged to use the
 77

MEN resources and other supplemental materials that results in providing students with

interesting topics and meaningful activities at the same time.

In general, participants are pleased with the Ministry’s support on bilingualism programs in

the country. Specially it is valued the big effort made to bridge the gap between the learning of

English in public and private schools and provide the educational community with a flexible and

open curriculum proposal. Along with asking to continue with this initiative, teachers are aware

that they play an important role to support the SEC and BLR implementation nationwide.

Therefore, the MEN should keep offering the support to continue with this process in their

regions.

Another relevant point to mention is the favorable perceptions participants have about the

Fellowship English Program. Although some teachers in the country kept complaining about this

Colombia Bilingual Program initiative, this study indicates that the program had a positive effect

on the learning and teaching process in Colombia. Precisely, students benefit from having a

native speaker in their classroom which enhance not only the development of their linguistic

competence but also enhance their intercultural competence awareness. Nonetheless, the MEN

should continue with this kind of initiatives making emphasis on the importance of bringing

Fellows with language teaching experience.

It is also concluded that the SEC implementation offers significant benefits to the

classroom methodology. There is a connection between the SEC and BLR implementation and

the teachers’ classroom practices. The fact that a high number of students were satisfied with the

methodology shows the teachers’ interest in giving attention to classroom interaction, resources

and language development. However, although the results indicate that some teachers and

coordinators believe that SEC language functions, performance indicators, and contents are not

consistent with students’ linguistic level, it has not interfered with the everyday classroom

routines.

As for the methodological paths proposed on the SEC, Task-Based is recognized as the

most used approach developed in the targeted schools. Consequently, teachers plan classes

considering the development of tasks offering an assortment of communicative skills to foster

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the use of English to improve students’ fluency and accuracy. Similarly, it indicates that teachers

take advantage of the variety of task samples included for each module in the SEC. Since Project

and Problem-Based learning are used in less proportion, the teachers need to redesign activities

that help to develop both approaches.

Teachers in Colombia use Task-Based and incorporate progressively Project and

Problem-Based in the EFL classroom. In fact, the importance of projects lies in that they could

promote students actively work planning, evaluating and developing a project related to their

contexts. Meanwhile, the teaching and learning based on problems allows students to enhance

the ability to apply their knowledge in the solving of problems similar to their real-life setting.

When including Project and Problem-Based approaches into their classroom practices, it should

be noted that their implementation might require a little more time and higher students’ linguistic

level. It is worth mentioning that along with task samples, the SEC also includes project and

problem samples that can be adopted or adapted by teachers.

Considering that assessment for learning is the most prevalent, teachers are encouraged to

use more alternative assessment techniques such as self-assessment, peer assessment and

portfolios which are innovative in the SEC. These alternative assessment techniques could help

students reflect on their own learning process and give and receive feedback not only from

teachers but from peers. Students need to get used to receiving both formative feedback about

their performance after a whole lesson, academic period or school year as well as a grade that

considers the final product for summative purposes. Nonetheless, teachers should be aware that

when students are not accustomed to alternative assessment, it could take time to have them

understand the goals of it. As an illustration, peer assessment requires students’ responsibility to

judge their peers’ performance properly. In that way, with both assessment procedures, students

have the chance to show evidence of the learning achieved and, at the same time, it reinforces the

assurance that what is learned is beneficial for their daily life and future.

In Colombia the learning English is mostly related to the achievement of academic and

professional goals. This shows that students see English a language that can help to complete
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higher education and get better jobs. Furthermore, English is considered a helpful tool to

enhance the intercultural communication by elements using the culture of the target language and

promoting and valuing Colombian culture. Conversely, surfing the net and playing video games

such are the aspects considered as the least promoted through EFL classes, this is not congruent

with the SEC principle of having students as competent users of technological resources in

benefit of their own education.

Regarding the BLR, most teachers let their students know them before each lesson or

academic period start. Teachers are encouraged to keep doing so since it helps students to get

familiar with the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn and specifically the

identification of key aspects necessary for the development of their communicative competence.

Likewise, teachers can share some examples that illustrate how the BLR is accomplished,

namely dialogues, reading passages, and writing examples. It is recommended that even when

teachers find out that the BLR are not aligned with students’ language level, they can use the

BLR suggested for other grades. That it, students could get more accustomed to knowing their

class communicative goals to make it more compatible with their expectations and needs.

