Unveiling EFL and Self-Contained Teachers’ Discourses on...

Unveiling EFL and Self-Contained teachers’ discourses on Bilingualism within the context of Professional Development

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Unveiling EFL and Self-Contained Teachers’ Discourses on Bilingualism within the context

of Professional Development

Jennyfer Paola Camargo Cely

Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

Facultad de Ciencias y Educación

Maestría en Lingüística Aplicada a la Enseñanza del Inglés

Bogotá, 2017


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Unveiling EFL and Self-Contained Teachers’ Discourses on Bilingualism within the context

of Professional Development

Jennyfer Paola Camargo Cely

This research work is presented as a requirement to obtain the degree of Magister in

Applied Linguistics for English as a Foreign Language

Tutor

Pilar Méndez Rivera

Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

Facultad de Ciencias y Educación

Maestría en Lingüística Aplicada a la Enseñanza del Inglés

Bogotá, 2017


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Note of Acceptance

_________________________________

Pilar Méndez Rivera

Tutor

________________________________

Harold Andrés Castañeda Peña

Juror

_______________________________

Carmen Helena Guerrero Nieto

Juror


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La Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas no se hará responsable por las ideas expuestas

en este trabajo. (Acuerdo 10 de 1998, Artículo 177)


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I acknowledge the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas; specifically to the Master in

Applied Linguistics for English as a Foreign Language. Special thanks to my family for the

support they provided us through our entire lives. I would also like to express my gratitude to

Professors Pilar Méndez, Harold Castañeda, and Carmen Helena Guerrero whose expertise,

understanding, and patience, added considerably to my graduate experience.


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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 10

Justification 12

THE STUDY

Statement of the Problem 14

Research Question 27

Research Objectives 27

LITERATURE REVIEW 28

Background to the Study 29

Theoretical Framework 34

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Visions of Language and the Educational Process 48

A Social Theory of Language, Learning and Teaching 49

A Social Theory of Learning within a Professional Development Context 53

Schedule and Materials 58

RESEARCH DESIGN

Type of Study and Research Paradigm 59

Context 61

Participants 64

Data Collection Instruments and Procedures 65

DATA ANALYSIS

Data Analysis Methodology 69

First Category: Bilingualism as a Phenomenon of Social Control 77


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Second Category: The Art of Questioning, Reflecting, and Visioning 93

CONCLUSIONS, PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

AND FURTHER RESEARCH 105

REFERENCES 108

LIST OF FIGURES AND ANNEXES 120


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List of Figures

FIGURE 1: Graphic 1 “Survey#1Q:6” 21




FIGURE 5: Graphic 5“Survey#3Q:4” 23

FIGURE 6: Graphic 6 “Purposes and Reasons (Seedhouse’s scheme, 1995)” 24

FIGURE 7: Graphic 7 “Ways of Learning (Seedhouse’s scheme, 1995)” 26

FIGURE 8: Graphic 8 “Topics and Contents (Seedhouse’s scheme, 1995)” 26

FIGURE 9: Graphic 9 “Components of a Social Theory (Wenger, 1999)” 51

FIGURE 10: Graphic 10 “Instructional Design Stages” 55

FIGURE 11: Graphic 11 “Participants’ Proposal” 57

FIGURE 12: Chart 1 “Schedules and Materials” 58

FIGURE 13: Graphic 12 “Discourse Domains” 60

FIGURE 14: Chart 2 “School’s exposition to English as a foreign language” 62

FIGURE 15: Chart 3 “Qualitative Content Analysis Approach” 72

FIGURE 16: Graphic 13 “QCA Data Analysis Stages (Zhang & Wildemuth, 2009)” 72

FIGURE 17: Graphic 14 “Data Management- Labelling Data Atlas.ti” 74

FIGURE 18: Chart 4 “Final Categories” 76


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List of Annexes

Annex A: Survey # 1 122

Annex B: Survey # 2 123

Annex C: Survey # 3 124

Annex D: Survey # 4 (Seedhouse’s 1995) 125

Annex D: Participants’ Consent Form 126

Annex E: Protocols 1 and 2 127

Annex F: Teacher Reflective Journal Sample 129

Annex G: Axial Coding 130

Annex H: Data Reduction Process 131


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Introduction

The following document reports a research experience aiming to answer the question-

what discourses do EFL and self-contained teachers draw on when participating in the

construction of a bilingual curriculum-. The aspects that motivated this research study are based

on my concerns regarding teachers’ discourses towards bilingualism and bilingual education in

the school I work at, which according to empirical observation seem to have not only an

incidence in the L2 teaching-learning process, but in both EFL and self-contained educators’

professional development. After backing up this hypothesis through a needs analysis process and

literature review, three main constructs constituting the basis of this proposal arose: Teachers’

Discourses, Bilingualism, and Teacher Professional Development.

In order to evidence and give account on the research process I followed, this document

is organized by chapters. The first chapter entitled Statement of the Problem describes the

pertinence of this research after analyzing institutional documents such as the PEI and the EFL

syllabus. Likewise, I display there the results obtained through three different surveys applied to

EFL, self-contained, and sixth graders in order to back up the initial analysis, which were crucial

to design the leading research question and objectives. Then, the chapter labelled Literature

Review echoes some post-structuralist theories and researches regarding how discourses around

bilingualism and bilingual education have framed and limited the L2 teaching-learning process in

terms of curriculum and methodology design; pedagogical practices; and professional growth.

In the Instructional Design chapter, I draw on Wenger’s (1999) ideas in regards of

communities of practice and I illustrated how by reflecting, sharing, working together, and

relying upon colleagues, is that both EFL and self-contained teachers can resist hegemonic and


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colonial discourses and can have an active participation in themes such as bilingualism and

bilingual education. By doing so, participants were able to vision a bilingual curriculum that

aimed not only at addressing learners’ proficiency in the foreign language but also at endorsing

their professional growth.

Afterwards, I describe the process followed to analyze the data collected throughout the

pedagogical intervention via protocols, teachers’ journals, and transcripts from the discussion

group sessions bearing in mind the Qualitative Content Analysis approach in the light of Zhang

& Wildemuth (2009), and Mayring (2014). In this sense, I was allowed to reduce the data to two

final categories in order to accomplish this research’s objectives. Finally, the conclusions,

implications, and the pedagogical practices resulting from this study are displayed along with the

References, the List of Figures and Annexes.


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Justification

Considering Wenger’s (1999) ideas, throughout history, teaching and learning have been

assumed as single processes with a beginning and an end. Under this assumption, an asocial and

linear view of approaches and methodologies has been embraced, leaving aside individuals’

realities and experiences at the time of denying collectivity. This view has been reflected in

policies, metrics, training programs, and curriculum designs aiming at outlining and controlling

the society (Popkewitz, 2000).

In view of the above, language has been a determinant factor in the construction of that

“pre-conceived” society as it dynamic nature, has allowed some nations to take control over

others and assure a privileged position in regards to economy, politics, and sociocultural issues

(Fairclough, 2003). As a result, English as a foreign language was quickly spread, serving as a

means by which certain practices and ideologies have been perpetuated and reproduced

worldwide at the time of nulling or overshadowing other languages (Tollefson, 2007; Ryan,

2010).

Subsequently, the conception and definition of bilingualism held not only in Colombia

but also in most of the countries, was reduced to the fact of speaking English (Guerrero, 2008,

2009; Usma, 2009; De Mejía, 2011; Ordoñez, 2011; Escobar, 2013). Hence, language policies

adopted by governments from monolingual contexts as ours, meant to spread English under

foreign standards under the premise of allowing learners to access to better and qualified

educational and professional lives (Usma, 2009; Valencia, 2013), an imprecise statement as

stressed in this study.


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In the same line of thought, bilingual education practices as evidenced throughout this

research, aim at increasing the learners’ exposition to the foreign language. To do so, the

language of instruction used for contained subjects is English. This has led to negative

implications, not only for the learners, but also for both EFL and self-contained teachers, whose

professional development is limited to study and apply what others have designed and

established.

Therefore, this research aims at unveiling EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses

when envisaging a bilingual curriculum by means of dialoguing and sharing pedagogical

practices and experiences as a way to endorse their professional development. In this sense, their

roles as designers, decision-makers and collaborative coaches were evidenced as they were

invited to propose, reflect and take a stance towards educational policies and practices in defense

of their right to be part in the construction of a suitable educational system.


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The Study

Statement of the Problem

The influence of Great Britain and the United States on international relations, political,

and economic systems for the last decades, has ensured acceptance and spread of English as the

main language spoken worldwide (Guerrero and Quintero, 2009). In this sense, English has been

mostly promoted as the language that allows people to build society and to fetch better economic

and academic prospects (Barkhuizen, 2002), and having a certification in this language, is

considered essential for personal and professional development worldwide. (Song, 2006).

Considering this premise, the Colombian Ministry of Education launched the program “la

Revolución Educativa” (Education Revolution) and within it the subproject Colombia Bilingüe

(Bilingual Colombia), under the vision of offering Colombian students the possibility of

becoming bilingual so they could increase their productivity in a globalized world (González,

2007; Guerrero, 2009). However, its implementation does not recognize the complexity of

students and teachers’ realities, leaving aside internal and external factors that play an important

role within the teaching-learning practices, a fact that seems to have been disregarded (Fandiño,

2014).

Consequently, English is considered as an imposition in the Colombian context, where

the teaching and learning process became standardized and assessed through rubrics, limiting

both students and educators’ discourses and practices as foreign bilingual educational

programmes which do not rely upon local policies nor teachers’ experience, have been adopted

(De Mejía, 2004). Hence, there is a need of reflecting and assuming a critical stance about the

adoption of policies and foreign models as well as on relying upon teachers’ experiences and

knowledge when developing a bilingual curriculum, which in González’ (2007) view, has to be


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“sensitive to the context and constructed collaboratively” (p. 315), allowing teachers’

development and enacting social transformations.

In view of the above, one of the main problems teachers in Colombia face in relation to

bilingual education, is the gap between policies and curriculum and their influence within the

educational process (Pineda, 2001; Ordoñez, 2011). Although curricula must integrate diverse

viewpoints and histories as well as to promote meaningful and engaging learning for all students,

it must also be constructed by both English language and Self-Contained teachers and be

developed within a bilingual environment (Anne Marie Truscott De Mejía, personal

communication, May 15, 2015).

By working collaboratively and relying upon various teachers’ experiences and beliefs is

that inquiries and new proposals arise, influencing decisions about the teaching practices

(Gabillon, 2012). Subsequently, it seems essential to me to unveil teachers’ discourses,

attributable to the fact that this social practice as stated by Norton (2010), shows how we build

images of ourselves and our beliefs through language. Based on that premise, researching about

both EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses towards bilingualism is an opportunity to

understand the way participants’ educational practices have been shaped in relation to the

bilingual policies adopted by the Colombian government.

Moreover, this study is an opportunity to acknowledge local expertise as indicated by

González (2007) when asserting that “once we can get our voices heard, our concepts taken into

account and debated, we will be ready to truly engage in the construction of a professional

development model more suitable for our local needs” (p. 324). Hence, this research establishes

an opportunity to conceive professional development beyond formal training but as an ongoing

process of reexamining beliefs and practices to transform the inside and outside of the classroom


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by means of sharing and relying upon colleagues. Hence, self-contained teachers’ voices

regarding bilingualism and bilingual education in Colombia will be visible since it is a topic that

has not been widely explored as revealed in Chapter II.

So as to support the hypothesis previously mentioned, a needs analysis process was

carried out. In this way, it was important to first revise school documents such as the PEI

(Proyecto Educativo Institucional) and the syllabus of the English class to understand the way in

which the language and the teaching-learning process were conceived. As stated in the PEI, the

school’s curriculum is said to be constructed under the light of a Critical Methodological Model

that allowed educators and administrators to understand and to get closer to the school and

community’s reality and needs (PEI, 2002, p. 27). In this sense, weaknesses and strengths were

identified and balanced so as to decide the educational model the school will adopt.

Concerning the academic and co-existence dimensions, three problems were identified:

first, that many concepts which were meaningless for the students were taught; second, that it

was necessary to join methodological criteria, and third, that there was a gap between the

school’s philosophy and the academic areas development (PEI, 2002, p.36). All these problems

seemed to have a relation to the teachers’ lack of sense of belonging and students’ lack of respect

and acceptance for differences, so working under the principles of Teaching for Understanding

Approach was decided.

The principles, referenced in the document as “the human dimensions of feeling, thinking

and acting that allow a harmonic and balanced development within the theory-analytic; critical-

research; and poetic-creative thoughts” (PEI, 2002, p. 91), constitute the school’s purpose

reached through the concepts and thematic proposed in each area syllabus. This last one is built

and evaluated mainly by the teachers from the same area and revised by the academic


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coordinator at the end of the year. It must contain detailed information of the justification,

learner profile, general and specific objectives, methodology, assessment process, materials and

references.

Regarding the EFL syllabus, the school states that the process of teaching-learning

English as a foreign language seeks for generating and developing working skills that enable

students to compete within a globalized world (English Area Syllabus, 2015, p. 1). Therefore, its

general objective aims “to strengthen English in order to obtain high scores in the standardized

tests which are acknowledged worldwide, offering students the possibility to be part of the

industrial world” (English Area Syllabus, 2015, p. 2).

Hence, it could be affirmed that, the school conceives language from an instrumental

perspective, meaning explicit grammar is necessary to be taught, and language learning is

achieved by separating and assessing skills, as the way standardized tests are designed, which in

Cook’s (2003) view, it is not necessary, since we do not need to know about language to use it

effectively. As referenced by Tudor, (2011), educators teaching under this premise believe that

“language is a system, and mastering this system is a prerequisite for any meaningful form of

communication” (p.50).

Likewise, the EFL learning process is said to be understood as an analytical process,

which in Tudor’s (2011) words, “emphasizes the explicit study of the target language as a

linguistic and communicative system” (p. 86) meaning, linguistic elements are combined with

communicative messages as announced in the first specific objective: “to work on language

skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing; which will allow learners to communicate in

English and that are [the skills] requested in different situations in the daily life”( English Area

Syllabus, 2015, p. 2). Simplifying, the EFL learning process as a four skill- learning process


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funds language itself as a set of goals that can be easily achieved if rules and instructions

(previously determined by the CEFR) are followed.

In the same line of though, González (2007) affirms that by approaching and

understanding the EFL teaching-learning process according to what was set by foreign entities

and measured through standardized tests, is that conditions of inequality in the knowledge are

prolonged, as they do not measure what we really know and perpetuate the idea of encapsulating

the knowledge. Therefore, learners are conceived as having the same characteristics, abilities and

aptitudes and they are not able of conveying meaning unless the teachers, who have been

previously trained in approaches, methods and processes that reinforce this vision, present it to

them (González, 2009).

Also, the classroom is seen as a controlled learning environment, “where students work

on the language according to a carefully designed learning program under the supervision and

guidance of a trained teacher” (Tudor, 2011, p. 105). This classroom conception, I believe, lefts

aside and limits both learners and teachers, since it doesn’t allow them to naturally interact and

construct meaning by relying on their experiences, which in regards to Goodman (1998), allows

students to develop themselves as whole persons by stimulating reflection about life and social

issues.

Hence, it could be surmise that there is a meaningful relation given by bringing the past

experiences to the present time. Similarly, Mendez & Piñeros (2005) affirmed that, when

learners find a good atmosphere to share their dreams, fears, hopes, and expectations, a

connection to the social environment development arises.

Another fact calling my attention, is that both materials and methodology are linked to

the assessment given by the British Council, and it is assured that by reinforcing each language


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skill with the thematic and exercises provided by the books “meaningful knowledge is reached”

(English Area Syllabus, 2015, p. 3). In this sense, the EFL syllabus does not merely reflect the

way knowledge and concepts are organized in a scholar year, but how the teacher’s role is

relegated to implement what has already been designed by external entities.

In this sense, it could be implied that the term bilingualism is reduced to first, learning

English (even though subjects as Science, Math and Social Studies in the foreign language from

2nd up to 7th grade are taught), and secondly, as a process that can be measured under foreign

standards. As a result, neither teachers nor learners have voices in the design and implementation

of the EFL syllabus, which has to be assumed as an opportunity of transforming their practices,

starting first by examining, designing and creating a syllabus that emphasizes as suggested by

Pineda (2001) on “the communicative nature of language and acknowledges that it has meaning

when it is embedded in a context” (p. 14).

In order to gather information about the way these subjects are being approached, a

survey based on Graves’ (2000) ideas (see annex A) was applied to EFL teachers. Their

responses did not only corroborate the fact that bilingual education is understood as teaching

other areas subjects in English and that it is measured under foreign standards (as previously

described), but that there is not an established bilingual curriculum other than the books’ scope

and sequence.

Extracts 1 and 2 are samples of some of their answers. Although they were originally

written in the foreign language, English equivalent is provided in the first sample for an accurate

understanding.


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Extract 1

Q1: How are the bilingual policies stated by the government implemented in the

school?

A1: according to the new policy, we have been implementing into have more

numbers of hours in the teaching language and now we started from last year the

bilingual school in preschool, first, etc.

A2: the school takes in account the European Frame to evaluate the level of

English of the students

English Equivalent:

Q1: How are the bilingual policies stated by the government implemented in the

school?

A1: The amount of hours of the English classes have increased, and since last year

we have implemented the bilingual education in preschool, first grade, etc.

