Perceptions of Four Adult Entrepreneur Women Learning English as a Second

Language in Potrero Coastal Area

José Gabriel Fajardo Montiel

María Belén Juárez Leandro

Deiver Enrique Chavarría Angulo

Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Research Proposal

Professor: Yorleny Espinoza Jiménez

August 31st, 2023

Qualitative Research Proposal.

Perceptions of 4 Adult Entrepreneur Women learning English a Second Language in

Potrero Coastal Area

1. Introduction.

Learning English as a second language may be difficult for adult women in

Costa Rica, who face a variety of obstacles and experiences along their progress.
Motivation, mindset, age, IQ, talent, cognitive approach, and individuality all have an
impact on the process (Khasinah, 2014), and a combination of internal and extrinsic
shapes their learning (Alshebou & Taqi, 2019). Using qualitative research strategy,
this study investigates the perceptions of four adult women in the Potrero Coastal
Area, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, in order to acquire insights into their experiences and
challenges.

1. 1. Background of the problem.

Nowadays society has been making incredible progress in giving many women the
opportunity to be part of an active work environment, and also allowing them to create their
own businesses and entrepreneurships. In fact, for the longest time women have struggled
to obtain opportunities within the labor sector, and over the years some tools such as
knowing how to speak English are essential factors. For instance, working women in coastal
areas such as Potrero Beach, face a labor system that does not accept them unless they
know how to speak English, taking the risk of being left out of having opportunities to
progress and improve themselves in life. As stated by Kostic (2011) “English, an
international language, has become increasingly necessary for employees working to
develop language skills (…). Given these challenges and the desire by locales for
sustainable tourism and human development, English is critical to the success of many
markets” (p.1). At the same time, there is a significant lack of research studying the
perspectives and life experiences of adult women studying English as a second language,
where cultural and socioeconomic factors may influence their language acquisition
processes.

1.2 Justification.

Currently, learning English has become essential considering the numerous benefits
of acquiring a second language. In fact, this researcher is a study aimed at gaining a better
understanding on how adult women perceive this learning process, focusing on their

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ambition to acquire English for having a wider knowledge about the language, in order to put
it into practice for benefiting their small business and entrepreneurships. At the same time, it
is necessary to understand the perceptions and experiences of these adult women on
learning English because is valuable, as it provides insights into effective teaching methods,
learner motivation, and strategies to overcome obstacles. Therefore, by conducting this
research, the insights gained will help promoting more inclusive, and gender responsive
language teaching practices, fostering equal opportunities for women in accessing
educational and professional opportunities.

1.3 Objectives and Research questions.

1.3.1 Objectives.

● General Objective.

To examine the perception of adult entrepreneur women learning English as a second

language.

● Specific Objectives.

To identify the possible reasons why women are more interested in learning English as a
second language.

1.3.2 Research Questions.

1) Which factors influence adult women’s perceptions in their ESL process?

2) Which are the reasons why women are more interested in learning English as a
second language?
3) What are the goals of women in the acquisition of English as a second language?

1.4 Purpose of the Study

The objective of this study is to determine the possible problems, and solutions that
adult women have in the acquisition of a second language through their experiences and
perception. In the same way, to identify some problems, challenges and factors that can
interrupt their learning process, to provide essential information that can help the women
population to have better methodologies to learn English.

1.5 Significance of the Problem.

The impact of this study is to provide essential strategies to empower the women
population in their learning process. In other words, through this investigation women can

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have a wide range of methods to learn English improving in their entrepreneurships,
educational level and job opportunities.

1.6 Definition of Key Terms

● Adult women: The women who are over the age of 18, usually between 18 and 65
years old.

● English as a second language (ESL): It describes how people whose first language is
not English acquire and develop English language proficiency.

● Perceptions: The subjective understanding of a person, assumptions, and

interpretations of his/er experiences, environment, or particular phenomenon

● Experiences: These are the unique interactions, occasions, and circumstances that
people go through and how they affect their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors as a
result.

● Challenges: It refers to roadblocks, problems, or obstructions that people face while

learning a language, such as linguistic, cultural, or educational issues.

● Motivations: The internal desires, wants, or reasons that encourage individuals to

become involved in language learning and continue in their efforts to enhance their
English proficiency.

● Women's role: Women's roles include the social norms and responsibilities placed on
women, such as domestic work, careers, education, politics, culture, activism, family,
relationships, and health.

● Entrepreneurship: it is the pursuit of creating, managing, and scaling a business by

taking calculated risks, and being innovative. It involves combining resources, skills,
and vision to bring forth new products, services, and create value.

1. 7 Limitations of the Study.

● A limitation might be the scarce research in the field of adult women

learning in coastal areas.
● Working with a small female group might affect the validity of the results,
because just a few samples are going to be used.

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● To develop questionnaires or interviews through technological applications
might be challenging for adult women, because some of these women do not
know how to use them fully, therefore they will have to be taught or
capacitated to use these digital apps.
● Participants’ availability of time might affect the development of the
questionnaires and interviews, since they are busy persons.