Additionally, schools could think of creating databases for each school grade and BLR. Thus,

teachers can be expected to share examples of the activities and resources needed to achieve a

specific BLR such as listening exercises, reading passages, teaching tips, and task and project

ideas.

Based on some of the participants’ comments, the MEN should promote the teaching of

content areas in English. To great extent, it is related to the current tendency of using CLIL

(Content Language Integrated Leaning) to enhance student’s language acquisition. It is important

that classes continue offering students opportunities to learn about the language but learning

through the language can lead to increase their engagement in classes. As it might be expected a

barrier to carry out this type if initiatives are that the English teachers do not have the knowledge

to teach a content area in English or the content area teachers do not know English. It would

worth giving it a try with public high school teachers interested in a project like this in their

school with the support of the MEN. Nonetheless, another challenge could be some students’
 80

reluctance to learn different subjects in English since some students complained when their

teacher taught them a subject like mathematics in English.

Since a high number of participants pointed out the relevance of strengthening the English

teaching and learning from primary school and that the SEC for Transition to 5th grade was

launched in 2017, schools should make the effort to create training sessions for both primary and

high school teachers. Thus, teachers need to be committed to share theirs SEC and BLR

implementation and best practices with their colleagues and it would help to fortify the used of

the suggested methodological approach from very early school years.

As to the administrative aspect, this study contributes to the government entities responsible

of the educational policies, including Local and Regional Education Authorities, with elements

to make decisions regarding the SEC and BLR and the use of the MEN or supplemental

materials aligned with the needs of each region. Consequently, these entities are expected to

consider the scientific results of the actions, tendencies, focuses and principles that, until now,

have guided bilingual education in Colombia. Particularly, they are expected to provide local

teacher training sessions that allow teachers share their best practices with other colleagues in the

region. In this way, teachers should intent to have study groups focused on exchanging lesson

plans and strategies to adapt textbooks contents and interdisciplinary topics in their very own

school and regions.

In regard to the social sphere, the study also contributes to bridging the gap between

Colombian public and private high school students to access to the learning of English. Thus, it

is in line with the curricular proposal of ensuring an equitable treatment for all the population

and especially centered on the population exposed to exclusion, poverty and effects of inequality

and all types of violence. Additionally, the development of each module (Sustainability, Health,

Democracy and Peace and Globalization) in EFL classes in Colombia corroborate its social

importance owing to the relation between these interdisciplinary topics with students’ age and

performance in their social contexts. Hence, teachers should strive to go beyond their EFL

classroom and have students share with other school grades and community members what they
 81

have learn in classes. It can be done by planning and developing classroom projects based on

current social issues that are to be presented, in English, in an Acto Civico or community centers.

Being English the language used to deliver these presentations, teachers should work on

strategies that do not prevent people from attending the presentation such as having some

students translate for the community members.

Further studies

Similar research studies could also be carried out in non-targeted schools in the five

Colombian regions. A first study could be intended to comparison the SEC and BLR

implementation between targeted and non-targeted schools. Thus, it would be necessary to make

sure that those non-targeted school are also implemented them and most of their teachers also

attended the SEC implementation and evaluation training whose essential goals were to (1) Let

them know the SEC and BLR general structure and main characteristics, (2) Work

collaboratively with other teachers to plan lesson using the SEC and BLR, and (3) Analyze

specific cases that make the SEC and BLR implementation difficult and provide possible

solutions. A second study could be aimed at comparing the development of the foreign language

communicative competence of students who attended targeted schools with students from non-

targeted schools.

Likewise, additional studies can be undertaken in the elementary schools of the

Colombian public sector to determine the current state of the art of the EFL teaching-learning

process in those institutions. It would result in finding out more about student, teacher, and

coordinator perceptions on the implementation of the Suggested English Curriculum addressed

to the Transition and Primary school levels of the Colombian educational system. Bearing this in

mind, similar with the SEC for grades 6th to 11th, this curricular proposal concentrates on four

general topics: health and life, peace and living together, environment and society, and a global

village, and the methodology follows Task-Based and Project-Based learning, a similar study

would shed light on some pedagogical practices to be considered by high school teachers and

coordinators.
 82

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 87

Appendices

Appendix A

EL ESTADO DEL ARTE DE LA ENSEÑANZA Y APRENDIZAJE DEL INGLÉS COMO

LENGUA EXTRANJERA EN EL SECTOR PÚBLICO BAJO LOS LINEAMIENTOS DEL
CURRÍCULO SUGERIDO Y LOS DERECHOS BÁSICOS DE APRENDIZAJE EN
DIFERENTES REGIONES EN COLOMBIA