A2: Students’ English proficiency is measured taking into account the Common

European Framework

Extract 2

Q2: Are you familiar with the “bilingual programme” implemented in elementary

school? (If your answer is affirmative please briefly describe it)

A1: students learn science, math and geography in English

A2: no. I don’t know. I just follow the book that is established by the school

What is more, they revealed they rely most of the time on the textbooks as they are not

familiar with the concepts and that there is barely discussion or sharing experiences with self-

contained teachers. Hence, neither educators nor students’ experiences are being part of the

classes. Graphics 1 and 2 display their answers.


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Q6: Do you constantly rely upon teachers in

charge of teaching Science or Math in the

mother tongue in order to plan these classes in

English?

Q7: the resources you use in the science or math

class are (be free to select more than one answer

Graphic 1: Survey #1Q:6

Graphic 2: Survey #1Q7

Subsequently, results were confronted with the literature in order to structure a second

survey (see annex B) that could provide deeper answers. It is important to mention that this

survey was conducted with the same nine EFL teachers. From here, it was corroborated the fact

that teachers’ do not participate in the curriculum design as this one is assumed as the scope and

sequence provided by the textbook (as revealed in Survey#1). Thus, this might not have only

limited their practices but their professional growth in the sense that they do not have a visible

voice in terms of making decisions and designing. Graphics 3 and 4 are presented to evidence

this analysis.

0

2

4

6

EFL teachers

0

2

4

6

8

10

Textbook Materialdesigned

by you

TICS


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Q2: Teachers’ experiences and practices

are taken into account to develop the

bilingual program or curricula

Q5: In our school, teachers examine and rethink

their practice

Graphic 3: Survey#2Q:2

Graphic 4: Survey#2Q:5

At this point, it was important to consider students’ perception due to the fact that they

are integral parts of the teaching-learning process, and from them new ideas could emerge

(Barkhuizen, 2002). Hence, a third survey grounded on Graves’ (2000) ideas was conducted with

28 students from 6th grade (see annex C). Their responses reaffirmed the fact that the textbook is

mostly the material used in science or math classes and that it has a direct incidence in their

engagement with the classes, since it makes them boring.

In this sense, it seems evident the need to revise and reflect upon the bilingual practices

and conceptions carried out until this moment in terms of materials and curriculum design in

order to understand them as “one relevant element within the larger concept of teachers taking

responsibility for what happens in their classes” (Block, 1991, p. 216). Graphic 5 shows sixth

graders’ answers.

STRONGLY DISAGREE

0%

DISAGREE22%

NEUTRAL45%

AGREE22%

STRONGLY AGREE

11%

STRONGLY DISAGREE

22%

DISAGREE45%

NEUTRAL11%

AGREE22%

STRONGLY AGREE

0%


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Q4: Consideras que aprender inglés a través de diferentes asignaturas es:

English Equivalent:

Q4: Do you think learning English through different subjects is:

Figure 5: Survey#3Q:4

Similarly, learners’ answers suggested to inquiry about the “why”, the “how” and the

“what” they learn English, so as to recognized elements that need to be included when designing

a bilingual curriculum that addresses educational actors’ needs. Hence, a survey based on

Seedhouse’s scheme (1995) was applied not only to the same 28 learners but to 9 EFL and 5 self-

contained teachers who were asked to answer, as a way to understand their personal perspective

regarding the learning process. This instrument (see annex D) was requested and submitted

digitally by teachers and carried out in a printed version with the students. Seedhouse’s scheme

(1995) consisted on three items: 1). Purposes and reasons (why are you learning English?);

2).Ways of learning (how do you like to learn?); and 3). Topics and Content (what do you like to

learn through English?).

As shown in Graphic 6, the most common answers among the participants were C (so I

can travel to other countries), D (so I can speak a foreign language) and E (so I can get a better

job when I leave school), evidencing the beliefs about getting better educational and professional

chevere e interesante

46%

interesante pero no

necesario23%

aburrido pero

necesario19%

otra12%


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opportunities if English is spoken. What is more, answers G (because English is an important

world language) and B (so I can pass an international tests) corroborated not only that language

is seen from an instrumental perspective but also reflect ideas of exclusion, manipulation and

stratification, aiming to spread the idea of English as a neutral language while narrowing the

teaching-learning process under the Transmission model. (González, 2007; Guerrero and

Quintero, 2009; Escobar, 2013).

Graphic 6: Purposes and Reasons (Seedhouse’s scheme 1995)

In relation to the second item, ways of learning, diverse responses arose because each

person makes use of different strategies to learn a foreign language. As expected, responses

concerning specific skills B (conversation), E (listening), F (writing), and G (reading) by being

chosen differently, evidenced participants assumptions on giving more importance to one of

them instead of understanding them as a whole. Explicit grammar activities (option A), was

selected as relevant by all self-contained teachers and half of EFL teachers but not by students,

which demonstrates an instrumental view on the teachers’ side. Another fact within this item was

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

LEARNERS

EFL TEACHERS

SELF-CONTAINED TEACHERS


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the option L (group work), selected by most of the participants as a preferred way of working

even to solve grammar-based tasks. This choice contradict the previous analysis, as it reflects

language as a social practice instead of as an isolated one. Besides, this could reveal teachers’

willingness of working together and learning from others as well as an indicator of the need of

acknowledging teachers as knowledge constructors (Cárdenas, González, & Álvarez, 2010).

Graphic 7: Ways of Learning (Seedhouse’s scheme 1995)

As shown below in Graphic 8 regarding the item Topics and Content, option G (real-life

related) was selected by most participants corroborating the importance of involving

contextualized and genuine aspects to the EFL teaching-learning process. Option A (the ones

proposed by the book) by having a low percentage could also be an indicator that the textbooks

used in the school present contexts and situations different from the ones lived by the

participants which make them meaningless as they do not allow participants to make connections

or reflections to sociocultural practices within their immediate context. Option D

(interdisciplinary topics) had also a significant number of responses, indicating that there is a

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N

LEARNERS

EFL TEACHERS

SELF-CONTAINED TEACHERS


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need of integrating real and contextualized knowledge instead of only using the interdisciplinary

concepts provided by the books.

Graphic 8: Topics and Contents (Seedhouse’s scheme 1995)

In view of the above evidences, it could be surmise that there is a need of examining both

EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses towards bilingual education so as to understand the

way certain ideas and notions in relation to this phenomenon have shaped or transform

participants’ educational practices. Likewise, it displays teachers’ opportunity of growing

professionally by first, relying upon colleagues and secondly, by assuming an active role in terms

of curriculum design.

0

5

10

15

20

25

A B C D E F G

LEARNERS

EFL TEACHERS

SELF-CONTAINEDTEACHERS


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Research Question

The main question that emerged considering the fact that language development is

inevitably tied to the learners, and the situations learners are involved in as pointed out by

Norton (2010), is:

What discourses do EFL and self-contained teachers draw on when envisaging a bilingual

curriculum within the context of professional development?

Research Objectives

1. To unveil EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses on bilingualism when envisaging a

bilingual curriculum within the context of professional development

2. To describe the EFL and self-contained teachers professional development process when

envisaging a bilingual curriculum


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Literature Review

In view of De Mejía (2004), the influence of English as a Foreign Language in socio-

economic systems has led to changes in the Colombian Educational field regarding teaching and

learning this language. These changes, introduced first in the Constitutional Reform of 1991,

have been the basis for the adoption of bilingual policies that intent to measure proficiency and

that have concentrated in the classroom (Herazo et al.; 2012). The latest effort under the name of

Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo (PNB) promotes being bilingual as means of communicating

and getting the appropriate knowledge to be more competent and competitive so as to improve

all Colombian’s citizens quality of life (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, 2006).

As a result, the EFL teaching-learning process in Colombia has been framed under

foreign standards disregarding local contexts and realities (Guerrero, 2009). Likewise, the

concept of bilingualism, as denounced by some researchers (González, 2007; Guerrero, 2008;

Sánchez and Obando 2008; Usma, 2009), has been narrowed to English-Spanish, denying and

oppressing the indigenous and Afro-American languages that there exist in Colombia. Also, EFL

teachers’ role under this policy has been relegated as of trainers or/and facilitators of knowledge

as avowed by Pineda (2001). Thus, teachers’ decisions on methodology, curriculum and syllabus

design aiming to fulfill learners’ particular needs while promoting professional development

become limited.

Therefore, it is critical to take a stance on the way bilingual policies are being conceived

and implemented in our country by means of reflecting, and designing methodologies, curricula

and materials that fit into our monolingual context and respond to the educational actors’ needs


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as intended in this research. In these order of ideas, three main constructs supporting this chapter

will be approached: discourses, bilingualism, and teacher professional development.

Background to the Study

As assured by Lindblat and Popkewitz (2000, p.14) “new ways to govern education and

the modernization of the school as an institution, demand changes in curricula and new

constructions of students and teachers”, meaning taking part in the design of a bilingual

curriculum must be seen as opportunity to reflect and assume a critical stance about bilingual

policies within a monolingual context, and the way these have shaped and limited not only

educational practices but educators’ professional growth.

Concerning this last item, Cárdenas, González, & Álvarez (2010) affirmed that this field

has received emergent attention by researchers in Colombia due to the bilingual program carried

out by the government in the latest decade. Nevertheless, this process has not fulfilled teachers’

needs as it has been focused on achieving proficiency and evaluating scholars under echoed

colonial and traditional discourses as showed in González’ (2007) research, such as taking

standardized tests, following a pre-established methodology, or organizing the syllabus in

accordance to their book’s scope and sequence. Consequently, educational foreign models have

been adopted without considering local circumstances and contexts, making even wider the gap

between policies and practices (Ayala Zárate, & Álvarez, 2005; De Mejía, 2011).

Similarly, De Mejía (2004) stated that this division has also disregarded local research

into bilingualism and bilingual education programs, implying that teachers’ concerns and

insights about the way the teaching and learning of a foreign language should be conceived in a

monolingual country, have not been taken into account. This affects “not only the treatment of


30

children and adults learning the foreign language, but also the careers of English language

educators in schools and universities” (Guerrero and Quintero, 2009; p. 137).

This last aspect, supports González and Sierra’s (2005) findings about the way EFL

teachers’ expertise and knowledge, by being exposed to foreign models of training and

education, have been overshadowed by the common believe that native speakers are the ones

who can be tagged as the source of understanding and capability in terms of EFL educational

practices worldwide.One evidence of it, is the Immersion Classroom Program, where a foreigner

(not necessarily a native speaker of English nor a teacher); and a Colombian EFL teacher,

stimulate the development of the four skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading within a

dynamic and participatory environment (Mora, 2015). It is important to state that the colombian

teacher (tagged as supportive teacher), despite its expertise and knowledge, is in charge of

controlling the discipline and, of course, maintaining the dynamic environment, while the

foreigner, despite its non-expertise, leads the class by following the Linguaventuras curriculum

designed by the British Council.

These practices and discourses, as assured by Guerrero and Quintero (2009, p. 148), limit

the English language to “a vehicle to broaden the ideological and cultural practices of the Anglo

North American countries” while voiding teachers’ role as designers, managers and evaluators of

curricula and materials that address the particularities of the learners and its contexts. Parallel

results have been found by researchers in countries with bilingual policies similar to the ones

imposed in Colombia. For example, Muthanna and Karaman (2011) investigation of prospective

teachers’ beliefs concerning EFL Education stated the lack of clear standards and philosophy

statements due to academic and administrative problems.


31

What is more, it was reported that education policy-makers paid little attention to

teachers’ ideas and strategies for improving the EFL program in Yemen. In the same line of

though, Jóhanneson et. al (2000) affirmed in their report entitled Curriculum, management, and

self-evaluation in Icelandic primary and secondary schools that, when teachers teach towards the

goals and objectives that have already been defined, the notion of expertise gets narrowed as

“teachers themselves are not the chief players in the self-evaluation process, rather the principal

and external evaluators are to inspect the model” (p.103).

Alike, Barkhuizen’s (2002) study about the Language Education Policy in Africa and the

way students perceive Xhosa (one of their native languages) and English, revealed that not only

teachers but students’ voices are “often ignored in decision-making about educational matters”

(p. 511). What is more, students in this study indicated that they have a preference for studying

English over the native language since it has been said, would give them better life opportunities.

This last aspect I think, must lead scholars to wonder about the status and the importance given

to the mother tongue in places where foreign language policies are adopted without considering

the incidences in the community.

In view of the above, the professional development required in Colombia regarding

bilingual practices and guidelines must not be focused only on methodology and curricula design

aiming language proficiency, but on awareness in the way the educational field is molded and

permeable by economic factors (González and Sierra, 2005). Likewise, by raising attentiveness

about the way the EFL education is conceived under a context of knowledge economy as pointed

out by Usma (2009; p. 137), it is hope changes can be generated by the way external discourses

and realities are adopted and carried out, as well as local teacher-researchers’ voices are to be

heard.


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Another important aspect to look at-which constitutes the novelty of this study - is that

self-contained teachers are invited to be part and take a stance on bilingual policies as they are

required by some institutions, to teach specific concepts in the foreign language and to take up

proficiency tests in order to give continuity to their jobs otherwise,they are being relegated by

EFL teachers, who do not have the necessary expertise to do so as would be referenced in this

study.As revised, self-contained teachers’ role and perspectives regarding bilingual policies in

Colombia have not been widely explored. Research related to different knowledge areas has been

mainly instrumental since their focus is on the way specific concepts are used as mediators to

present the foreign language. These methodologies, known as Content Based Approach (CBI)

and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), have been advocated as an initiative for

developing bilingual programs.

Referring to CBI, Leung (2005, p.248) has said that this methodology “relates the general

idea of language learning to more specific demands and opportunities”. Likewise, Corrales and

Maloof (2011) concluded from their research with Colombian university students that the CBI

increases motivation since the topics, materials, and activities are relevant, meaningful,

interesting, and useful to them, as the content information serves to activate students’ prior

knowledge. In reference to CLIL, Arnó-Macià and Mancho-Barés’ (2015) study showed that

participants perceived this methodology as “a real communicative context for discipline-oriented

language use” (p.72). Equally, McDougald (2009) claims that by teaching content in English,

input in the foreign language becomes more comprehensible at the time of being an approach

that “can be easily adapted to current educational and bilingual programs in Colombia” (p.47).

Opposite of this, self-contained teachers more than the contents per se, are essential in the

development of bilingualism in monolingual countries as ours, since by establishing a process of


33

reflecting, dialoguing, and sharing practices and experiences, teachers conceive language of as a

whole and comprehend the way learners establish truly interdisciplinary relationships (Ordoñez,

2011). In this sense, it could be affirmed bilingual education must not only intent to reach L2

proficiency or to fulfill government’s guidelines, but to raise awareness in both teachers and

learners in relation to their personal and educational growth .

With this in mind, research in Colombia regarding professional development and

bilingual policies needs to be conducted bearing in mind: a). stances on the implementation of

bilingual policies; b). development of curricula and educational programs sensitive to the

contexts and the educational actors’ needs; and c). relying upon self-contained teachers’

knowledge and expertise.One reviewed attempt concerning this idea is Ordoñez’ (2011) work

which focused on Spanish-English teachers’ collaboration on bilingual curricula design. The

author concluded that by working together, teachers helped students to see and use the

similarities and differences between the two languages in order to learn them both.

What is more, teachers’ professional development in terms of curriculum and practice

changes were possible by relying on their colleagues, a beneficial fact that encourages reflective

dialogue, the de-privatization of practice, and the collective focus on student learning(Meyer,

2002; p.39).Nevertheless, little research about bilingualism in regards of foreignlanguage and

self-contained teachers’ views has been conducted. This study presumes to be an opportunity for

endorsing professional development by means of envisaging a curriculum design at the time of

creating an environment for participants’ voices to be heard in relation to bilingual policies and

practices. Similarly, it aims at unveiling teachers’ discourses so as to understand the way this

phenomenon has shaped their practices inside and outside the classroom.


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Theoretical Framework

As previously explained, the theories behind teachers’ discourses; bilingualism/bilingual

education and professional development were the pillars sustaining this study. Each one of them

will be addressed with the intention of providing the necessary support to frame the study within

a critical view.

Teachers’ Discourses

Understanding the world and the relationships given on it, implies understanding

language per se. As assumed by Fairclough (2003, p. 2), “language is an irreducible part of

social life, dialectically interconnected with other elements from that social life”. In that sense,

language seems to be corroborated as a social practice where discourses, both written and oral,

are created, understood, shaped, and validated within a community in a specific context by

means of interaction. This statement is supported by Gee (1999), who defines them as:

“different ways in which we humans integrate language with non-language “stuff”

such as different ways of thinking, acting, interacting, valuing, feeling, believing

and using symbols, tools, and objects in the right places and at the right times so

as to enact and recognize different identities and activities, give the material

world certain meanings, distribute social goods in a certain way, make certain

sorts of meaningful connections in our experience and privilege certain symbol

systems and ways of knowing over others” (p.13).

In this sense, discourses are not static, rather they are always transformed by people

through the use of language that is simultaneously generated by contexts and are those contexts

the ones that validated discourses. Thus, discourses can be defined as doing, reflecting, and

interacting not only with the others, but also with ourselves and the world to enact change. In the

same line of though, Kumaravadivelu (2003) designated them as a conceptual territory where


35

knowledge is produced and reproduced-that is- they reflect a fragment of the world that is only

understood by addressing the context where it is producedin relation to the participants and their

intentions.

Considering the context this study took place, it seemed urgent to unveil EFL and self-

contained teachers’ discourses so as to first, research on how the meaning-making of texts

regarding bilingualism was given and the way these have shaped and limited pedagogical

practices and professional growth, and secondly, to make visible their voices in terms of

making decisions about bilingual education processes in Colombia since from a social

perspective, teachers not only possess knowledge but are creators of it (Jhonson & Golombek,

2002).

