The illusio of the foreign language standard in a Colombian university

Authors

  • Rigoberto Castillo Author Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas
  • Alexandra Pineda-Puerta Author Universidad de Caldas, Colombia and S.E.N.A, Colombia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5294/7189

Keywords:

College, foreign language, needs analysis, program evaluation, standards

Abstract

The Ministry of education in Colombia set a policy for higher education in which graduates should achieve an intermediate proficiency level (B1) in another language; and by 2025 it expects that they leave college with an upper intermediate level (B2). This report deals with a private college that attempts to participate in the policy, yet the college has a requirement, not a foreign language policy. It offers their students 160 hours in which they hardly attain a high beginner level (A2). The Board of Directors of the college conducted a satisfaction survey that became
the first cycle of the action research study reported here. The sample of 624 EFL learners expressed dissatisfaction with the program and frustration with the approach and with the results. The situation mirrored what Bourdieu (1995) defines as the illusio, the belief that the “game” we collectively agree to play is worth playing, that the fiction we collectively elect to accredit constitutes reality. The authors conducted a second cycle to establish the source of dissatisfaction, and to identify the needs and wants of the stakeholders. The results indicate that the administrators expect that English reinforce disciplinary knowledge, while learners expect to learn to speak it, and teachers expect to teach grammar. A third cycle has been planned to propose a curriculum proposal that reconciles the allotments of resources of time, space, staff, content learning and language learning with a standard that meets the needs and expectations of the program. In other words we expect to make a proposal that corrects the collective misperception of reality
which constitutes a reality in itself.

 

doi: 10.5294/laclil.2016.9.2.8

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Rigoberto Castillo, Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas

Professor.

Doctorado Interinstitucional en Educación

Rigoberto Castillo holds a Ph.D in Foreign Language Education fron the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches at the Doctorado Interinstitucional en Educación, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá. Has lectured and consulted for several organizations in Latin America. His book on Strategic Learning was nominated to the British English Language Teaching award (ELTons). Recipient of the National Award of the Colombian Association of Teachers of English.

Alexandra Pineda-Puerta, Universidad de Caldas, Colombia and S.E.N.A, Colombia.

Ms. Alexandra Pineda is an M.A candidate at Maestría en Didáctica del Inglés.  She has coordinated  a language center, has taught in higher education and has developed educational materials. She presented at the 2015 conference of the Colombian Association of Teachers of English, ASOCOPI.

References

Alderson, J. C. and A. Beretta (1992). Evaluating second language education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bourdieu, P. and L.Waqcuant, L. (1995). Respuestas: por una antropología reflexiva. México: Ed. Grijalbo.

Brindley, G. P. & Bagshaw (1984). Needs analysis and objective setting in the adult migrant Education Program. In D. Nunan. The learner- Centred Curriculum (pp. 151-153). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brown, J. D. (1989). Language program evaluation: a synthesis of existing possibilities. In R. K. Johnson (Ed.). The second language curriculum (pp. 222-241). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brown, J. D. (1995). The elements of language curriculum: A systematic approach to program Development. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Castillo, R. (2012). Editorial introduction: A Reflection on the Role of Foreign Language Learning in today’s Education. Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning, 5(2), iv-vii. doi:10.5294/laclil.2012.5.2.11

Cummins, J. (2008). BICS and CALP: Empirical and theoretical status of the distinction. Toronto: The College of Toronto.

Dictionary.com (2016). http://www.dictionary.com/

Hague, P and N. Hague (2016). Customer Satisfaction Surveys & Research: How to Measure CSAT. Retrieved February 1, 2016 from:

https://www.b2binternational.com/publications/customer-satisfaction-survey/

Hahta, K., G.Y Butler and D. Witt and. (2000). How long does it take English Learners to attain Proficiency? Retrieved January 4, 2016 from:http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CMMR/FullText/Hakuta_HOW_LONG_DOES_IT_TAKE.pdf

Hargreaves, A. (1997). The four ages of professionalism and professional learning. Unicorn, 23, (2), 86 108.

Kish, L (1977). Weighting: why, when, and how? The College of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI P. 121-130. Retrieved May 9, 2015 from: https://www.amstat.org/sections/SRMS/Proceedings/papers/1990_018.pdf

Kvale, S. (1996) InterViews. Thousand Oaks California: Sage Publications.

Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia (2014). Programa Nacional de Inglés: Colombia Very Well. Retrieved August 17, 2016 from: http://www.colombiaaprende.edu.co/html/micrositios/1752/articles-343287_recurso_1.pdf

Nunan, D. (1988). The learner-centered curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

O'Connor, H., & Gibson, N. (2003). A Step-by-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Analysis.

Pimatiziwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health 1(1). Retrieved August 1. 2016 from: http://www.pimatisiwin.com/uploads/1289566991.pdf

Richards, C.J. (2013). Curriculum Approaches in Language Teaching: forward, central, and backward design. RELC Journal. 44(1) 5–33. Retrieved August 18. 2016 from:

http://www.professorjackrichards.com/wp-content/uploads/Curriculum-Approaches-in-Language-Teaching.pdf

Richards, J. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Saylor J.G., W.M Alexander and A.J Lewis (1981). Curriculum planning for better teacher and learning. 4th Ed. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston.

Witkin, J.W. and B.R. Altschuld (1995). Planning and conducting needs assessment. London: Sage Publications.

Downloads

Published

2016-11-29

How to Cite

Castillo, R., & Pineda-Puerta, A. (2016). The illusio of the foreign language standard in a Colombian university. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.5294/7189

Issue

Section

Articles