Encuesta a estudiantes

Institución Educativa: ___________________________________________ Ciudad: _______________________________

Apreciado estudiante: la siguiente encuesta tiene como objetivo identificar la percepción que usted
tiene frente a las clases de inglés recibidas en su institución educativa como parte una investigación del
Programa de Maestría en Didáctica del Inglés de la Universidad de Caldas. Las respuestas de la encuesta
serán anónimas y utilizadas únicamente para propósitos de la investigación. Agradecemos su
participación.
PARTE I - Información Demográfica
1. Edad: ____ años. 2. Género: F M 3. Grado: 10  11  4. Estudia inglés desde grado
_______
PARTE II - Motivación
Marque en la escala la opción que mejor refleje su opinión sobre cada enunciado:
5. Aprender inglés me parece: Muy fácil - Fácil - Más o menos - Difícil - Muy difícil
6. Considero que para aprender inglés soy: Excelente - Muy bueno - Bueno - Regular - Malo
7. La clase de inglés me gusta: Muchísimo - Mucho - Poco - Muy poco - Nada
¿Por qué?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. ¿Que tan útil es la clase de inglés para el logro de los siguientes objetivos?
a) Comunicarme con personas de otras culturas. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
b) Aprobar la asignatura de inglés del colegio. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
c) Acceder a educación superior. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
d) Obtener más oportunidades laborales. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
e) Comprender los programas y películas en inglés. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
f) Entender las canciones en inglés. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
g) Viajar a otros lugares del mundo. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
h) Entender los videojuegos. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
i) Navegar en internet. Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil
j) Otro aspecto? Cuál? _____________________________ Súper útil – Muy útil – Útil – Poco útil – Inútil

9. Marque el nivel importancia que tienen para usted los siguientes aspectos en su clase de inglés:

Escritura Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante

Escucha Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante
Habla Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante
Lectura Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante
Gramática Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante
Vocabulario Muy importante – Importante - Neutro – Poco importante – Nada importante

PARTE III - Metodología

Marque en la escala la opción que mejor refleje su opinión sobre cada enunciado:

10. Frecuencia de las siguientes modalidades de trabajo en clase de inglés.

Individual Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca

En parejas Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
En grupo Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca

11. Frecuencia con la que se utilizan los siguientes enfoques en la clase de inglés.
 88

Trabajo por tareas en el aula (Task-Based) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Proyectos de aula (Project-Based) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Resolución de problemas (Problem-Based) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca

12. En su opinión, la metodología implementada en la clase de inglés es:

Muy interesante  Interesante  Poco interesante  Nada interesante 
13. En la clase de inglés le dan a conocer los DBA (Derechos Básicos de Aprendizaje) u objetivos al iniciar
una lección: Si  No 

14. Frecuencia con que se realizan las siguientes actividades en la clase de inglés:
Actividades de escucha Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Actividades de escritura Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Actividades de habla Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Actividades de lectura Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Diálogos Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Exposiciones Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Ejercicios de gramática Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Ejercicios de traducción Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Debates Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Dictados Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Juegos Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Canciones Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca
Otra? Cuál? _____________________ Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez - Nunca

15. Frecuencia con que se utilizan los siguientes materiales o recursos:

Texto guía English Please! Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Workbook (Libro de talleres) English Please! Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Libro interactivo English Please! Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Videos Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Diccionarios Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Posters (afiches o carteleras) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Flashcards (láminas) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Juegos de mesa Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Ayudas tecnológicas (celular, tablet, video) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Otro? Cuál? _____________________ Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca

16. Marque los temas que se han desarrollado en las clases de inglés:
Medio ambiente
o Acciones de ahorro de energía.
o Campañas de reciclaje.
o Cuidado del medio ambiente.
o Fenómeno de la moda desechable.
o Reducción de inequidades (género, educación).
Salud
o Cuidado físico personal.
o Prevención de desórdenes alimenticios.
o Práctica de prevención de enfermedades en la
región.
o Servicios de salud en la comunidad.
o Impacto en la salud de prácticas culturales y
sociales (piercings, tatuajes, deportes extremos y
sedentarismo).
Democracia y Paz
o Convivencia en el aula de clase.
o Derechos de los ciudadanos.
o Prácticas éticas y de convivencia ciudadana.
o Lenguaje en la construcción de paz en la
comunidad.
o Acciones cotidianas de reconciliación para la paz
Globalización
o Características culturales de Colombia.
o Características culturales de otros países.
o Impacto del consumismo en los jóvenes.
o Rol de la globalización en productos de uso
cotidiano.
o Uso responsable de la tecnología en la vida
diaria.
 89