In keeping with this idea, it is relevant to state that the bilingualism discourse as stated

by different authors (Fairclough, 2003; Guerrero, 2008; Usma, 2009) draws upon the new

capitalism notion, an economic system based on the production of goods and services

characterized by competition and unlimited consumerism. As a result, environmental, political,

labor, medical and social transformations (for naming a few) have arisen. In the word of

Fairclough (2003), these systems of knowledge [discourses] exercise social control, therefore, it

is impossible to ignore the changes this socio-economic model has produced in the education

field and the pervasive effect on our lives as the emphasis has been framed on the global

economy expansion (Humes, 2000).

Consequently, the EFL teaching and learning process has been portrayed worldwide as an

instrumental one, as the only solution through which citizens can access to a “qualified”

education to then obtain a well-paid job, better economic opportunities, and of course, a better


36

life. Despite this marvelous description, inequality, as denounced in Guerrero’s (2010) article,

has gotten deeper since the division between poor and rich, power and powerless, native and

non-native, is getting broader as foreigner practices are receiving more attention than the local

ones.

In this manner, education by being controlled and limited, becomes into the main tool to

practice power, which is exercised less through brute force and more through the systems of

knowledge described by Foucault (2005). Hence, the principles of what should be known

(didactics and learning theories) and the way it should be learned (curriculum) are consequences

of power that enclose not only the possibilities of the present as stated by Popkewitz (2000) but

of the future, as they serve as foundations for shaping teachers and learners’ view of the world.

In view of the above, I consider relevant to bring about González (2007); Guerrero and

Quintero (2009); and Escobar’s (2013) work in terms of participants and intentions behind

bilingual discourses in Colombia in order to provide enough information to an accurate

interpretation. Referring to these elements, researchers agreed on the fact that the MEN (Ministry

of Education) have enforced discourses of exclusion, manipulation and stratification through the

adoption of bilingual policies and models, as socio-cultural considerations have been

disregarded, colonial ideas privileged, and particular interests protected.

What is more, society has been trained to assume those standards as the ruling factor that

defines EFL education reproducing de idea of language as a linguistic system of signs and

symbols, which establishes a barrier between language and learners. These discourses in view of

Foucault (2005), circle under pre-stablished circumstances and are camouflaged under varied

ways.


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Discourses concerning bilingualism in Colombia indeed, have been reconstructed and

deconstructed along the years. Nevertheless, Colombian teachers have always been blamed,

questioned, and even replaced (Adriana González, personal communication, June 6, 2015).

Sánchez and Obando (2008) reported two main beliefs around these discourses: a) local

educators are not well prepared to teach a foreign language thus, it is not necessary to invest in

them but to replace them; b) English native speakers [regardless of their professional

background] will ensure the learning process, as the native accent is a determinant factor to learn

the language.

In this sense, the government is privileging foreign entities over local practices and

research as the only materials and tests used and approved to certify the foreign language

proficiency, are the ones designed and sold by these entities. Similarly, the idea of English as a

neutral language is perpetuated under the transmission model, where teachers adopt and follow

models and approaches and learners are forced to memorize and reproduce someone else’s

knowledge in order to fit into the system and be able to get a better job.

Opposite to this, it is my intention to fight against naturalized discourses (Fairclough,

2003) since as discussed along this research study, we learn through language instead of learning

a language. What is more, it is important to make people aware of the discourses given in terms

of education and construction of society so as not to perpetuate unequal ideas. Therefore, it is

important to spread the word and redefine understandings related to bilingualism so as to value

the teaching profession.

In addition, it is essential to involve all teachers notwithstanding of the knowledge they

help learners to built, due to the fact that is our responsibility as educators to help towards the


38

creation of a more tolerant society instead of providing an ideal way to obtain better jobs, as

everything related to community in terms of language aims at understanding and transforming

hierarchy, power and social injustice (Gee, 1999). In that sense, teachers’ discourses need to be

focused on “why” questions instead of “how” ones, as our job goes beyond operational matters

within a pre-established curriculum.

To sum up, by having clarified the concept of discourses in terms of development and

intentions, it was evident the implications within the educational field, and that the discourses in

terms of bilingualism expressed by the government, companies, textbooks, school boards, and so

on, have not only affected Colombian teachers’ professional growth, but their identities and

subjectivities. Subsequently, the understandings of bilingualism and bilingual education within

monolingual contexts will be addressed with the intention of backing up this last statement.

Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

In the word of Guerrero (2010), the field of Bilingualism is a very complex practice

because it is related to language, which constitutes a wide range of points of view from where it

can be perceived and analyzed. Hence, its definition is allied to the emphasis placed by

disciplines such as Sociolinguistics (bilingualism concept regarding contexts); Psycholinguistics

(how languages are learned); Education (how languages are learnedregarding educational

settings), among others.

In order to broaden the scope of bilingualism, it is essential first, to understand some

factors that have contributed towards a bilingual\multilingual society. As reported by Hoffman

(1991), some of those include military conquests, political marriages, succession arrangements,

colonization, migration and immigration, and language promotion; all of them as evidenced,


39

grounded on societal changes. Nevertheless, research in bilingualism as supported by Baker

(2001) has been mainly focused on determining parameters and establishing tests to measure

language proficiency.

In this sense, the study and importance given to the understanding and conceptualization

of this phenomenon have resulted in multiple categorizations based on different factors. As

reported by Butler and Hakuta (2004), individuals can be classified as bilinguals based on the

proficiency in L1 and L2 (balanced or dominant); the mental process of organizing linguistic

codes (compound, coordinate or subordinated); age (early [simultaneous or sequential] or late

[incipient, receptive or productive]); the effect of L2 in L1 (additive or subtractive); the language

status(elite or folk); context conditions (circumstantial or elective);and cultural identity

(bicultural, monocultural or accultural).

These distinctions as affirmed by these authors, do not constitute definite premises but a

continuous and interrelated hypothesis which not only corroborate bilingualism as a multifaceted

phenomenon, but as a “socio-cultural behavior that has multi-dimensional aspects” (Butler and

Hakuta, 2004, p. 114). Still, conceiving bilingualism as an interdisciplinary field implies

deliberating about how well languages need to be mastered in order tobe considered as bilingual.

Considering the above, the conception of language this proposal dealt with, lays upon the

Constructivist Theory. For this reason, language is understood as a social practice given in terms

of interaction among individuals, contexts and experiences. Consequently, the purposes for

learning a foreign language should go beyond academic and linguistic reasons, and closely tied

to the learner’s desire of learning through meaningful and “communicative objectives and

processes” as pointed out by Richards (1983; p. 111).


40

In this sense, bilingualism should be understood as using more than one language for

communicating and interacting with others. This definition implies indeed, that cannot be

measured given that depends on social conditions, and simple categorization is subjective

(Baker, 2001). Nevertheless, and pertaining to the criteria selected to classify bilinguals along

time, it can be inferred that language has been conceived merely as a linguistic system composed

of receptive (listening and reading); and productive (speaking and writing) skills (Baker, Ibid; p.

4). Based on this distinction, bilingual individuals have been measured regardless of factors such

as settings, L2 exposition, and background to name a few.

This fractional view, as affirmed by Grosjean (1984), aims to compare bilingual with

monolingual individuals, seeking to describe the acquired level of linguistic systems, taking for

granted that foreign languages are learned in isolation. In relation to this, Hoffman (1991, in

Baker, 2001; p. 22) affirmed that “if we accept that there are degrees of bilingual competence,

this implies that bilingualism is measurable”; meaning language is not developed by means of

interaction but by means of following grammar rules, and that there is any connection between

the mother tongue and the foreign language. Drawing from the concepts presented, I will limit

this discussion to the Educational view so as to understand the way bilingualism is assumed in

Colombia and how bilingual programs arose.

Bilingualism and Bilingual Education in Colombia

To be bilingual in Colombia, as in many other countries, has been understood as to the

fact of speaking English (Guerrero, 2008, 2009; Usma, 2009; De Mejía, 2011; Ordoñez, 2011;

Escobar, 2013). Consequently, the language policies adopted by the government meant to spread

English as a foreign language under structured standards having as a result more constrains than


41

advantages (Ayala Zárate & Álvarez, 2005). In relation to this, De Mejía (2011) affirmed that the

adoption of the Common European Framework for References (CEFR) as a guiding model has

generated criticisms from some Colombian scholars. I consider relevant to point out some of

them so as to frame the bilingual practices in the educational settings and the effects of it within

society.

The first constrain refers to the fact that this foreign model has been perceived as an

imposition rather than as an adoption. Guerrero (2008, 2009) and Guerrero and Quintero’s

(2009) work, has revealed that the documents supporting the bilingual policies carried out by the

government, favored and recognized English as the language of modernization and progress,

taking no notice of Colombia’s diversity in terms of languages (e.g. Creole and Indigenous).

Indeed, a similar situation is being evidenced with Spanish, which as claimed by De Mejía and

Fonseca (2008), and Ordoñez’ (2011), has been relegated by educational institutions as the focus

of bilingualism is on achieving a high level of proficiency in English.

The second one- refers to the implementation of foreign models unrelated to Colombia’s

geographical conditions, learners’ characteristics, and the particularities of the educational

system. As reported by Ayala Zárate & Álvarez (2005), this has led to negative implications for

the EFL teaching and learning processes since the foreign language is conceived as a

standardized linguistic system, reinforcing the idea that bilingualism can be measured and

validated through rubrics.

In keeping with this idea, Romaine (1989, p. 18) declared, “tests which rely heavily on

performance measures, where limitations of memory and time can affect the results should not

be regarded as adequate estimates of competence”. Though, they seem to have increased and


42

updated as educational programs and work settings rely upon these examinations regardless of

people’s study choices or job positions. Subsequently, materials as training textbooks, CDs,

DVDs, virtual platforms, etc., are being developed at great speed to fulfill users’ need to be

recognized as bilingual so they can access to high quality education and better life style as

promoted by governments (Ryan, 2010).

I consider relevant then, to draw attention to the fact that by selling the language learning

process as a set of recipes to be followed; creativity, previous knowledge and experiences are not

only rejected, but language learning goals have been limited to scoring tests as reported by De

Mejía and Fonseca (2008); where the main aim is to get a job and continue with the capitalist

discourses, instead of assuming a critical stance towards social-related issues.

Thirdly, the EFL teaching process, as denounced by Escobar (2013); has been outshone

given that teachers were not part of the making-decision process or the design of language

policies, and that the foreign entities in which the government trusts, bring under control the

professional growth as they determine “who is competent to teach the language and how these

individuals should teach” (Escobar, 2013; p. 47). In this sense, EFL teachers are also obliged to

certify their language knowledge.

Alike, González (2009) criticizes the fact that even though EFL professional growth has

been limited to high cost programs (e.g. Master programs, Ph.D. programs, etc.); local practices

and research carried out by these professionals have been relegated widening the gap between

policies and practices. Besides, EFL teachers have been overshadowed by the government as

English native speakers have been brought to work as teachers under the idea that “proper”


43

pronunciation is what will guarantee the foreign language learning, perpetuating the idea of

English as a neutral language (Guerrero and Quintero, 2009).

The fourth concern deals with the breach bilingual policies broaden between private and

public education. In view of De Mejía (2002, p. 37), “education has been seen as a powerful

means of providing access to valued symbolic resources, such as bilingualism or multilingualism

in prestigious world languages”. Public education is left behind as the infrastructure, materials,

and L2 exposure demanded in order to reach bilingual standards is not provided by the

government, and the economic resources of these students are not enough to access to them

(Miranda and Echeverry, 2010). Hence, it can be affirmed that the adoption of bilingual policies

in Colombia does not just make the gap wider in terms of education, but regarding social strata

and economical conditions; where less favored students will continue having restrictions and

fewer opportunities to access to quality education programs.

Hitherto, by having discussed the conceptualization of the term Bilingualism and backing

up Colombian researchers’ concerns about the adoption of foreign bilingual policies, it was

demonstrated that professional growth got affected and limited, and that there is an urgent need

to take a critical stance concerning bilingualism so as to co-construct bilingual curricula that met

students, EFL and self-contained teachers’ realities. Subsequently, theories regarding

professional growth will be discussed.

Teachers’ Professional Development

To have a clear conception of what the term Professional Development within the

Educational field entails, I consider relevant initially, to attempt to define it. As studied by

Jhonson & Golombek (2002), the term Professional Development within the EFL field has dealt


44

with the conceptions of teacher-training programs aiming to increase teachers’ proficiency in the

foreign language. This understanding, grounded in the Transmission Model, implied that the

knowledge an educator had regarding the teaching of a foreign language, was passed or delivered

to someone wanting to teach, following naturally, a pre-established structure. Henceforth, this

idea was reinforced in the classroom where the “updated knowledge” was transmitted to the

learners.

Similarly, Gabillon (2012) reviewed that this term was associated with programs aiming

grammar teaching and literacy instruction since both skills have been awarded some attention.

According to Díaz-Maggioli (2012), these perspectives correspond to the look-and-learn and

read-and-learn traditions in teacher education, in which the emphasis was on reviewing and

memorizing approaches, methodologies or theories that others had developed. In doing so,

educators’ understanding of the teaching process per se was limited at the time of restraining

their professional growth as this validates the idea that there is one way of teaching

notwithstanding of contexts, realities and learners.

However, as time went by, other views regarding Teachers’ Development Processes

arose. On the word of Murray (2010, p. 10) for example, is meant to be an ongoing process of

assessing and reexamining beliefs and practices, which denotes self-reflection on educational

theories and perspectives and the way these are carried out. Besides, it comprises an invitation

for not taking for granted what has been defined as the teaching-learning process regardless of

time and society evolution.

Alternatively, Díaz Maggioli (2004, p. 5) understands it as a “job-embedded

commitment that teachers make in order to further the purposes of the profession while


45

addressing their own particular needs”; meaning this is not only implemented for professional

but personal reasons, and that even though this is decided and carried out by the teacher itself, it

has incidence in the students and the community, since educators reflect on the effects that

teaching has on learning by rethinking their practices so as to introduce changes.

This tradition, think-and-learn (as referenced by Díaz-Maggioli, 2012), balances the

theory-practice dichotomy and encourages educators to continue growing professional and

individually. Nonetheless, teachers were not able to provide or receive critiques and support

from others as being limited to individual growth, missing venues for Professional Development.

Thus, sharing and relying on colleagues became essential. As understood by Johnson &

Golombek (2002), making teachers’ ways of knowing public and able to be reviewed by others is

essential-, since not being able to write, show and share with others what has been reflected and

transformed inside-and-outside the classroom, has denied teachers’ role as theorizers.

Moreover, by sharing experiences, teachers become active participants in the teaching-

learning process, exploring and learning new ideas and concepts, and making decisions based on

their own and others’ experiences and understandings as demonstrated in Ordoñez (2011) and

González’ (2007) studies with Colombian teachers. Considering Wheatley’s (2002) work about

teachers’ efficacy doubts- a term that fosters teacher learning by reflecting and promoting

collaboration- exchanging ideas with colleagues also help teachers to confirm, reject or suspend

judgments of new interpretations and encourages teachers to become aware not only of their

practices but of the effect of those. Therefore, teaching is not just a practice developed within a

society, but a responsibility with it.


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In keeping with this idea, Wenger (1999; p. 4) declares that learning by means of sharing

and participating with others, “shapes not only what we do, but also who we are and how we

interpret what we do”; implying that both learning and teaching are social practices embedded

and developed within a group. From a constructivist perspective, the construction of meaning is

the process of either relating new and old information when exchanging ideas orally or written

(Goodman, 1998). In this sense, knowledge emerged, is built and co-constructed within a

community. Thus, both teachers and learners’ outcomes of this process may take a variety of

forms, ranging from new semantic or lexical knowledge of the L2, to changes in attitudes, values

and beliefs, as supported by Wenger (1999; p. 53) who claims that “the negotiation of meaning

may involve language, but it is not limited to it”.

When talking about Communities of Practice, Wenger (Ibid; p.48) defined them as “the

places where we develop, negotiate and share ideas”, and assured they are an essential part of our

lives as we are social by nature. Certainly, personal and professional commitment is required as

thinking, shaping, and acting as regards of participants’ experiences is embraced. In this sense,

belonging to a community of practice does not entitle the merely fact of “doing”, but the process

of understanding the purpose and the importance of getting involved within it.

Based on this distinction, the EFL Professional Development process should not be

understood only as to formal education programs but as an opportunity of getting involved in

new networks of professional growth, where initiatives concerning bilingual policies, standards,

curricula and materials, are developed to promote not only meaningful and contextualized L2

learning but a space for both EFL and self-contained teachers to “appreciate the diversity and

value of professional engagement” as claimed by Nielsen, Clarke, & Collins (2010, p. 863).


47

So far, it has been highlighted the importance of going beyond the idea of conceiving

EFL teaching-and-learning as a transmission process but as a continuous one, where contexts and

experiences are considered, and teachers are actively involved in it .As well, reasoning upon the

way this process is carried out, the purpose of it, and the relevance of sharing with others and

creating communities of practices, allows teachers to redefine their practices, to get engage in the

construction of knowledge and to improve their and their learners realities at the time of

endorsing Professional Development .

In summary, I have discussed the importance of conceiving language as a social practice

by announcing how knowledge is given by means of interaction. Indeed, the examination of

diverse definitions and theories about bilingualism and bilingual education led me conclude that

both EFL and self-contained teachers must be involved in the development of curricula and

making-decision process in order to help learners to construct meaningful knowledge by relying

upon their experiences. What is more, by sharing knowledge and practices, teachers also self-

empower to grow both personal and professionally. Finally, it was demonstrated the need of

making teachers’ voices visible about bilingual policies and practices as well as the importance

of resisting discourses that prolonged social inequality and injustice so as to enact change.


48

Instructional Design

As previously discussed, there is a need of relying upon teachers’ experiences and

knowledge as to develop curricula and programs that are “sensitive to the context and

constructed collaboratively” (González, 2007, p. 315). Therefore, it seems relevant for the EFL

community to reflect and assume a critical perspective about the adoption of policies and foreign

models as well as the way they are reflected within the teaching-learning process. The

curriculum, understood as a means to organize experiences and educational practices that take

place in a specific context, “entails the process of making programmatic decisions and revising

the results of such decisions” (Pineda, 2001, p. 7), which entails an opportunity to endorse

teachers’ professional growth.

Subsequently, both educators and learners’ principles, views and experiences, have to be

taken into consideration and adjusted to the setting in which the foreign language takes place. In

this sense, the pedagogical intervention proposed for this study and carried out with both EFL

and Self-Contained teachers aiming to stimulate professional development while envisaging a

bilingual curriculum is described in detail.

Visions of Language and the Educational Process

When talking about teaching and learning it is commonly defined as individual processes

with active and passive participants: teachers, the active ones, as they possess knowledge from a

specific subject or domain, and learners, the ones who receive it. It also comprises the fact that

the knowledge decided to be worthwhile of being taught (neither by teachers nor learners) is

determined by political and economical reasons. For that reason, changes in curricula,


49

constructions of students and teachers, and new ways of working are demanded (Lindblat and

Popkewitz, 2000; p. 14).

This statement comprises an invitation for not taking for granted what has been defined

as education and to understand the role and responsibility not only of teachers and learners but

also of all educational actors (government, administrators, principals, parents, etc.) with this

process where diverse backgrounds, settings and realities converged. In this sense, this

pedagogical intervention is grounded in a social perspective involving teachers’ commitment to

rethink and reevaluate their practices to engage learners and colleagues in doing the same. What

is more, it allows participants to assume learning and teaching as an opportunity to reflect upon

the world and its dynamics to enact change.

In order to have a clear conception of the way teaching and learning are approached from

a social standpoint, Wenger (1999) ideas are presented. Hence, the methodology and objectives

proposed for each stage of this pedagogical intervention were set bearing in mind a professional

development context in which participants were active and committed members.

A Social Theory of Language, Learning and Teaching for Teachers

In regards of Wenger (1999), the main problem when addressing learning is the belief

that it is the result of teaching, and so, it happens in the classroom without the outside world

influence. The assumption he expressed, has had an effect not only in the way classrooms are

arranged and classes designed but also on learners’ desire of learning, as it is perceived as a

boring, monotonous, and individual practice. This last aspect is what he problematized in order

to propose a social theory of learning.


50

To begin with, he stated that the central aspect when defining learning is the fact that we are

social beings, and as such, participation and interaction become key elements when doing so.

Thus, what we do, who we are, and the way we interpret, is shaped when learning from and with

others through language. Bearing this in mind, I consider relevant to mention the principles set

by Wenger (1999) to ground his theory so as to better understand it.

1. We are social beings. Therefore, it must be a central aspect of learning

2. Knowledge is a matter of competence on valued enterprises (singing, writing, fixing,

discovering, etc.)

3. Knowing is a matter of participating in the pursuit of such enterprises, that is, of active

engagement in the world

4. Meaning- our ability to experience the world- is ultimately what learning is to produce.

In the light of this perspective, learning is a social practice given in terms of

communication where real experiences and contexts converged in order to construct meaning. It

is crucial to state that the interaction is not only given among their main participants (teachers

and students) but contexts and experiences through interdisciplinary concepts and notions.

Subsequently, the teaching-learning process must be understood as a practice rooted in teachers

and learners’ personal experiences and immediate contexts, where discussions concerning socio-

cultural issues and facts take place to construct knowledge. Henceforth, the classroom must be

seen as the space where meaning and knowledge is co-constructed, and all participants are

empowered as language learners and users.


51

Clearly, learning from a social theory must integrate some elements so as to first,

characterize it as a collective practice and secondly, to comprehend how knowledge is

constructed. About this, Wenger (Ibid) pointed out four main aspects: meaning, practice,

community, and identity; interrelated and essential components within learning, which also give

account on how this social practice is set: by experiencing, doing, belonging, and becoming.

Graphic 9 shows this relation.

With the intention of appreciating this interrelation in-depth, I consider relevant to

initially, provide Wenger’s (1999, p. 5) definition for each one of its components. Meaning refers

to the ability to experience our life and the world; practice deals with the shared historical and

social perspectives or assumptions that sustain mutual engagement; community states for the

social configurations in which our knowledge is defined as worthy, so we can participate, and

identities are the changes experienced by learning.

Learning

learning as

belonging

learning as

becoming

learning as

experiencing

learning as

doing

community

practice

meaning

identity

Graphic 9. Components of a Social theory of learning

(Wenger, 1999; p. 5)


52

Successively, I understand learning as the process of defining and understanding the

world around us and the issues that emerge from it by means of interacting with the world itself

and the ones living in it. Evidently, we learn as long as we experience and do things by means of

sharing and relying upon others, and when doing so, our thoughts and assumptions are either

transformed or ratified: we become by belonging to a social group, to a “community of practice”

in Wenger’s words.

Community of practice then, entails working collaborative with others who share similar

conditions as professions or jobs to assure engagement with certain mutual goals. This practice

indeed, connotes individual actions such as reflecting or analyzing to then, be able to participate,

share, etc.; which constitute collective actions. It is important though, to understand that this

process is given first, by choice (its participants decided to be there) and that it takes place within

historical and social contexts (they do not and cannot be executed without bearing in mind the

outside world) as it gives “structure and meaning to what we do” (Wenger, 1999; p. 47). In this

sense, the communities of practice that might exist within a school context are not delimited by a

specific area of knowledge (language, science, math, etc.), but to the desire of participating by

doing, that is, to go beyond the mere fact of doing per se by reflecting about the purpose of

getting involved and the social responsibility this implies.

Under this conception, this pedagogical intervention design aimed at inviting both EFL

and self-contained teachers to reflect upon their ideas and practices when envisaging a bilingual

curriculum to not only improve learners’ proficiency in the foreign language but to allow

educators’ professional growth. Subsequently, I will discuss the social theory of learning already

presented within a Professional Development context.


53

A Social Theory of Learning within a Professional Development Context

As discussed in the Literature Review chapter , most traditions related to professional

growth balance the theory-practice dichotomy and encourage educators to continue growing

professional and individually. Nonetheless, teachers were not able to provide or receive critiques

and support from others as being limited to individual growth. Thus, sharing and relying upon

colleagues became essential, since by being involve within this social practice, teachers become

active participants in the teaching-learning process, exploring and learning new ideas and

concepts, and making decisions based on their own and others’ experiences and understandings.

Jhonson and Golombek (2002) support this statement by claiming professional

development means to reshape knowledge, beliefs, and practices both individually and

collectively. Similarly, Ortlieb and Lu (2011) affirmed that we are all knowers who reflect on

experience, confront the unknown, make sense of it and take action; therefore, we as teachers do

not only possess knowledge but can also be creators of it by being engaged in relationships with

others and with society.

Based on this distinction, teachers’ Professional Development process should not be

understood only as to formal education programs, but as to the pedagogical spaces of sharing and

discussing initiatives concerning bilingualism; bilingual policies and standards; bilingual

curriculum and materials, are developed to promote not only meaningful and contextualized L2

learning, but a space for both EFL and content teachers to “appreciate the diversity and value of

professional engagement” as claimed by Nielsen, Triggs, Clarke, & Collins (2010, p. 863).

This pedagogical intervention, envisaged under the belief that bilingual education in

Colombia must be conceived beyond the premise of just learning English or achieving the goals


54

proposed by the government, is seen as an opportunity to listen to educators’ voice in relation to

bilingualism policies and the way they are being carried out as well as a chance of transforming

and repositioning the curriculum by means of embracing concepts, and being concerned as to

what students can do with the foreign language as claimed by De Mejía (2011).

Incidentally, the aim embrace individual and collective opportunities to growth

professionally at the time of addressing issues which have had an incidence in the social,

political and educational fields (see the Theoretical Framework chapter). In this sense, the

importance of bringing EFL and Self-Contained teachers together so as to rethink, evaluate, and

renovate their practices by positioning themselves as active members of the teaching-learning

process was highlighted. Within this process, it was evidenced that participants’ desire and

commitment of belonging by doing- was regulated by related aspects such as interaction,

negotiation of meaning, and collaboration.

Likewise, the stages proposed supported the idea of professional development as a

cyclical and reciprocal process of learning by drawing upon participants’ immediate context and

experiences, a condition that in view of Díaz-Maggioli (2012), can positively affect what

happens in and outside the classroom as the teaching process is the result of personal,

professional, knowledge, institutional, and curriculum factors. Graphic 10 displays the way this

pedagogical intervention was conceived.


55

As seen in the graphic above, the stages of this pedagogical intervention elucidate a process of

reflecting upon pedagogical and personal practices in regards of bilingualism and bilingual

education with the intention of first, making both EFL and self-contained teachers aware of this

phenomenon and second, to enact active participation in the development of a curriculum

addressing both learners and teachers’ needs. By doing so, teachers have an opportunity of

empower themselves and others via sharing and discussing as affirmed by Murray (2010).

Graphic 10. Instructional Design Stages (Personal Construction)


56

In this sense, the first stage – Images of a Bilingual Society- aimed at revising the

conceptualization of the terms bilingualism and bilingual education to then analyze the way these

notions have been institutionalized and assumed in our context. Listening and debating were key

aspects to either shape or reject previous ideas. The second one, entitled- Exploring

interdisciplinarity- focused on endorsing participants’ professional development by highlighting

the practices of dialoguing and sharing personal and professional experiences so as to generate

new ways of thinking about bilingual practices in Colombia.

This stage was also essential in terms of transforming and enlightening pedagogical practices

since by peer coaching (Díaz-Maggioli, 2003), participants realized about the importance of

relying upon colleagues to integrate knowledge. Visiting the classes of the other participants

seemed highly valuated as new methodologies, activities, and how to monitor learners’

knowledge was learnt.

Opposite to the traditional vision described by Richards & Farrell (2005), the peer coaching

strategy did not intent to supervise or evaluated teachers’ knowledge but to learn from each

other. This was possible as non-hierarchical social relationships among participants were

established, so the principles supporting this strategy were reliance, learning, and transformation.

Hence, both teachers- who observed (coach) and who was being observed (coached)- were

encouraged to reflect and to link their own pedagogical practices to what had been discussed in

the first stage, constituing then, a collaborative peer coaching which in Fahim’s (2013) view,

allows teachers to be more creative and aware of new teaching styles.

In addition, this tool allowed participants to reinforce the idea of approaching bilingual

practices from a social perspective as well as making them understand and assume and active


57

role within this practice nonewithstanding of their area of knowledge, either EFL or self-

contained by means of dialoguing.

This last argument then, was examined and evidenced in the last stage -Envisaging a Bilingual

Curriculum-, where the teachers had the opportunity to picture a bilingual curriculum aiming not

only language proficiency, but awareness on sociocultural issues. Their proposal considered

naturally the school identity and PEI (see the Statement of the Problem Chapter) and the ideas

that result from discussing and interacting. Graphic 11 displays the bases of this proposal

considering the information obtained in the discussion group sessions and protocol 2.

As seen, participants’ envisaged curriculum draw on the idea of assuming education as a

social practice in which teachers, regardless of their area of knowledge have a role and a

Constructivism Theory

Teaching for Understanding

Teaching and Learning from the Social

perspective

- Interdisciplinarity

- Learning by questioning &

interacting with peers, teachers & the world

Emphasis on Social Studies and Science

Instruction in Spanish- English

Peer Collaboration for designing communal materials & classes

Linking information with the outside

Graphic 11. Participants’ Proposal (Personal Construction)


58

responsibility. Likewise, by bearing in mind the principles of questioning and interacting with

themselves, the others and the world, evidences self-awareness and commitment not only with

the teaching-learning process but with their professional growth. A deeper analysis on how this

pedagogical intervention encouraged participants to assume their role as decion-makers and

curriculum designers is presented in the Data Analysis Chapter. Finally, Chart 1 summarizes the

schedule and activities developed along this pedagogical intervention.


59

Schedules and Materials

Stage

General Goal Objective Session Activities

Images of a

bilingual society

To develop a

critical

understanding of

the terms

bilingualism and

bilingual

education

-To identify the conceptualization of the

terms bilingualism and bilingual

education

1

April 25th

- Protocol #1 - Sharing insights

2

May 2nd

- Cartoon gallery

-To revise the current bilingual policy

and its influence within the educational

field

3

May 16th

- “Colombia Very

well”guidelines

socialization

- Protocol #2

Exploring Inter-

disciplinarity

To take a stance

upon bilingual

education in the

school

-To promote professional development

by sharing practices and visions

-To generate new ways of thinking

about bilingual practices in Colombia

4

May 31st

- Sharing protocol #2 - Peer coaching strategy

5

June 7th

- Peer coaching strategy 6

June 21st

7

July 18th

Envisaging a

bilingual

curriculum

To be involved in

a teacher support

network aiming to

envisage a

bilingual

curriculum

-To rely upon colleagues in order to

find meaningful connections between

the foreign language and other areas of

knowledge.

8

July 22nd

- Current areas syllabus

analysis

9

August 5th

- Brainstorming about

bilingual curricula

- Envisaging goals,

objectives and

methodology

10

August 19th

-To envisage a bilingual curriculum

considering social conditions and

language needs

11

Sept. 9th

12

Sep. 27th

Chart 1. Instructional Design Schedule (Personal Construction)


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Research Design

In this chapter, I present the methodological information used to develop this study and

the decisions made in terms of research methods and data collection procedures. This chapter

starts by describing the type of study and the paradigm this investigation fits in. In addition, the

setting where the study was carried out and the participants are described along with the data

collection instruments and procedures.

Type of Study and Research Paradigm

With the intention of unveiling EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses about

bilingualism within the context of professional development, this research was framed within a

Qualitative Discourse Study. The discursive nature of the data allowed me to analyze the way

participants’ discourses were constructed, shaped and related to their own reality when sharing

with others as this type of studies “can be used to explore many different social domains”

(Jorgensen and Phillips, 2002; p. 1).

In the same line of though, McCarthy (1991) affirmed these studies deal with the

relationships between language and the contexts where it is used. Thus, they must go beyond the

purpose of merely describing and interpreting sequential patterns but on analyzing discursive

practices within a context. Having these ideas in mind, it was important to explain what these

participants as teachers did in relation to bilingualism and the pedagogical networks they

established to make sense of the phenomenon under study.

Under this vision, Wetherell, Taylor, and Yates (2001) stated discourse studies could be

approached from three domains: the study of social interaction; the study of minds, selves, and


61

sense-making; and the study of culture and social relations (see Graphic 12). The first domain

deals with the organization of the talk, that is, the interactional order of it while the second one is

concerned with how throughout this social practice participants construct identity; make sense;

and their collective and individual minds emerge. The last domain is interested in analyzing the

historical and institutional features of the discourse and the relationship between power and the

organization of social relations.

As presented in the graphic above, the researcher’s interest in going beyond the

explanation of pattern and order evolves until unveiling and theorizing the constitution of social

reality. Under this vision, the researcher understands and assumes discourses as dependent and

dynamic structures, therefore the analysis takes into consideration both the agent (s) and the

context where it is produced.

Considering the above, this discourse study was analyzed from the second domain

perspective, since the discursive practices about bilingualism in which educators participated

within a context of professional growth were fundamental for understanding the nature of these

Constitution of Social Reality

Explanation of pattern and order

1

2

3

Graphic 12. Discourse Domains Wetherell, Taylor, & Yates (2001) (Personal Representation)


62

practices [bilingualism and professional development], so as to be able to envisage a

contextualized bilingual curriculum. In that sense, both the making-sense process and educators’

professional identity was explored through the discourse tradition of Qualitative Content

Analysis, which can be used as a “useful technique for allowing us to discover and describe the

focus of an individual, group, or social attention” (Weber, 1990). Likewise, Patton (2002)

affirmed that qualitative methods facilitate the study of issues in depth and detail and the

responses obtained from participants are neither systematize nor standardized.

Thus, it could be assert this is a qualitative research as it explained and illustrated in

detail the context where it was carried out as well as its participants’ voice (constituted by their

thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences) in relation to a phenomenon. Likewise, the researcher

by having direct interrelation with the participants was the primary instrument for data collection

and analysis.

Context

This research study took place at a female private school in an upper-middle-class

neighborhood in the Usaquen location in Bogota. As mentioned in the Statement of the Problem

section, the school’s educational proposal must be “oriented to make aware, both rich and poor,

of solidarity through an education for justice” (PEI p. 47). Therefore, the principles, criteria,

mission, vision, educational objectives, and both educators and learners’ profiles are established

under the light of the Catholic religion. At the time this research project was carried out, the

school was going under a series of changes in terms of name and some school facilities due to

the inclusion of male population.


63

In account of De Mejía and Fonseca (2008), this school is classified as having intensive

English program instead of being bilinguals, despite the fact of having some classes taught in the

foreign language (math, social studies, science), not more than the 50% of the curriculum is

covered. Besides, it does not have a bilingual curriculum other than the books scope and

sequence as problematized in the first chapter. In addition, students from seventh up to eleventh

grades are classified into three groups: low intermediate, upper- intermediate and advanced. In

relation to subjects taught in English, the books are mainly the material used by the EFL teachers

in charge of teaching these areas. Chart 2 displays the amount of hours in the foreign language

students from different grades are exposed to.