Parte IV - Evaluación
17. Marque la frecuencia con la que se realizan los siguientes tipos de evaluación en sus clases de inglés:

Exámenes de periodo Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -

Nunca
Exámenes finales Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Proyecto final Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Trabajo oral (presentaciones, dramatizaciones)Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Trabajo escrito (textos, ensayos) Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Exámenes tipo Pruebas Saber 11 Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Uso de portafolios Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Autoevaluación Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Co-evaluación Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca
Otro? Cuál? _____________________ Siempre – Con frecuencia – Algunas veces – Rara vez -
Nunca

Parte V – Comentarios adicionales

18. ¿Qué comentarios adicionales puede hacer respecto al currículo sugerido (metodología, contenidos y
evaluación) y los DBA (logros y objetivos).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. ¿Qué sugerencias le daría al Ministerio de Educación Nacional para mejorar la enseñanza de inglés en
el país?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

!Muchas gracias por su colaboración!

 90

Apppendix B

EL ESTADO DEL ARTE DE LA ENSEÑANZA Y APRENDIZAJE DEL INGLÉS COMO

LENGUA EXTRANJERA EN EL SECTOR PÚBLICO BAJO LOS LINEAMIENTOS DEL
CURRÍCULO SUGERIDO Y LOS DERECHOS BÁSICOS DE APRENDIZAJE EN
DIFERENTES REGIONES EN COLOMBIA

ENCUESTA A DOCENTES

School : _________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________

Dear EFL teacher:

This survey is an opportunity for you to provide information about your experiences in implementing the SEC
(Suggested English Curriculum) in your school. It is part of a research project conducted by REDI (Researchers in
English Didactics) research group from the University of Caldas. The answers you check or write will be kept
confidential.

We thank your collaboration.

PART I - Demographic Information

2. Gender: Female  Male 

3. Age group: Under 25  25-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+ 
3. Highest academic degree: Normalista  Bachelor´s degree  Specialization  Master´s degree  PhD 
Other  (please specify): ____________________________________
4. EFL teaching experience: Less than 2 years  2-5 years  6-10 years  11-15 years  More than 15 years

5. School grade (s) currently teaching: 6th  7th  8th  9th  10th  11th 
6. Weekly hours of English class per grade: 6th ______ 7th ______ 8th ______ 9th ______ 10th ______ 11th ______

II. Motivation
7. How useful is the implementation of the SEC and BLR in the achievement of the following goals?

Communicate with people from other cultures. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Fulfill with academic requirements Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Enroll in higher education. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Obtain better work opportunities. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Understand TV programs and movies in English. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Understand songs in English. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Travel abroad. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Be able to play video games. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless
Surf the net. Extremely useful - Very useful - Useful - Somewhat useful - useless

8. Level of importance of the following aspects in your English class.

Writing Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important
Listening Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important
Speaking Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important
Reading Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important
Grammar Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important
Vocabulary Extremely important - Very important - Important - Somewhat important - Not important

III. Methodology
9. Frequency of the following classroom distribution patterns in your classes.

Individual Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

In pairs Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

In groups Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

 91

10. Frequency of the following methodological approaches implemented in your classes.

Task-Based Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Project-Based Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Problem-Based Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Other. Which one? ___________________________ Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

11. I let my students know the BLR (Basic Learning Rights) before starting my lessons:

Always  Often  Sometimes  Rarely  Never 

12. How useful are the following aspects about the BLR?

Slightl Not
Extremely Very
ASPECTS Useful y useful at
useful useful
useful all
Show the progressive development of language skills expected in
English from 6th to 11th grade.
Provide examples that illustrate and explain the language skills to
achieve in terms of communicative goals.
Help teachers design lesson plans.
State the functions learners need to complete classroom
assignments.
Design and implement assessment tools.

13. Frequency with which the following activities are carried out in your classes.
Listening activities Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Writing activities Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Speaking activities Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Reading activities Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Conversations / Dialogues Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Presentations Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Grammar exercises Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Translation exercises Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Debates Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Dictation exercises Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Games Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Songs Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Others. Which ones? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Frequency with which you use the following materials or resources:
English Please! Textbook Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
English Please! Workbook Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
English Please! Interactive book Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Videos Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Dictionaries Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Posters Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Flashcards Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Board games Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Technological devices (phones, tablet, video beam) Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Others. Which ones? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Your opinion about the following statements concerning the SEC implementation.