English Science Math Social Studies

Pre-k 10 2 2 1

Kinder 10 2 2 1

Transition 10 2 2 1

First 6 2 2 1

Second 6 2 2 1

Third 6 2 2 1

Fourth 5 1 1 X

Fifth 5 1 1 X

Sixth 5 1 1 X

Seventh 4 1 X X

Eight 4 1 X X

Ninth 4 X X X

Tenth 4 X X X

Eleventh 4 X X X

Chart 2.

School’s Exposition to English as a Foreign Language


64

As seen in the chart above, the hours of exposure to the foreign language decrease as

learners move from one grade to other. Similarly, the contained subjects taught in English are not

available from ninth grade up, and the English class hours are reduced considerably in high

school. These results could be associated to the common belief that the learner [within formal

education settings] will acquired faster and better the foreign language if s/he is exposed from a

young age, a theory that does not have final or unique results as described by Grosjean (1984).

Likewise, the fact of not continuing teaching the contained subjects in the foreign

language as expected [this considering the IB schools’ curricula that serve as examples], might

evidence that the link among these subjects and the foreign language was limited to learning

specific vocabulary instead of developing the skills and abilities needed to understand processes

with a higher degree of difficulty. It could also give account on the fact that nor the EFL neither

the self-contained teachers are well prepared to teach these subjects in the foreign language as

analyzed in the Statement of the Problem chapter.

Hence, this study was considered as an opportunity to understand and describe the way

both EFL and self-contained educational practices have been shaped [if so] in relation to

bilingual policies as well as an opportunity to acknowledge local expertise in terms of curricular

development at the time of promoting professional growth.

Participants

Belonging to a community of practice is a personal decision involving commitment and

collaboration. Nevertheless, it is necessary that the members of a community share or possess

communal characteristics (Wenger, 1999) In the light of the research process, the communal

characteristics among the participants of this study was first, their profession: educators; and


65

secondly, their experience in teaching classes in the foreign language. It is important to state that

they were not paid for their participation, though they were highly committed as they had the

opportunity to practice the foreign language with the researcher within the school’s breaks. Four

high-school teachers and one elementary school teacher agreed voluntarily to participate in the

study and signed a consent form as mentioned in the piloting process. They will be referred to by

the pseudonyms of Mrs. L., Mrs. P., Mrs. C., Mrs. N., and Mrs. J. All five were females, ages

ranging 25-44. The first three are self-contained while the last two are EFL teachers.

Mrs. L, who holds a bachelor degree in Biology from the Universidad Pedagógica

Nacional, was in her 11th year of teaching, five of them in the school this project was developed.

She was in charge of teaching biology to 6th to 8th graders; Mrs. P., in charge of teaching Spanish

to 6th, 10th and 11th graders, holds a degree in Literature from Universidad Javeriana and was

currently studying a Master in Literature at the Universidad Nacional. She has been teaching in

this school for about three years out of four of her teaching experience.

Mrs. C., in charge of teaching chemistry to 9th, 10th and 11th graders, holds a Chemistry

title from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional and started to study Industrial Chemistry at Sena.

She was in her 5th year of teaching, three of them have been in the setting this study was

conducted. Mrs. N., who was in her 3rd year of teaching, holds a Modern Languages degree from

Universidad Javeriana and was in charge of teaching French and English to 3rd to 5th graders. She

has spent the last two years teaching in the school. Finally, Mrs. J., who holds a bachelor degree

in EFL Teaching from Universidad Distrital, was in charge of teaching English to 8th to 11th

graders at the intermediate level. She was in her 10th year of teaching, three of them in this

school.


66

As an EFL teacher-researcher, I am aware I am in a position of responsibility and trust.

Therefore, I carried out this research following ethical standards. In this sense, integrity

regarding data gathering was maintained, and the information provided by participants was

reported with their consent. Plagiarism was avoided as I fully acknowledge the work of others to

which I have referred in this report. Similarly, the findings, which I consider worthwhile and of

benefit to my colleagues, were reported with honesty. Also, I have complied with all the ethical

protocols outlined here.

1. Research was designed, reviewed and undertaken to ensure integrity and quality.

2. Research participants and the principal of the school where this research was carried

out were fully informed about the purpose, methodology, and findings of this study

3. Participants’ information was supplied by research subjects and the anonymity

4. Participants agreed to participate in a voluntary way, free from any coercion.

5. Harm to research participants was avoided.

Data Collection Instruments and Procedures

The data collection process was done within the natural setting of the case (Shagoury &

Miller, 1999). Data was collected within a 12 week period (see Figure 12) where both EFL and

self-contained teachers met for about an hour mainly on Mondays. Considering this study is

qualitative in its nature, data were collected through three means: discussion group sessions,

teachers’ reflective journals and protocols.


67

Discussion group is a technique in which meaning is constructed among participants from

a particular setting (Martin, 1992). In this sense, the researcher’s role is not limited to post a

topic to be discussed or to structure the conversation but to participate and react towards the

ideas generated in there. This technique according to the author previously referenced, has three

parameters: 1) the topic must not be told to participants before-hand to avoid that their discourse

and ideas are pre-established; 2) researcher must not be considered the group’s director but a

participant; and 3) avoid hierarchical relations.

As a result, the conversation flow depends on participants’ interventions not on

researcher’s pre-established questions. Nevertheless, the topic is expected to be well known by

the researcher. With a view to assure the comments and ideas spawned in each one of the

sessions, an electronic tape recorder was used. As stated by Freeman (1998) audio-recordings

help the researcher to capture the oral interactions produced among participants.

Thus, factors such us background noise, volume, and device’s memory spam were

considered. A consent form (see annex B) was signed by each participant before the recording

took place. In addition, two protocols were proposed for the first and third session in order to

capture participants’ ideas before and after discussing about bilingualism and bilingual education

as well as to identify if participants had developed a critical understanding of those terms. Both

protocols (see annex C) were taken and adapted from Barkhuizen and Wette’s (2008) work on

narrative frames.

In regards of the reflective journals, Freeman (1998) states that they aim at identifying

the issues, puzzles or questions in teaching. In this sense, they address inside and outside factors

that might have an incidence in the teaching-learning process. Similarly, Díaz-Maggioli (2004)


68

states that this strategy provides a way for professionals to focus on and document their own

development in specific concerns, constituting then, an excellent tool to showcase participants’

professional development. In that sense, participants’ journals (see annex G) were not given any

particular structure or guidelines to follow other than being written and collected at the end of

each session so as to assure that the ideas emerging from the discussion group were

communicated in a spontaneous manner.

The instruments’ piloting process displayed that the conversation given in the discussion

group progressed as expected, as the researcher stated the topic and then participants intervened

naturally. It was also useful in the sense that it displayed that the conceptualization of the terms

bilingualism and bilingual education were constructed by relying upon professional and personal

experiences instead of formal definitions. The protocols were piloted with some colleagues from

the university Master’s program who helped me assembling the questions which were then asked

to a fifth grade EFL teacher who was not a participant of this study. Her answers let me know

that the sentences used were clear enough to be filled out and that they provide the necessary

information about teachers’ ideas on bilingualism and on how bilingual education could be

imparted in the school this study took place.

In relation to the reflective journals, an aspect when piloting the first entry was that this

instrument provided not only teachers’ own ideas about bilingualism but information on how it

might have been constructed or shaped by the fact of sharing and dialoguing with colleagues

from different subjects. It was also displayed that this instrument provided an opportunity for

self-contained teachers to practice and hone their writing skills in the foreign language. As data

was analyzed using the computer software Atlas.ti, teachers were asked to write their reflections

and send them via e-mail since the third session.


69

It is important to state that all the used instruments had an emic perspective and were

second order data because as a researcher, I was able to capture what participants expressed from

their own experiences and points of view. What is more, the piloting of the instruments process

was a crucial element for structuring this study research design as it established whether the

sampling frame and instruments were suitable for collecting the data required to answer the

question leading this study. It was also useful in the sense of increasing trustworthiness to the

research study at the time of demonstrating coherence with the decisions made along the study.


70

Data Analysis

In this chapter, the description of the process used to analyze the data and the categories

that arose from that analysis are presented. Thus, I consider relevant to remind the research

question- what discourses do EFL and self-contained teachers draw on when envisaging a

bilingual curriculum within the context of professional development?- and the objectives

proposed to answer it, which aim at unveiling participants’ discourses in regards to this

phenomenon and at describing their professional development process when envisaging a

bilingual curriculum. Afterwards, the method followed to manage, reduce and analyze data is

describe in detail. Subsequently, the categories analysis and samples used will be discussed.

Data Analysis Methodology

Considering this research is framed within a Qualitative Discourse Study, data could be

approached from different perspectives. In regards to Jorgensen and Phillips (2002), discourse

analysis as a method, aims at an understanding of discourses as a social phenomenon. Therefore,

both the participants and their discursive practices were analyzed with the intention of

understanding the way meaning in relation to bilingualism was constructed and mediated. As this

research aims at unveiling EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses on bilingualism within

the context of professional development, it became necessary to implement the Qualitative

Content Analysis (QCA) in order to describe the meaning of data and to establish insightful

relationships among it that could contribute to both research fields: Discourse Studies and

Teacher Professional Development.

Besides, it was relevant to understand participants’ social reality by going beyond the

merely fact of counting words or extracting objective content from texts. As a result, I was able


71

to examine not only the relationships among concepts in a text but to reveal the means through

which individuals recognize and experience themselves as members of a community. In order to

understand this methodology and the way it fit within this study, a brief summary of its

philosophical basis and characteristics are introduced.

Qualitative Content Analysis

As presented by Stemler (2001), Content Analysis was firstly defined as a technique to

determine the presence of certain words or concepts within texts. These words were quantified,

analyzed by its frequency, and then grouped into categories, so inferences about the messages of

the text (mainly mass media texts and war propaganda) could be made. Nevertheless,

anthropologists, psychologists and sociologist started using this “technique” when conducting

qualitative studies and claimed meaning was a complex, holistic, context-depended and socially

constructed practice so it must be analyzed beyond the fact of merely counting and grouping

words (Schreier, 2012). In other words, frequency was considered important to determine

categories based on the speaker’s preferences but these categories needed to be contextualized in

more complex meaning relations.

Subsequently, two perspectives arose: conceptual analysis, that establishes the existence

and frequency of words, making it suitable for quantitative studies; and relational or qualitative

content analysis, which examines the relationships among the concepts found in a text (Schreier,

2012). This last advocate for the understanding of the way participants’ social realities,

knowledge, and identities converged. Hence, the distinction between both standpoints relies first,

on the degree of interpretation the researcher gives to texts and second, to texts’ context-

dependent meaning. Thus, it is reasonable to state that considering this study’s nature, discourses


72

are individual and collective expressions that shape realities, individuals and vice versa;

therefore, it cannot be limited to the quantitative method.

Under this vision, Krippendorff (2013; p. 22) assures researchers using qualitative

content analysis “ focus in discourses but less to criticize representations than to understand how

reality comes to be constituted in human interactions and in language, including written text”,

meaning both the language and the subjects are concurrently studied from a social perspective.

Hence, to analyze EFL and self-contained teachers’ discourses regarding bilingualism from this

perspective is to understand the relationship among discourse, social practices, and the teaching-

learning process. Similarly, participants’ professional development construction through the

exercise of sharing, reflecting and dialoguing could be portrayed by using this method as it

produces descriptions or typologies along with expressions from subjects reflecting how they see

and perceived themselves within the social world (Zhang and Wildemuth, 2009).

A number of key issues need to be addressed then to analyze data from this perspective.

Hsieh and Shannon (2005), for example, affirmed that the researcher needs to first decide the

qualitative content analysis approach from which data will be studied. They distinguish three

different approaches: conventional (inductive approach), direct (deductive approach), and

summative (deductive approach). Bearing in mind the purpose of this study is neither to test any

theory or previous research findings nor to establish the existence and frequency of concepts in a

text, data was analyzed from the conventional approach. Chart 3 presents each one of them in

detail.


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QCA Approach

Conventional Coding categories are derived directly and inductively from

the raw data

Direct

Initial coding starts with a theory or relevant research

findings. Then, by being immerse in data analysis, new

themes emerge.

Summative Starts with the counting of words. Then, extends to the

analysis to include latent meanings and themes

Chart 3

Qualitative Content Analysis Approaches (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005)

By using the conventional approach, I was able to look at data without bearing in mind

pre-established patterns from the literature review process and to establish complex relations

among concepts that were apparently unlinked but that give account on the way knowledge and

teaching practices were being experienced. With this in mind, participants’ discourses were

unveiled by following the process of data analysis described by Zhang and Wildemuth (2009).

Graphic13 displays the five stages of this process.

Graphic 13

QCA Data Analysis stages (Zhang and Wildemuth, 2009).

1. Preparing Data

2. Defining Unit of Analysis

3. Developing categories and a coding scheme

4. Drawing conclusions 5. Reporting Methods and findings


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1. Preparing Data

This initial stage denotes the processes and decisions I took in order to organize and

manage data. As this research dealt with a great amount of data, collected from three different

instruments (transcripts from the audio-recordings of the discussion group sessions, teacher

reflective journals and protocols), I decided to use the Atlas.ti software, which considering

Mayring (2014), assists the researcher into systematizing, controlling, and organizing step-by-

step a text analysis.

Therefore, protocols 1 and 2 (see annex F) were transcribed as well as the first three

teacher reflective journals. For the following sessions, participants were told to write them

digitally and send them via mail. In regards to the transcriptions from the discussion group’

sessions, these were copied out literally, avoiding sounds, pauses and other audible behaviors

that were not considered relevant for this study. The next step in managing data when using a

specialized software as suggested by Patton (2002) is to label them. Hence, a name for each

transcribed piece of information was used bearing in mind the instrument it came from, the

participant, and the session when it was collected. In this way, the data labelled as “rjMrs.P2”

refers to the reflective journal written by the participant Mrs. P in the second session;

“pro1Mrs.C” refers to the first protocol from Mrs. C. and “session 1 (April 25th)” to the

transcription from the first discussion group session.

Graphic 14 provides information of this process in the initial stage. By following this

step, data was not only practically organized but it provided a quick reference of a specific

participant discourse, which was essential at the time of achieving this study objectives.


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Graphic 14 Data Management- Labelling data Atlas.ti

2. Defining Unit of Analysis

As referenced by Zhang and Wildemuth (2009), the unit of analysis refers to the basic unit of

text to be classified in order to achieve the research objectives. As this study dealt with teacher’s

voices in regards to bilingualism when envisaging a bilingual curriculum, meaningful segments

obtained throughout the instruments were analyzed.

3. Developing categories and a coding scheme

Making an allowance for Krippendorff (2013), coding under the QCA method means to

name segments of the texts to then, group them in terms of categories. This process, as stated by

Cho and Lee (2014), entails a data reduction process and allows the researcher to focus on

selected aspects of the data that would naturally, give an answer to the research question.


76

Considering the fact that I followed an inductive approach, data was coded line by line so

as to remain open to it. It is important to mention that the initial analysis process was somehow

parallel to the data collection process in order to assure validity. In that sense, the first instrument

coded was the transcription from the first session since it contained not only some information

concerning the first protocol, but also explicit information when discussing-sharing with peers.

The same process was followed with the others instruments also from this first session (the

protocol and teacher reflective journal), evidencing some of the codes already found. This

coding scheme was used with the data collected from each session, which assessed coding

consistency. As a result, sixty open codes emerged, being one of them in vivo, as it refer to the

exact words of a participant.

In order to validate the information given by the instruments separately, methodological

triangulation described by Freeman (1998, p. 96) as the process that means “including multiple

sources of information or points of view on the phenomenon or question being investigated” was

used. By having this done, I came to know that the results shown by each instrument were

addressing directly to the research objectives proposed in this study. Using this method also

helped me to determine that in order to avoid discrepancies, data needed to be reduced even

more so each one of the emergent codes was defined.

This process, which also showed coding consistency, allowed me to establish similarities,

differences and connections among them. As a result, 30 open codes and 1 in vivo code

remained, which were then related by using link nodes such as “is part of; is cause of; is

associated with; is property of; and contradicts”. This process, known as axial coding (Charmaz,

2006) allowed relationships among the open codes to be visualized. Annex H displays the way

this process was done using Atlas.ti.


77

Considering the definitional theory ideas described by Mayring (2014), the codes were

grouped by considering the density each one had. The open codes with four or more connections

were selected as guiding codes and the remained- the ones with a lower density- grouped within

them by considering their relationship. Then, the eight codes with a higher density were

rearranged bearing in mind the research objectives, which allowed me to evidence a relation of

two of the remained codes with other two codes with higher density, reducing data even more.

In that way, it was concluded that three of them addressed directly to the first objective

as they dealt with participants’ thoughts and insights on bilingualism. The other three, gave

account on their professional development process as their names (to reflect, to question, to

vision), elucidate actions proper of this process, constituting the second research objective (see

Annex I). Subsequently, two main categories emerged with a view to give answer to the research

question leading this research. Graphic 15 presents them.

Graphic 15

Final Categories

Research Question Research Objectives Categories

What discourses do

EFL and self-

contained teachers

draw on when

envisaging a bilingual

curriculum within the

context of professional

development?