Neither
Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly
STATEMENTS agree nor
agree Agree disagree disagree
disagree
Promotes a sense of global and nation identity.
Leads a healthy lifestyle with participation in aesthetic and physical
activities.
Fosters peace inside and outside the classroom.
Promotes equity in Colombia’s education.
Has an impact in the society in general.
Enables students to master the linguistic skills.
Nurtures positive attitudes towards the learning of English.
Makes a difference in the teaching of English in Colombia.
Fosters students´ understanding of their own career/academic
aspirations.
Fosters the use of a cross-curriculum approach.
Helps to adopt suitable assessment and reporting methods.
Promotes collaboration among teachers of English.
Results in acquiring information and communication technology
 92

(ICT) skills.
Helps students to acquire a broad knowledge base and be able to
understand contemporary issues impacting daily life.

16. Themes developed in your English classes.

Sustainability
Specify actions to save energy in the community.
Create and implement recycling campaigns.
Specify activities for environmental conservation in the
community.
Analyze the Fast Fashion phenomenon.
Develop proper actions to reduce inequities (gender,
etc.).
Democracy and Peace
Propose actions for getting along and inclusion in the
classroom.
Generate awareness about citizens’ rights.
Propose actions to promote ethical behaviors regarding
citizenship and living together.
Recognize the role of language (positive and negative)
in the construction of peace.
Evaluate daily reconciliation actions for the construction
of peace.
Health
Establish a physical care routine.
Formulate initiatives for the prevention of eating disorders.
Establish illness prevention practices in the region.
Pose routes for obtaining health services in the community.
Evaluate the impact of cultural and social practice
(piercings, tattoos, extreme sports, and sedentary lifestyles)
on health.
Globalization
Define own traits of national Colombian identity.
Recognize cultural characteristics in some countries.
Determine the role of consumerism in adolescents.
Value the role of globalization in the use of everyday
products.
Value the impact of ICT in daily life.

Part IV - Assessment
17. Frequency of types of assessment implemented in your English classes.

Mid-term exams Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Final exams Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Final projects Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Oral work (presentations, role plays Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Written work (texts, essays) Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Pruebas Saber 11 Samples Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Portfolios Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Self-evaluation Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never
Peer-evaluation Always - Often - Sometimes - Rarely - Never

Others, (Which ones? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Part V – Additional Comments

18. What are the major challenges you have faced in implementing the SEC?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. What are the major difficulties you have faced in implementing the SEC?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 93

20. How has the SEC impacted your teaching?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. What suggestions would you give to the Ministry of Education related to the SEC and the BLR?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 94

Apppendix C

EL ESTADO DEL ARTE DE LA ENSEÑANZA Y APRENDIZAJE DEL INGLÉS COMO

LENGUA EXTRANJERA EN EL SECTOR PÚBLICO BAJO LOS LINEAMIENTOS DEL
CURRÍCULO SUGERIDO Y LOS DERECHOS BÁSICOS DE APRENDIZAJE EN
DIFERENTES REGIONES EN COLOMBIA

ENTREVISTA A COORDINADORES

1. ¿Cómo trabajan el bilingüismo en la institución?

2. ¿Cómo está organizado el currículo en materia de bilingüismo?

3. ¿Qué utilidad cree que han tenido hasta ahora las iniciativas de bilingüismo del
Ministerio de Educación Nacional?

4. ¿Qué metodología utilizan en las clases de inglés de la institución?

5. ¿De acuerdo con el currículo, cuáles son las habilidades lingüísticas que se trabajan en las
clases?

6. ¿Cuántas horas de clase de inglés tienen los estudiantes de 10 y 11? ¿Cree que son

suficientes?

7. ¿Cuál es su percepción de la evolución de la enseñanza del inglés en los últimos años?

8. ¿Qué materiales utilizan los docentes de inglés es las clases?

9. ¿Cuáles son las estrategias de evaluación se utilizan en las clases de inglés?

10. ¿Qué sugerencias le daría al Ministerio de Educación con respecto a la enseñanza del
inglés?
 95

Apppendix D

Interview Transcription Sample

R: ¿Cómo trabajan el bilingüismo en la institución?