1. To unveil EFL and self-contained

teachers’ discourses on bilingualism

when envisaging a bilingual

curriculum within the context of

professional development

Bilingualism as a

phenomenon of social

control

2. To describe the EFL and self-

contained teachers professional

development process when

envisaging a bilingual curriculum

The art of questioning,

reflecting and visioning


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First Category: Bilingualism as a Phenomenon of Social Control

This category, as mentioned before, addressed the first research objective - to unveil EFL

and self-contained teachers’ discourses on bilingualism when envisaging a bilingual curriculum

within the context of professional development-. Its name describes how the phenomenon of

bilingualism in Colombia has been the result of the government and foreign entities efforts to

assure international links in regards to politics and economy through education: a practice that

has served to reproduce discourses aiming to safeguard some interests (González, 2007;

Guerrero, 2008; Escobar, 2013; Valencia, 2013).

Most of these discourses deal with the ideas of success, economic stability, access to

qualified education, trading, and the notion of participating in the mass consumer culture;

features of the well-known developed countries. As a result, educational actors and people’s

thoughts have been changed stratifying and excluding languages, institutions and communities

(Escobar, 2013). This conception, in regards of Fairclough (2003), is rooted in the economic and

political model of capitalism, which has had an impact that cannot be ignored on areas of social

life, especially the educational sphere, as it aims at achieving a global-knowledge economy.

In this sense, English has been designated as the language to be learnt and foreign

entities- mainly from North America or the United Kingdom-are the ones in charge of

developing the appropriate methodologies and materials to do so, influencing practices in

schools and universities (Guerrero and Quintero, 2009). The previous statement is evidenced in

the following excerpt, in which the participant enlightens how the educational practices in terms

of bilingualism, are limited to teaching English so as to access to industrialized technology and

qualified knowledge. Likewise, it reflects how some features in relation to the capitalism


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discourse [success, opportunities, and development], have become naturalized and are reinforced

in the classroom, where these discourses are kept and modified (Foucault, 2005).

MRS.N: “Pues yo diría q pues se trata sobre todo del comercio, de quien es el

país dominante y si tú quieres tener éxito en la vida, debes saber Inglés y por qué?

Entonces porque tú, porque todo lo que llega acá , todo lo que es conocimiento,

todo lo que se refiere a tecnologías y todo este tipo de cosas pues se desarrolla en

países donde se habla Inglés, entonces que pasa? Entonces en Colombia se

quiere, se quiere que los estudiantes hablen Inglés para que ellos vayan y se

formen allá y entonces para que nosotros podamos manejar la tecnología que se

hace allá para que nosotros podamos aplicarla”. (Discussion Group Session #2,

May 2, 2016; Mrs. N)

English Equivalent:

MRS.N: “Well, I would say because it is mainly about trading, about who the

dominant country is and if you want to succeed in life, you must know English,

why? because you, because everything that comes here, everything that is

knowledge, everything that refers to technologies and all these kind of things are

developed in countries where English is spoken, what happens then? Then in

Colombia it is wanted, it is wanted the students to speak English so they go and

get trained there so we can handle the technology that is done there so we can

apply it”

As noticed, the conditional statement “if you want to succeed in life you must

know English” gives account on how this EFL teacher conceives learning this language as

a vital aspect to do well in life, which is translated into having better incomes and getting

access to an advanced knowledge which of course, is only produced in the dominant

country. By asserting this, an opposite discourse in terms of the knowledge and the

technology developed or constructed in our country [or any that is not the dominant one],

is generated. In this sense, the participant is drawing on hegemonic discourses as the idea

supported is that people cannot succeed unless they reproduce what is done or said by

others, which in her words is to be “trained”, a concept that has assured the powerful

countries to exercise economic control over the retrogress ones (Kachru, 1992). Like this,

the knowledge of the foreign language is endorsed as a solution to many problems


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worldwide. Besides, English and general education are seen just as personal achievements

rather than as an efficient tool to construct society and be part of it.

Hence, the bilingualism concept has been narrowed to the ability of speaking

English, which in Guerrero´s (2008) view, represents a political issue to assure dominance

and control instead of being related to language per se. According to the data, it was

observed that the participants’ discourses in relation to the phenomenon under study-

bilingualism- circled around English prevalence and its importance over other languages,

including their mother tongue. This, as affirmed by Bonilla Carvajal & Tejada-Sánchez

(2016), deals with all matters pertaining to development, progress, richness, and

prosperity.

Similar results were found in the research conducted by Barkhuizen (2002) with African

learners, as they stated preferring learning English in the school over any African language due

to the status of the first one. This ideal, as described by Pennycook (1998), is rooted in colonial

discourses that served to be the foundation of some of the central ideologies of current English

language teaching, where it [the foreign language] is promoted under the premise of being

superior to other languages. The next excerpt, taken from the transcript of the 1st session,

displays the previous avowal.

MRS.C: “Yo considero que el bilingüismo como se ha visto desde hace varios

años si es como bueno, esa segunda lengua y se le ha dado esa fuerza al Inglés sin

desmeritar otro tipo de lenguas o de idiomas como se hace ver en varias

instituciones educativas cuando ya sea simplemente que el Francés, que el

Alemán, que el Mandarín, y se ha tomado como referente ese ese ese idioma o

ese Inglés para qué? Para precisamente hacer un intercambio no solamente de

conocimiento como un idioma base sino también un intercambio cultural visto

desde Colombia en donde son muchas las personas que vienen de otras regiones

del mundo en donde se habla precisamente el Inglés independientemente de si es

un Inglés Británico o…


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MRS.J: Americano?

MRS.C: O Americano entonces es como como ese ideal también no solamente

visto desde la política colombiana para volver una Colombia bilingüe desde los

más pequeños hasta los grandes en diferentes contextos sino también es como

buscar ese intercambio eh cultural, científico, y de otros ámbitos con esos países”

(Discussion Group Session #1, April 25, 2016; Mrs. C and Mrs. J)

English equivalent:

MRS.C: “I consider the way bilingualism has been seen for many years is good, that

second language, and English has been reinforced without diminishing other

languages as seen in many educational institutions when it is either French, German,

Mandarin, and it has been taken as a reference that language or English what for? To

precisely make an exchange not only in terms of knowledge as a language base but

also as a cultural exchange seen from Colombia, where there are many people

coming from other regions of the world where English is spoken regardless of

whether it is a British English or...

MRS. J: American?

MRS. C: or American then is as that ideal not only seen from the Colombian

politics to make a bilingual Colombia from the youngest up to the adults in different

contexts but also as a way to look for exchange eh cultural, scientific, among other

areas with these countries”

The first affirmative sentence implies that bilingualism is a concept that has been present

in our country for about a while and that this participant agrees with the notion given to it in the

Colombian context, which as previously discussed, is limited to the fact of speaking English.

This last premise is reinforced when acknowledging that even though there are more languages

being taught in different institutions, English is the one that allows citizens to have cultural and

scientific exchange and in that sense, the policies carried out by the government are acceptable.

This discourse of manipulation, as named by Guerrero and Quintero (2009), -where

English has been encapsulated and represented as the ideal of foreign languages due to the

economic and political links with nations as the USA or the UK-, has been promoted by the

Colombian government through educational material such as the Estándares (Standards).

Therefore, the spread of English as the language to be learnt to access to education, mass media,


82

technology and business, has been easier and faster to be extent among educational institutions

and actors.

This will explain then, the fact that both participants restricted the linguistic variation of

English to the American and British one, a common phenomenon that in the light of Kachru´s

(1992) theory of the Three Circles of English, allows countries from the inner circle to exercise

economic control over the countries from the expanding circle. As a result, citizens are subjected

to learn and teach this language while being positioned as followers. The following excerpt taken

from a reflective journal evidences this assertion:

“…y es triste que sea solamente Inglés; que uno no diga no es que como a mí me

gustan las lenguas romances entonces yo voy a estudiar Francés y todo pero no,

uno dice no me importa, ¿por qué? Porque la mayoría del mundo habla Inglés”.

(Journal Entry #3, May 16, 2016; Mrs. P)

English equivalent:

“… and it is sad that it is just English; it is not that you say if I like romance

languages then I will study French and that, but no, we say I don’t care, why?

Because most of the people worldwide speaks English”.

As read in the first line, it seemed as if Mrs. P was somehow showing her disagreement

to the fact of having to learn English. Nonetheless, her words “I don’t care” suggest somehow

indifference and acceptance towards this circumstance, a contrast that could also be identified by

the use of the conjunction but. Hence, it could be said that she draws upon colonial discourses as

she holds strong views towards learning the foreign language due to its ideal status and the

worldwide acceptance; features that reinforce the idea of English supremacy, where its relevance

and influence is unquestionable and it rather turns out to be a common sense matter.


83

As well, her statement considering Tollefson’s (2000) view, constitute hegemonic

discourses, as ideas, meanings and values- are experienced as absolute reality and are designated

to influence the decisions, thoughts and actions of others. The intention of reproducing these

discourses in relation to bilingualism then, will always favor English over other languages.

Participants’ assertion with respect to this matter, demonstrated that the importance given to this

language relies upon the success- given in terms of economic stability- of countries where it is

the mother tongue. In this sense, being bilingual in our country- that is to speak English- is

highly associated to first, an increase in the salary that turns out in having a better life style and

secondly, to have better professional opportunities, as displayed in the following fragment:

MRS. L: “Si uno no lo hace, si digamos yo digo o declaro que me opongo a esto

a los 27 años a no aprender Inglés porque yo entiendo y leo y ya soy bilingüe y

entiendo y punto, pero si yo hago eso toda la vida me voy a quedar en un colegio

de $1’500.000 es que eso, ósea, esa es la triste realidad es un capitalismo salvaje

y todo pero es la realidad”. (Discussion Group Session #3, May 16, 2016; Mrs. L)

English Equivalent:

MRS. L:“If one does not do it, if let’s say, I say or declare that I am against this

at the age of 27, to not learn English because I understand and read and I am

already a bilingual, and I understand and so on, but if I do that all my life I will be

stay in a $1’500.000 [pesos] school, is that, I mean, it is a sad reality it, is a

savage capitalism and so but it is the reality”

Block and Cameron (2002) asserted that people have always learnt languages for

economic reasons; nonetheless in a post-industrial economy, the linguistic skills of workers at all

levels take on new importance, as referenced by this participant when emphasizing in the

payment she will receive “all her life” unless she speaks English. This cipher, also used in a

lessen way to refer to a school category, seems to give account on the opportunities to grow

professionally and presupposes that these are given in accordance with the salary.


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In a like manner, her words “to not learn English because I understand, and read, and I

am already a bilingual, and I understand, and so on”, presume that her view in regards to

bilingualism is fragmented since despite the fact of identifying herself as a bilingual, a

distinction between skills is made. Hence, it could be asserted that the “savage capitalism”

changes the conditions under which language learning takes place at the time of overshadowing

teachers’ resisting discourses due to their economical remuneration and unrealistic expectations

of success.

Although bilingualism discourses aim at project the image of diversity and prospering

worldwide, the spread of English has led to inequality among the countries from the inner, outer

and expanding circles (Kachru, 1992). As reported by Tollefson (2000), the citizens who belong

to the inner circle, the economic value of having English as their mother tongue means

inordinate opportunities in education, business and employment. On the other hand, the ones

who have to learn the language- that is the ones belonging to the outer and expanding circles-,

the spread of English presents a huge obstacle in the same areas. In this sense, the treatment for

all the English speakers worldwide has not result evenhanded. This contradiction, as displayed in

the following journal entry-written originally in English-, evidences how the idealism portrayed

by the fact of speaking English is not as marvelous as presented by the government and foreign

entities.

“We discussed about the status given by a label such as bilingual and what it

represents to an institution and to a professional. Sadly, I have witnessed the great

worry of people around me (colleagues, graduates from diverse majors, the

school and parents of students) of being able to be bilingual with such a haste,

spending more and more money, time, resources, etc., because otherwise they

won’t be able to compete for a better paid job, a scholarship or simply more

professional and personal opportunities against those who speak English. The

feeling among them is that without English their studies and their effort aren’t

worthy, and I guess that is a generalized impression among Colombians,


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especially those who are looking to enter the “globalized” market and be

successful”.(Journal Entry #2, May 2, 2016; Mrs. N)

As stated by this participant in the introductory sentence, the “tag” of being bilingual is a

relevant issue among Colombian citizens as it has a direct relation with opportunities related to

education and professions. Nevertheless, she seems to draw on a resistance discourse as her

reflection also elucidates some adverse issues for the English learners such as spending great

amounts of money and time, reinforcing the idea that being bilingual is a privilege -not a right-

that not all the citizens can afford as it is restrained to payment (De Mejía, 2002). Besides, Mrs.

N´s words “the feeling among them is that without English their studies and their effort aren’t

worthy” suggest somehow that learners’ professional identity is being questioned, and in doing

so, her personal identity-that is, who he or she truly is- is being affected as well.

In the word of Calhoun (2012), identity refers to the conscious or unconscious thoughts

and emotions of the individual, its sense of itself, and its ways of understanding its relation to the

world, which means a person´s identity is always changing, struggling, or being redefined

through the wide range of discourses an individual is exposed to. Consequently, the term identity

thus always includes a relation to others and to a socio-cultural life even though it is generally

perceived as the relation of the singular human being to him or herself (Camargo and Orbegozo,

2011). The following excerpt displays Mrs. P drawing on hegemonic discourses as her identities-

both professional and personal- resulted affected by the conception of bilingualism held

nowadays.

MRS. P: “Mejoraría muchísimo porque aportaría la hoja de vida, y no solamente

a la hoja de vida en pro de tipo económico sino que uno podría conseguir un

trabajo en una universidad o haciendo investigaciones en Inglés o vincularse con

universidades, no solo en ese sentido, sino que también uno profesionalmente

sentiría que seguiría ascendiendo pues porque digamos que el hecho de dictar

clases en Inglés como Música o Arte, repercute para uno en un avance en un


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progreso de uno como profesional yo pienso que hasta mejor persona se sentiría

porque independientemente que estemos de acuerdo o no con el bilingüismo y

con que se aplique , el hecho que uno vea que está aprendiendo y está en su

carrera y eso pues no se lo beneficiaria y lo ayudaría psicológicamente lo sentiría

a uno a sentirse mejor; para mí emocionalmente me encantaría que uff yo diera

una clase de literatura en Inglés durante cuarenta minutos seguida,

independientemente de que me paguen más o que consiga un mejor puesto

emocionalmente eso sería muy grato”

(Discussion group session #4, May 31, 2016; Mrs. P)

English Equivalent:

MRS. P: “It would improve a lot because it would contribute to the curriculum

vitae, and not only in regards of economy but in the sense that one would get a

job in a university or in doing research in English or getting enroll in universities,

not only in that sense, but professionally one would feel as continuing ascending

because dictating classes such as arts or music in English has an incidence, it

means an improvement as a professional. I think that one would even feel as a

better person because despite the fact, we agree or disagree with the bilingualism

and the way it has been applied, the fact that one sees that it is learning and it is

practicing its major will be a benefit and would help it psychologically, it would

make it feel better. For me, emotionally, I would love that, wow, that I could give

a class of literature in English for forty minutes non-stop, regardless of whether

they pay me more or get a better position, emotionally that would be very

grateful”

Considering the sample above, it could be evidenced the influence of the participant’s

professional identity over the personal one, as being a better professional or ascending -by the

fact of speaking English-, would make her feel as a better person- that means to fit within the

concepts of quality and consumerism that lead society nowadays. These concepts, in regards to

authors such as Gee (1999), and Escobar (2013), have modified and standardized the personal

and collective identities regulating thoughts, individualism and inspiration in order to introduce

procedures, which seek to benefit specific social groups.


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Similarly, Guerrero and Quintero (2009) described in their research that the aim of

teaching-learning English is to reproduce homogeneity not only in language variety, but also in

social behavior. Hence, the different skills, knowledge or abilities a professional might have, are

being relegated to a second level. In this sense, the importance given to the fact of speaking

English notwithstanding of people’s profession- has become into the most valuable requirement-

even above a college degree or any other kind of knowledge, holding back the professional

development process.

With this in mind, it could also be asserted that not knowing the language would

presuppose a negative effect on an individual self-stem. However, the following sample, a

fragment of a journal entry, shows up how speaking English could also lead to a negative effect

on teacher’s personal and professional identities as aspects such as competitiveness and

language proficiency test have increased.

“Most of the people I have talked to since I was in the school, agreed on the fact

that speaking English will give us a lot of opportunities both professional and

personally, but now that I have had the opportunity to study it as a major, I realize

that the opportunities are not so great: our salary is not increasing as time passes

by; we have more competence than ever before, we are forced to accept teaching

other classes as social studies, math or science even though we were not prepared

for that and we have to take tests to demonstrate that we really studied and know

English”. (Reflective Journal Entry #1, April 25, 2016; Mrs. J).

As stated by this EFL teacher, speaking English does not constitute having mere

professional and personal advantages as promoted by governmental entities in Colombia; it does

indeed, presuppose new challenges as described by the participant (low salary, academic

overload and proficiency tests). These adverse effects can also be evident in Day, Elliot &

Kington’s (2005) study, who stated that educational policies as the ones of bilingualism, have


88

had a great influence in teachers’ demoralization and an increase in the abandonment of the

profession, having as a result, poor quality in the education provided to the learners.

Sharkey, Clavijo, & Ramirez’s (2016), research also affirmed that the increase of

standardization and testing has undermined teachers’ professional judgement, while Escobar

(2013, p. 58) reported that local knowledge is “often made to appear archaic, silly or

untrustworthy”. The following excerpt exemplifies the previous discussion. The sentences in

bold refer to the frames established in the protocol.

“Después de debatir acerca de las concepciones de bilingüismo y educación

bilingüe con mis colegas, he concluido que hay demasiadas visiones en torno a

esta temática ligadas a intereses políticos y no educativos y que la propuesta

Nacional Bilingüe es un programa que tiene muchas debilidades en cuanto a

concepción y ejecución; limitando y desmejorando la calidad educativa en

términos de aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera Esta política ha influenciado

mis prácticas docentes de forma negativa ya que limita y de cierto modo

controla no solo las temáticas sino la metodología y objetivos de aprendizaje, es

decir, controla lo que sucede dentro del aula y fuera de ésta. Así mismo, mi

desarrollo profesional docente ha sido enfocado en educación formal y

desarrollo de estrategias que permitan obtener mejores scores en los exámenes

internacionales”. (Protocol #2, May 16, 2016; Mrs. J).

English Equivalent:

"After discussing about the conceptions of bilingualism and bilingual

education with my colleagues, I have concluded that there are too many

visions around this topic linked to political and non-educational interests and

that the National Bilingual proposal is a program that has many weaknesses in

terms of conception and execution; limiting and impairing the quality of

education in terms of learning a foreign language. This policy has influenced my

teaching practices in a negative way, since it limits and controls in a certain way

not only the contents but the methodology and learning objectives, that is, it

controls what happens inside and outside the classroom. Likewise, my

professional teaching development has been focused on formal education and

development of strategies that allow better scores in international exams”.

As concluded by Mrs. J, the fact that bilingual policies in Colombia are rooted in

economic and trading views has had an adverse influence in the teaching-learning process as


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well as in teachers’ professional development. Considering her assertion towards the control of

methodologies, contents and objectives, there are grounds for believing that these policies are

somehow denying and annulling experiences while privileging foreign entities. Similarly, it

might be asserted that the discourses in which the bilingualism concept is grounded, aim at

diminishing local teachers’ both personal and professionally, as they have been marginalized by

telling them what to do and how to do it (Johnson and Golombek, 2002). In this sense, they have

been positioned as followers by denying their creativity and collectivity.

In view of Valencia (2013), this strategy is set so as to give continuity to hegemonic

discourses to first, get the consent of the citizens about private and foreign entities intervention;

and second, the need to constantly evaluate and certify Colombian teachers’ knowledge in the

foreign language. On the contrary, Mora, Trejo & Roux (2014) research on EFL professional

development and identities concluded that language proficiency certifications can also serve as

instruments of empowerment, as both of their participants experienced a stronger desired to

pursue and improve their formal education after taking these tests.

This brings up the question of whether these practices seem to accentuate the inequality

between the ones who are English learners and the ones who have it as their mother tongue or

not. Considering Tollefson (2000) -this phenomenon deals with the idea that the English spoken

by the non-native speakers has some variations in regards to accent, which give it a different

status- a lower one-; therefore, the proficiency in the language- compared to the natives-has to

be certified.

This language standardization as described by Lippi-Green (1997) is grounded on

ideological structures aiming at preserving the perfection and purity of the language. Hence, this


90

assumption could be affirmed to be somehow denying language and societal changes, at the time

of having an impact on teacher’s professional and personal identities as “the need to demonstrate

what has already been achieved presupposes insecurity or an inherent lack of self-confidence”.

(Tuteng, 1974; p. 9). On top of that, the continuous need to certify the language proficiency for

the non-native speakers can accentuate their deficiencies rather than their proficiencies as

affirmed by Baker (2001) whilst strengthens the idea that the language is nothing but a set of

grammatical rules measured through isolated skills. Thus, teachers’ emancipatory practices are

limited, as teachers seem to be condemned to be passive recipients.

Taking this into account, it could be asserted that either speaking English or not, citizens

for the expanding circle do not experience the same opportunities of triumphing in terms of

personal and professionally life than the ones belonging to the inner circle (Kachru, 1992).

Similarly, the way they are perceived -that is, the credibility each one has in terms of

professionalism- is uneven as well. The next piece of data evidence first, how the conception of

bilingualism under hegemonic and colonial discourses indulgence native English speakers within

monolingual contexts over local teachers and secondly, how this assumption has led teachers to

wonder whether or not continue being educators.

MRS.L: “es pensar que lo nativo es mejor, yo no sé si ustedes supieron hace

como dos años vino un extranjero, un gringo a dictar al colegio Science en

primaria y como él hablaba obviamente Inglés todo el mundo mejor dicho, Súper

Peter, y el tipo cuando llegaba al colegio no hacía nada, no preparada ni nada de

nada, pero igual como era nativo americano pues nadie decía nada, y pasa eso en

Colombia traen son unos profesores extranjeros gringos y que no saben nada de

pedagogía cero e igual están enseñando en los colegios bilingües”

(Discussion Group Session #2, May 2, 2016; Mrs. L).

English Equivalent:

MRS.L: “it is to think that the native speaker is better, I do not know if you knew

that two years ago a foreigner came to this school, a gringo, to teach science in


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elementary and obviously he spoke English so everybody though he was like

Super Peter, and when the guy arrived to the school he did anything, he did not

prepare [the lessons] or anything at all, but as he was an American native no one

said anything, and that happens in Colombia, they bring foreigner teachers,

gringos and they do not know anything at all about pedagogy but they’re still

teaching in bilingual schools”

As declared by Mrs. L, the fact of being a native speaker within a country as ours is

synonym of getting job opportunities regardless of having or not a degree. Likewise, it gives a

look at the way educational and governmental actors position them above local teachers, in terms

of expertise, which reinforces the idea of native English speakers’ superiority, as her words

“super Peter” denote. González and Sierra (2005) described parallel results in their study with

eighteen Colombian teachers who give account of their professional alternatives to achieve

higher standards in their jobs. Participants of this study displayed that since being exposed to

foreign models of training and education, native speakers-in spite of their profession- are viewed

as the source of knowledge and expertise, an understanding that has affected and shaped their

identities as teachers.

Alike, Wang (2013) investigation entitled Non- native EFL Teacher Trainees’ Attitude

towards the Recruitment of NESTs and Teacher Collaboration in Language Classrooms reported

that Taiwanese EFL teachers feel their professional roles are being threaten by the policy of

recruiting and hiring native speakers, yet, they are willing to work with them collaboratively as

long as they are qualified teachers.

One of the most striking features concerning this issue is the idea that the teaching

profession per se is not that relevant as people who do not have the necessary expertise and/or

vocation are legitimized to do it, producing an effect on the practices inside and outside the

classroom. Consequently, teachers nowadays aim at studying English so as to give continuity to


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their jobs or to be able to find new opportunities in different fields. The following extract from a

self-contained teacher who draws on hegemonic and colonial discourses, shows that one factor

when making the decision of continuing being a teacher or not, is mediated by the salary fee and

working conditions. Besides, the motivation of selecting an emphasis – either EFL or self-

contained- as well as the pedagogical discourse in terms of professional development, seem to be

regulated by the fact of speaking English.

MRS.P.: “si toca es cambiar de profesión, la verdad yo he buscado puestos en

otra cosa que no sea de profesor y en la mayoría miran que uno hable inglés o,

por ejemplo, yo aplique para un puesto que era para ser promotora de lectura de la

biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, un súper buen sueldo, solo pedían que uno tuviera

posgrado y aun con eso yo llegue y preguntaron quien habla inglés. Por qué?

Porque así uno no sea profesor de inglés pues podemos tener un negocio con

gringos, pueden venir personas de otros países, a la biblioteca más importante de

Colombia y mejor dicho tú tienes que saber Inglés, hasta para corrección de

estilo, así diga que es corrector de estilo de Español ahí te quedas en cambio que

tú digas que eres corrector de estilo y de traducción te va a ir mejor

MRS.L.: sí, claro si tú eres un profesor bilingüe te ganas el doble, el triple, ahí no

hay nada que hacer”

English Equivalent:

MRS. P.: “yeah we have to change our profession, the truth is that I have looked

for jobs different from being a teacher and most of them look that one speaks

English or, for example, I applied for a position that was to be a reading promoter

of the Luis Angel Arango library, excellent salary, they only required a major and

even with that I got there and they asked who spoke English. Why? Because even

though one is not an English teacher, we can have a business with gringos

[Americans], people from other countries can come to the most important library

of Colombia and you must know English, even for copyediting, even though you

say you are a copyeditor of Spanish you got stuck in there but if you say you are a

copyeditor and translator it will be better

MRS. L.: yeah, of course if you are a bilingual teacher you will earn double,

triple times, there is nothing to do”

(Discussion Group Session #4, May 31, 2016; Mrs. P and Mrs. L)

To sum up, the discourses both EFL and self-contained teachers draw on in relation to

bilingualism are grounded on hegemonic, colonial and manipulation notions that circulated and


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are accepted naturally worldwide due to economical commodities. Henceforth, this phenomenon

has been limited to the English language, which has been consecrated as the language to be

learned in the light of imaginaries of better personal and professional opportunities, affecting

local institutions, people and pedagogical practices. In addition, it was discussed how these

discourses have had affected the personal and professional identities of educators and the

incidence of it inside and outside the classroom.

Henceforth, it could be stated that there is a mismatch between the reality promoted-

success, economic stability, apprehension and cultural exchange- and the one experienced by

teachers- great amount of investment, competitiveness, continuous certification, and controlled

and limited knowledge-. Alike, the false idea that the social and economic inequality among

countries from the inner and expanding circles has turned into a naturalized discourse, allowing

foreign entities to take control of human resources and thoughts while limiting the language to

serve simple instrumental purposes.

Nonetheless, by working together both EFL and self-contained teachers can resist the

discourses in which the concept of bilingualism is built upon. By doing so, practices inside and

outside the classroom can be transformed and our role as social beings can be recognized.

Therefore, I consider relevant to explore the way in which teachers empowered themselves and

others by means of sharing pedagogical and personal experiences.


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Second Category: The Art of Questioning, Reflecting, and Visioning

This category, aims at describing the EFL and self-contained teachers’ professional

development process when envisaging a bilingual curriculum, which constitutes the second

research objective proposed for this study. Its name designates the process in which participants

were involved in order to resist the hegemonic, colonial and manipulation discourses previously

identified, allowing them to be empowered and engaged in critical praxis (González, 2007). By

doing so, their voices in terms of curriculum design and bilingual education became visible. The

participants in this study showed that questioning, reflecting and visioning are main issues within

general education and professional growth, confirming this last one as a process that goes

beyond formal education, evaluation, and standards, since the goal is to facilitate teachers’

understanding and comprehension of the practice (Richards and Farrell, 2005).

Questioning, reflecting and visioning could be denominated as dynamical phases in

which both EFL and self-contained teachers were immersed. They also denote the means of

looking into the past and the present to picture a future; actions that in regards of authors such as

Jhonson and Golombek (2002), and Biesta and Tedder (2007), suggest reflecting on experiences,

making sense of a phenomenon and construct agency- that is- the capacity of acting and

transforming teachers’ educational practices. Participants’ insights with respect to this matter

revealed that reviewing and sharing present and past experiences in regards to bilingualism were

key aspects to envision a meaningful and contextualized bilingual curriculum.


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The following excerpts reveal first, the way the bilingualism concept is co-constructed by

means of interaction and secondly, the way this practice reshaped or confirmed educators’ beliefs

in relation to the phenomenon under study.

MRS.C: “Los colegios también deben ser claros en si son bilingües es el énfasis

intensivo en el Inglés porque se vende la idea de bilingüe cuando realmente se

maneja es un énfasis y en muchas instituciones pasa eso

MRS.J: Pero entonces ahí también tendríamos que mirar cómo es que se está

midiendo el bilingüismo

MRS.C: Exactamente

MRS.L: Si es que se mide el bilingüismo porque yo no puedo decir

MRS.C: Si se mide exactamente

MRS.L: Yo no puedo decir que aquí los bilingües realmente no son bilingües

porque como decía Pilar, se está omitiendo y se suprime el uso de la primera

lengua entonces ya no es bilingüe

MRS.C: Exactamente

MRS.J: Sigue siendo monolingüe pero en una lengua extranjera entonces el

concepto de bilingüismo está muy errado porque todo el mundo es ahí

bilingüismo es se asocia solamente con hablar Inglés

MRS.P: si

MRS.N: Lo que tu decías de los Wayuu porque no se reconoce eso

MRS.P: Ósea muchos niños hablan Wayuu y tienen que llegar a no ser por varios

motivos desplazamiento o bueno varias cosas varios factores llegan a una a una

como se llama? a una comunidad un colegio les imponen esa parte del Español ya

es traumático para ellos y el Inglés y no reconocen que ya es bilingüe por el

hecho de tener una lengua indígena

MRS.J: claro

MRS.N: Entonces realmente el concepto de bilingüismo pues no está, solamente

hay una es hablar Inglés punto no hay otra cosa”

(Discussion group session #1, April 25, 2016; Mrs. P; Mrs.L; Mrs.J; Mrs.N; Mrs.C)

English Equivalent:

MRS.C: “The schools have to be clear as well by saying whether they are

bilingual or if they have intensive English because they sell the idea of being

bilingual when they just have an emphasis and in many institutions this happens

MRS.J: but then we will have to look at the way bilingualism is being measured

MRS.C: Exactly

MRS.L: if it can be measured because I cannot say that

MRS.C: if it can be measured

MRS.L: I cannot say that here the bilinguals are not really bilinguals because as

Mrs. P. said, the use of the mother tongue is omitted and suppressed then it is not

bilingual

MRS.C: Exactly


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MRS.J: It is still being monolingual but in a foreign language, then the concept

of bilingualism is really wrong because everybody is [bilingual], here the

bilingualism is only associated with the fact of speaking English

MRS.P: yes

MRS.N: it is what you said about the Wayuu, because it [their knowledge] is not

acknowledged

MRS.P: I mean many children speak Wayuu and they have to arrive due to

different factors, for displacement, or well, different factors they arrive to a, what

is it called? To a community, to a school, and the Spanish is being imposed which

is traumatic for them and the English, and they are not acknowledged as

bilinguals because they have an indigenous language

MRS.J: of course

MRS.N: Then the concept of bilingualism is not there, there is only one, speaking

English and that is it, there is nothing else”

As evidenced, the process of co-constructing the concept of bilingualism was given by

means of interaction, that is, to relate previous ideas with the ones provided by the other

participants. To do so, elements from their immediate and common contexts [school and

country] were used so as to exemplify the practices regarding the phenomenon under study as

well as be able to establish a consensus. This, evidenced in Mrs. N.’s last intervention and the

use of inclusive and supportive statements along the interaction: “we will have to look”; “as

Mrs.P said”; “exactly”; “of course”; and “it is what you said”.

This peer dialogue, as established in Nielsen, Triggs, Clarke & Collins’ (2010) research,

encourages participants to generate new ways to think about the practicum and their work with

the other teachers. It also prompts the constructivist notion of learning proposed by Vygotsky,

which comprises socialization and individualization as mediators of the learning process

(Richards & Rodgers, 2001). Likewise, Wheatley (2002) reported it fosters reflection and

generates questions that might lead to induce disequilibrium and change while supporting

motivation to learn and promote productive collaboration. The following journal entry presents

how questions and considerations emerged after discussing with peers and how beliefs are either


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reshaped or confirmed. It also evidences this EFL teacher concerns about the way bilingual

education is conceived in Colombia and her personal and professional commitment with change.

“I guess most of us just believe what they say, that if we are certified or if we

achieve the Estándares or follow the methodology and books provided by the

publishing houses we will be better…but better for whom? What for? Certainly

not for the students nor the teachers…yes of course, some students like that and

learn that way, but other find it boring… I hate working on grammar or being

pressed by the international test scores…and I guess not all the teachers like

doing that, but I guess we do not have enough spaces to discuss these things, we

do not get together to talk about methodology or tools or government decisions

that of course affect us even though we are not “public schools” so we do not care

much about doing other stuff that are most of the time, time consuming. I like this

time with my colleagues, it feels refreshing and useful, I feel better and try to do

better my job based on what we have discussed and learn, I think we have an

excellent opportunity to make a change, at least for us since I suppose as always,

nobody is going to listen or appreciate what we are trying to do”.

(Journal Entry #3, May 16, 2016; Mrs. J)

Mrs. J’s first statement reveals her beliefs towards bilingualism, which as discussed in the

previous category, were based on manipulation and hegemonic discourses. After that, she posted

two questions with answers that seem to give account on the reflection process she followed after

dialoguing with her peers, as her words “certainly not for the students nor the teachers…” are

opposite to the success and benefits promoted through those discourses. Similarly, she

recognized the importance of working together and relying upon others so as to improve and

enrichen pedagogical practices.

In addition, the participiant acknowledged the fact of being aware of bilingualism policies

regardless of the school category- either public or private- a claim that has also been made by

Colombian researchers in order to create mechanisms of equal academic participation between

policy makers and teacher educators (González, 2007; Guerrero and Quintero, 2009; Usma,

2009; Escobar, 2013; Valencia, 2013; Chaves and Guapacha, 2016).


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On account of the fact that she used positive adjectives in the last lines to describe the

personal and professional impact of the discussion group sessions, it could be asserted that by

sharing experiences and knowledge that has been significant for each teacher during it, this

process became significant as well. Likewise, it gives account on how encountering constructive

experiences with colleagues is a powerful tool to encourage teachers to face discourses and

practices that aim at diminishing them as professionals, as stated in her final sentence.

This statement is reaffirmed in the next journal entry, in which the participant highlighted

not only the need of dialoguing and sharing with colleagues, but also the significance of peer

coaching (Diaz-Maggioli, 2003), a strategy suitable for teachers who need to implement a

foreign language and new pedagogical practices in the classroom (see Instructional Design

chapter).