C: Inicialmente se hace un plan de área de manera conjunta desde que llegaron las seria English,
please! y Way to go!, ese es el insumo que utilizamos para organizar las actividades, pero
tenemos muy en cuenta lo del currículo, los diferentes materiales que nos entregaron en el kit,
ese es el que tenemos en cuenta, desde ahí hemos trabajado los DBA, hemos tenido en cuenta los
estándares, las diferentes metodologías como es aprendizaje basado en problemas, basado en
tareas, basado en proyectos y de esa manera trabajamos acá.

R: ¿Qué utilidad crees que han tenido hasta ahora las iniciativas de bilingüismo del Ministerio
de Educación Nacional aquí en la Institución?

C: Ha sido muy positivo en el sentido de que en primer lugar, el material del currículo y todo lo
que venía incluido en el Kit nos ha permitido tener la visión de un inglés mucho más
comunicativo, mucho más asertivo con respecto a la formación de un estudiante siglo XXI, que
cuide el ambiente, que sea buen ciudadano, que se cuide así mismo, y lógicamente también el
programa de Colombia Bilingüe con el que nos hemos beneficiado con el nativo ha sido muy
bueno para los estudiantes y para nosotros en cuanto a la metodologías de planeación conjuntas.

R: ¿Qué metodología utilizan en la clase de inglés?

C: Ahora que tenemos el nativo hay una planeación conjunta, tenemos en cuenta lógicamente el
manejo del Plan de Aula que nosotros manejamos que son 3 momentos: los momentos previos,
donde se mira el diagnostico de los estudiantes, la fase de conceptualización, donde se mira la
práctica de las cosas que hemos trabajado a nivel de gramática, de vocabulario y por último, la
transferencia que tiene que ver, cuando ya el estudiante pone en práctica todo lo que ha
aprendido de una manera significativa.

R: De acuerdo con el currículo ¿Cuáles son las habilidades lingüísticas que trabajan en las
clases?

C: Trabajamos las 4 habilidades, dos habilidades de comprensión, listening y reading, y las

habilidades de producción, writing y un poquito, speaking, que se hace un poquito más difícil por
los grupos tan grande que tenemos.
 96

R: ¿Cuántas horas de clase de inglés tienen los estudiantes de grados 10 y 11? ¿Cree que son
suficientes?

C: Tienen 2 horas, adicionalmente se trabaja en la Jornada Única, también inglés; sin embargo,
digamos que deberían haber 3 horas como tal dentro del mismo horario de la mañana para que
los muchachos alcanzaran todos sus aprendizajes.

R: ¿Cuál es su percepción de la evolución de la enseñanza del inglés en los últimos años?

C: Pienso que ha sido muy positiva porque realmente se ha trascendido un poco ese modelo de
oraciones aisladas, de la traducción y se está trabajando de una manera mucho más significativa
y teniendo en cuenta lógicamente el contexto de los muchachos, entonces ya se nota un poco más
interés de ellos y de nosotros mismos en la planeación.

R: ¿Qué materiales utilizan los docentes en la clase inglés?

C: Nosotros contamos con video beam, las TDA para los muchachos, computador del docente,
los libros English, please!, Way to go!, el libro del estudiante, el libro de taller y el libro del
profesor, con eso trabajamos.

R: ¿Cuáles con las estrategias de evaluación que utilizan ustedes?

C: Las estrategias de evaluación están muy ligadas de pronto la trabajo en equipo, al trabajo
colaborativo en parejas, en pequeños grupos, muy de vez en cuando individual, trabajo desde
tareas muy puntuales, relacionadas con el contexto de ellos y sus intereses.

R: ¿Qué sugerencia le daría al Ministerio de Educación con respecto a la enseñanza del inglés?

C: De pronto que la serie Way to go! tiene muchas más ventajas que el libro English, please! que
fue el primero que salió, es decir, el libro Way to go! articula muy bien lo que son los DBA, los
estándares, tiene muchas más actividades , digamos un poco más significativas, las mismas
estructuras gramaticales son mucho más comprensibles para los muchachos, tanto es así que lo
estamos trabajando desde 6 hasta grado 11, porque lógicamente los libros son muy buenos pero
por la intensidad horaria que tenemos no alcanzamos a cubrir las 3 unidades, entonces lo que
hemos optado es por trabajar el libro Way to go! para 2 grados y de esa manera quizás alcanzar
en 2 o 3 años, lo que los muchachos necesitan para empezar a trabajar English, please! que es un
poco más complejo de trabajar.

R: ¡Muchas gracias!