“I love the fact of sharing more with my colleagues; I think is something we need

constantly be doing: discussing and even visiting others classes without the

intention of evaluating but learning from others is enlighten”.

(Journal Entry #5, June 7, 2016; Mrs. N)

As previously indicated, this excerpt focuses on the constructive and encouraging impact

of listening to the voice of the other, which corroborates the fact that understanding the

professional development process as achieving institutional goals is insufficient, a result that

was also evident in Mora, Trejo & Roux’s (2014) study, whose participants also revealed has a

close connection with teachers’ identities. Concerning this aspect, Harré (2003), argued we exist

as people for other people and for ourselves as individuals; thus, sharing, dialoguing and

witnessing others’ pedagogical practices heighten teachers’ personal and professional identities

as we became aware of the role of others, developing a sense of change contained by their

opinions and actions.


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This statement is supported by Mrs. N’s words “learning from others is enlighten”,

which denote a sense of connectedness to others beyond the self. Besides, it engages both EFL

and self-contained teachers in collaborative work, reducing the sense of isolation and being

emotionally supported to develop pedagogical strategies aiming at contributing towards the

teaching-learning process in regards to not only bilingualism, but general education too.

“¿Qué estrategias pueden implementarse entre nosotros de acuerdo con una revisión

previa de clases? Creo que cada uno de nosotros implementa estrategias y métodos

de enseñanza-aprendizaje, por lo que una de las maneras de ampliar la aplicación del

bilingüismo es compartiendo entre nosotros aquellas que han sido implementadas y

que puedan funcionar en una u otra clase”.

(Journal Entry #6, June 21, 2016; Mrs. C)

English Equivalent:

“What strategies can be implemented among us according to a class that has

previously checked? I believe each one of us implement teaching-learning strategies

and methods, so one of the ways to spread the bilingualism is to share among us

those [the strategies and methods] that have been implemented and that might work

in one or other class"

As seen, collaborative work among peers can be seen as a very fruitful interaction to

learn from. Besides, the particularity of having different emphasis- either EFL or self-contained-

stresses the importance of sharing and adapting pedagogical strategies in regards to bilingualism

that aim to meet learners and their contexts, as this collaboration in view of Wang (2013),

provides opportunities to develop teacher leadership, enhances student learning, and promotes

school success.

In this sense, the peer coaching strategy was an opportunity for teachers to learn and grow,

as they were able to explore new and contextualized methodologies, materials and strategies as

display in the following piece of transcription, in which the use of technology is seen as a means


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of clarifying and relating academic concepts with students’ real life, without substituting

teachers’ guiding role.

Mrs. N: “yo visite la clase de la profesora [Mrs.L] en la clase ella estaba

profundizando los conceptos de los elementos bio...los bioelementos y digamos

que me gustó mucho algo que creo no solamente sirve para un proyecto bilingüe

pero para otro, digamos otro contexto, y es el uso digamos de la tecnología,

porque ella puso un video en Inglés en donde se explicaba de manera muy

gráfica, muy clara para los estudiantes, cuáles eran los bioelementos y cuál era la

función en el cuerpo humano y todas estas cosas, entonces eso sería como lo que

más recalcaría, lo que digamos para cualquier tema es bueno utilizar recursos

audiovisuales que digamos que saquen pues ese sentido abstracto de los

conceptos, porque al decir bioelemento pues uno no necesariamente lo relaciona

fácilmente con lo que es, con la vida real y con el video que ella utilizó, pues si

se hacía, y obviamente la profesora ella hacia como la síntesis, la reflexión, la

retroalimentación de esto fue lo que vimos en el video y esto es lo que pasa en la

vida real y como pues eso se ubica en la tabla periódica y así, si? Es como esa

manera de unir, de ligar lo que conocen en la vida real los estudiantes con la

teoría” (Discussion group session #8, July 22, 2016; Mrs.N)

English Equivalent:

Mrs. N: “I visited professor´s [Mrs.L] class in which she was deepening in the

concepts of the bio… the bio-elements, and let's say that I really liked something

that I believe is not only useful for a bilingual project but for another, let's say,

another context, and it is the use of technology because she played a video in

English which it was explained in a very graphical way, very clear to students,

what the bio-elements were and their function in the human body and all these

things,so it will be the aspect I would emphasize the most, that for any topic it is

good to use audiovisual aids that take out the abstract sense of the concepts,

because when saying bio-element no one does necessarily relate it easily to what

it is, with the real life, and with the video she used, it was done, and obviously the

teacher, she did the synthesis, the reflection, the feedback about what we saw in

the video and this is what happens in the real life, and how that is located in the

periodic table, and like that, right? It is like that way of uniting, of linking what

students know in real life with the theory”

Likewise, this fragment constituted an opposite discourse towards the narrow conception

of bilingualism- and the way content areas are taught isolated in the foreign language where the

focus the is linguistic and it is not concerned with the students’ conceptual development,

resulting into an ineffective process of learning (De Mejía, 2002; Veliyeva, 2015). The


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following excerpt reaffirms the previous excerpts’ analysis, as the next participant also

highlighted the process of reshaping and configuring ideas through dialoguing and interacting

with others. The original text is displayed in English as self-contained teachers were encouraged

to write in the foreign language throughout the study. Nevertheless, the equivalent is given for

an accurate interpretation.

“It was interesting to know in our meeting that [Mrs. L](the biology teacher)

change her opinion, because before she use to think that it was not useful to visit

other classes, but in our last meeting she told us that it was very important to

make classes like that, may be among teachers of different subjects teaching the

same class at the same time”. (Journal Entry #8, July 22, 2016; Mrs. P)

English Equivalent:

“In our meeting was interesting to know that [Mrs. L] (the biology teacher)

changed her opinion because before, she used to think that visiting other classes

was not useful, but in our last meeting she told us that it was very important to

have classes like that, maybe among teachers from different areas teaching the

same class at the same time”.

As manifest by this participant, the process of reshaping beliefs and ideas and be able to

share them with other teachers, is valued as it brings about new insights- that is- visioning.

Indeed, the practices of dialoguing and sharing pedagogical practices seemed to have enabled

the group to provide each other with the critique and necessary support to grow personal and

professionally, as being part of a community of teachers is one of the most productive ways to

contribute to the teachers’ growth (González and Sierra, 2005). In addition, the vision evoked by

Mrs. P in the last part of the fragment, “teachers from different areas teaching the same class at

the same time” might indicate teachers and students’ need of first, assuming knowledge as a

whole, and second, to integrate both the mother tongue and the foreign language in order to


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achieve a truly bilingual education. The following piece of data reveals the issues previously

discussed.

MRS.P: “Debería ser lo contrario, debería ser como una felicitación porque le

niño está desarrollando su código, y lo está haciendo bien, entonces si al niño se

le empieza a reprimir en ese sentido la lengua materna, el español, que va a

pasar? El niño va a asociar el español como algo negativo, como un concepto

negativo, como un concepto prohibido y eso es lo que no se puede permitir,

primero, por efectos políticos pienso yo, porque eso ahí implícitamente es una

imposición política y segundo pues por su avance intelectual

ME: Si total, y la imposición no es solamente con los niños de regañarlos, con los

profesores

MRS.P: Profesores!

MRS.J: Ósea hay colegios en donde les quitan el sueldo o les dicen, por ejemplo,

les ponen multa porque usted porque usted habla en español entonces no sé,

personalmente me parece que es, ósea todo en el papel es muy bonito, que todos

tendremos oportunidades y que todos podamos hablar otro idioma pero realmente

es así? No se

MRS.L: No, no es así” (Discussion group session #1, April 25, 2016; Mrs.P;

Mrs.J; Mrs.L)

English Equivalent:

MRS.P: “It should be the opposite, it should be like congratulating him because

the child is developing his code, and he is doing well, then if the child starts to be

repressed in that sense [for using] the mother tongue, the Spanish language, what

will happen? The child will associate Spanish as something negative, as a

negative concept, as a prohibited concept and that is something that cannot be

allowed, first, because of political effects I think, because that implicitly is a

political imposition and second because of their intellectual progress

ME: Totally, and the imposition is not only with the children by nagging them,

with the teachers [as well]

MRS.P: Teachers!

MRS.J: There are some schools where their salary is taken away or they

[schools’ administrators] tell them, for example, they put a fine on you because

you speak in Spanish, so I do not know, I personally think it is, I mean,

everything in the paper is very beautiful, that we will all have opportunities and

that we can all speak another language but is it really like that? I dont know

MRS.L: No, it is not like that”.


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Considering the sample above, it could be affirmed that the restrain of using the mother

tongue in contexts where bilingual education is imparted has had an effect in both teachers and

learners. In doing so, it has not only privileged the spread of hegemonic and colonial discourses

as Mrs. P words denote “because of political effects I think, because that implicitly is a political

imposition”, but has also suppressed self-contained teachers- who mostly speak Spanish- to

participate or be involved in the design of bilingual curricula or programs. This fact, in view of

Ordoñez (2011), seems to be accentuated as believing that the mother tongue interferes in the

EFL teaching-learning process is still a flourishing idea in many Colombian schools. As a result,

English is taught as a “subject alone without a linkage with the rest of the curriculum that is

taught in L1” (Bonilla Carvajal & Tejada-Sánchez, 2016; p. 193).

Conversely, Belibi (2016) as well as Guevara and Ordoñez’ (2012) studies carried out

with EFL Cameroonian and Colombian learners respectively, showed that the freedom to use

their mother tongue facilitated the EFL learning process as students enjoyed and were motivated

to actually use English. Likewise, Vuorela (2008) research stressed its use strength the national

language identity, contributing to the development of citizenship and local sociocultural

awareness, concerns envisaged by the next participant, whose pillars for a bilingual proposal are

collective work, the assumption of language and knowledge from the social perspective, and the

use of the mother tongue. The sentences in bold refer to the frames established in the protocol.

“Pienso que en el colegio donde trabajo actualmente podríamos desarrollar

una propuesta bilingüe basada en la articulación de un currículo basado en el

desarrollo de la ciencia y la tecnología y su impacto en las sociedades y teniendo

en cuenta aspectos como planeación, organización y ejecución de la propuesta

desde un equipo de trabajo con docentes de todas las áreas del conocimiento y

con unas políticas claras frente a la implementación de un proyecto bilingüe. Esto

podría ser beneficioso para la institución, los docentes, los estudiantes porque

fundamentaría la creación de un proyecto articulado al currículo y fundamentado


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en las necesidades reales de la comunidad educativa y del país”. (Protocol #2,

May 16, 2016; Mrs. L)

English Equivalent:

“I think that in the school where I work at nowadays, we could develop a

bilingual proposal by articulating a curriculum based on the science and

technology development and its impact on societies and aspects such as

planning, organizing and executing the proposal with a team of teachers from all

the content areas should be considered as well as clear policies regarding the

implementation of a bilingual project. This could be beneficial for the

institution, the teachers, and the students as it would be the beginning of a project

articulated to the curriculum and based on the educational community and

country real needs”.

Considering the sample above, it could be avowed that by visioning a contextualized

bilingual curriculum in which different content area teachers are involved, the participant

believes that not only a significantly contribution in terms language development might be

given, but also to the learning about other areas, which indeed, will benefit not only learners and

educators, but the school itself. Above and beyond, teachers -regardless of their nature- are

acknowledged as designers, planners, evaluators, and agents of change, roles that considering

Johnson and Golombek (2002), have been denied by the fact of being perceived as objects of

study rather than as knowing professionals.

The following journal entry evidences how these roles were built up and assumed when

envisaging a bilingual curriculum throughout dialoguing and sharing experiences. Likewise, it

shows how by doing this, teachers encouraged themselves -and others-to act and not just

complain about their current dissatisfaction with the bilingualism concept and practice.

“Talking on how we could integrate subjects in a bilingual curriculum, we have

discussed polemical issues around it that have been discussed already; the age in

which students should start learning in English, the main or secondary subjects

that should be taught in English and Spanish, or the percentage of time that


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English and Spanish should be used in the classes. These are the kind of questions

that the teachers related to the classes should gather to discuss and decide about,

as for sure there is no right answer to it. It is always necessary to discuss and

collaborate among teachers, even as complicated as it could be, but there is also

the question of the students’ participations on what a bilingual curriculum should

contain”. (Journal Entry #11, September 9, 2016; Mrs. J).

Overall, both EFL and self-contained teachers’ professional development when

envisaging a bilingual curriculum can be described as the process of enabling self- and others

reflection upon this phenomenon, which constituted an opportunity to reshape, contradict,

confirm and construct pedagogical beliefs and practices by means of dialoguing and sharing.

Besides, it was found to be framed within dynamical stages denominated questioning, reflecting

and envisaging- which gave account on their active thinking and decision-making process by

drawing on local contexts, learners’ needs, language status, and citizenship.

Hence, it was seen as a resistance practice towards the hegemonic, colonial and

manipulation discourses that have been perpetuated through the EFL teaching-learning process

in Colombia, as they acknowledged themselves as designers of curriculum and methodologies

dealing with sociocultural and scientific perspectives. Likewise, by being involved in

collaborative work, teachers developed individually and collective.


106

Conclusions, Pedagogical Implications and Further Research

In an attempt to compile the outcomes of this study, it is important to first highlight that

the main purpose was to provide answers to the inquiry proposed since as educators, we must

understand the powerful linkage between political and socioeconomic forces in regards to

bilingualism and its influence inside and outside the classroom. The main question as well as the

research objectives by pointing directly to the discourse and professional development process

fields, caused a great impact in my research process since different perspectives, theories and

assumptions were consulted and either rejected or accepted when delimiting the educational

issue and at the time of analyzing data. What is more, having both EFL and self-contained

teachers as participants when envisaging a bilingual curriculum within a monolingual context,

allowed them to find their voices with respect to a specific concern that has been believed to be

exclusive of the EFL/SLA field, as claimed by Pennycook (1998).

Considering the outcomes of the categories discussed in the previous chapter, it can be

asserted that participants’ discourses in regards to bilingualism are grounded in hegemonic,

colonial and manipulation notions by being mostly linked to economical commodities, favoring

English over other languages. Among the different adverse results discussed in the Theoretical

Framework chapter, data revealed that this assumption has a direct impact in both EFL and self-

contained teachers’ personal and professional identities, since their world, language and

different roles’ understanding has been modeled and limited, influencing their classroom

practices (Piliouras, Plakitsi & Nasis, 2005).

Nevertheless, it was displayed that teachers resisted somehow these discourses by being

involved in a community of teachers as they were encouraged to reflect, question, and vision


107

new alternatives for bilingual education withstanding of learners, teachers, and school’ needs. By

doing so, they made decisions, contributed, and assumed responsibilities through dialogue and

peer coaching (Díaz-Maggioli, 2003); tools that served as an opportunity for de-privatizing their

pedagogical practices while supporting the group's individual and collective professional

development.

In this sense, the interaction among participants was perceived as a reciprocal act where

both EFL and self-contained teachers could assume different roles such as sharing, negotiating

and/or supporting each other’s positions and discourses when working collaboratively,

constituting a stance against the exposition of models of professional training as proposed by

González and Sierra (2005). Similarly, sharing and exchanging ideas constituted the basis for

empowering both EFL and self-contained teachers as designers and implementers of a bilingual

curriculum in which both, the mother tongue and the foreign language, were conceived as useful

instruments for communication and learning about the world by integrating different disciplines.

Bearing this in mind, this research calls attention to the decisive role and the social

responsibility of both EFL and self-contained teachers on taking a stance on the way discourses

and practices in regards to bilingualism are being carried out and the implications of these inside

and outside the classroom. Similarly, it alerts one regarding the hidden interests of the

discourses we as educators continue perpetuating so as to raise awareness about the

consequences of teaching-learning English based on what Fairclough (2003) has designated as

the knowledge economy.

In addition, this study highlighted the importance of all educational actors when being

involved in the making decision process of designing and developing curriculum and


108

methodologies sensitive to our monolingual context and on how language per se, therefore

bilingualism, is a social practice that cannot be measured as multiple factors converged.

Additionally, this research aimed at contributing to the field of professional development in

Colombia by providing an initiative to the way bilingual education in a monolingual context

could be addressed.

In view of the above outcomes, the first and most important note that can be made

concerning pedagogical implications is that both EFL and self-contained teachers need to be

considered as essential actors in the development of curricula and methodologies that address

learners and educators’ specific characteristics and contexts. As this has been a constant struggle

due to the view of native speakers as the source of knowledge and expertise, high commitment

and perseverance is required.

In this sense, it is expected that teachers by being involved in this practice, empower and

encourage themselves to systematize their experiences and insights in order to build

contextualized educational proposals that can also serve as example for others (Murray, 2010).

Thus, it is critical that the institutions support initiatives as the one described in here by opening

spaces for teachers to work collaboratively, as it was the main limitation this research presented.

Thereupon, it will be necessary to conduct more research on the impact of these curricula

proposals to continue working in effective education for bilingualism in monolingual

environments. Ultimately, it is necessary to intensify and facilitate the development of different

strategies to enhance teachers’ professional development built upon pedagogical premises such

as developing meaning construction and interaction.


109

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List of Annexes

Annex A: Survey # 1


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Annex B: Survey # 2


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Annex C: Survey # 3


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Annex D: Survey # 4 (Seedhouse’s 1995)


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Annex E: Participants’ Consent Form


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Annex F: Protocols 1 and 2


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Annex G: Teacher Reflective Journal Sample


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Annex H: Axial Coding


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Annex I: Data Reduction Process

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