INTRODUCTION
The
development of modern nations is achieved hand in hand with policies and
initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life of its inhabitants through
the implementation of different projects in education, health, and safety,
among others. A pillar that solidly supports the improvement of the quality of
life of the population is professional development, that is, the opportunities
granted to the population for their academic and professional growth. The
learning of the English language is gaining more and more strength in the
world. English is the language of technology, commerce, and science, so
citizens with better skills in other languages will opt for better jobs and
salaries. This has been a trend in Latin America: Mexico, Colombia, Chile,
Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru have
implemented public policies aimed at promoting the teaching of English in their
respective countries (Santana, 2016).
Many
companies grow globally, the English language has become a means to share
information, establish conversations and relationships with people around the
world, allowing to create and close deals. There are more than 50 countries
around the world where English is spoken, the job options in various parts of
the world are greater than with any other language. It is easy to learn this
language, the English alphabet is Latin, short and its grammar is simple, the
verbs are easy to conjugate. The rigorous question is why if it is studied in primary
and secondary education for many years, the result is that students arrive at
the University with very little or no knowledge of the language.
In
April 2016, the Higher Education Council, in the Code of the Higher Education
Regulations, article 31, established that university students must reach a B2
level, upper intermediate, according to the Common European Framework to
graduate. Additionally, it was instituted that proficiency in the language must
be evaluated before the student enrolls in the last level of the degree. The
efforts of the National Government have extended for several years and have
tried to promote a new structure in the teaching of the English language;
however, they have not had continuity or follow-up.
The
teaching of English as a foreign language in universities around the world has
focused on the development of the four main language skills, especially giving
students the possibility to use the language in different contexts. This has
been the main cornerstone, especially since the late 1970s and early 1980s with
the rise of the communicative approach. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
has characterized foreign language classes for the last 30 years. This is
understood as a set of principles about the objectives of language teaching,
how students learn a language, the types of activities that must be carried out
in the classroom to facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and students
in this process (Richards, 2006).
Those
who obtain the best performance in higher education are graduates of private
educational centers or who invest in private language courses, opening a range
of employment opportunities for these young people. Next, we will delve into
possible answers to the reasons for this discrepancy between English language
studies and student performance in developing English proficiency for
Ecuadorian students. Success in higher education lies not only in obtaining a
university diploma but also in achieving an excellent job and quality of life.
When
students enter Higher Education Institutions, they face great problems in terms
of linguistic competence that they must achieve to graduate. The lack of
continuity and motivation are one of the battles to fight to improve. English
should be seen as a first-rate tool for both students and teachers. For the
former, their mastery will guarantee better jobs and future remuneration. For
the latter, the challenge encompasses better strategies for teaching with an
audience in unequal conditions.
In
the teaching-learning process of the English language, the fundamental pillars
are the teacher and the student, the success of the process will depend on
them, if one of them fails, the learning does not achieve the expected results.
The role of the teacher today is not a protagonist but a guide in teaching, it
requires highly trained teachers, who manages the appropriate methodology,
designing appropriate strategies for the student group.
Other
aspects to consider (Beltrán, 2017):
The
planning of the procedures requires considering the level of prior knowledge of
the students, their understanding and mastery of what has been learned.
Express oneself clearly and simply,
reinforcing the explanations and corrections with the available media
(drawings, blackboard, music, etc.).
Promote the use of phrases and idiomatic
formulas in English in communication.
Promote the student's ability to infer
meaning through logical context and associations.
The
student represents the learning results, the degree of communicative competence
that she has managed to achieve at the end of the course or process. They
represent the most active role since they will be responsible for the level of
development of language skills, a greater initiative corresponds within the
classroom. The maturity of the students significantly influences their results,
a student convinced that English is not just another subject but a way to
access better jobs and salaries will put more effort into his results.
The
selection of the appropriate material to be used in English classes becomes
another key element to be considered by teachers and academic authorities,
beyond a subject within a curriculum, it is recommended to promote the practice
of the English language not only within university classrooms but outside of
them, in their daily lives (Castro, 2016). Cognitive factors include
intelligence, aptitude, and the use of learning strategies. Studies support
that students with above average intelligence learn a second language more
easily in the formal context of a classroom. Also, successful trainees show a
favorable aptitude and commitment to strive and work hard towards the goal.
The
affective field includes some factors: empathy, self-esteem, extroversion,
inhibition, imitation, anxiety among others, power or hinder the mastery of another
language. Contrary to what is commonly thought, the age at which the study of a
second language begins does not have a decisive influence on its learning, the
advantage that learning a language at an early age give is due to a better
pronunciation of accents, that is, of more naturally in relation to those who
learn more adults. Another key factor is the use of the language in everyday
life and reinforcing what has been learned through trips, books, music,
culture, visits, groups that speak the language, etc.
When
students enter Higher Education Institutions, they face great problems in terms
of linguistic competence that they must achieve to graduate. The lack of
continuity and motivation are one of the battles to fight to improve. English
must be seen as a first-rate tool for both students and teachers, for the
former its mastery will guarantee better jobs and remuneration in the future,
for the latter the challenge encompasses better strategies for teaching with an
audience of inequality of conditions.
Ecuador
has received various reforms based on education, including the compulsory study
of English from initial level to high school (Ministry of Education, 2019). In
continuity with this, higher education institutions have added the level of
English based on their needs, which can vary between 4 to 6 continuous
semesters, considering the official regulations found in the higher education
regulations where it mentions that the Institutions must seek integration
between cultures (Consejo de Educación Superior, 2017). Under these needs and
analyzing the learning and knowledge of English in organizations, teacher
improvement has been sought, for which reason, campaigns have been opened for a
better pedagogical practice of this language (Ortega & Auccahuallpa, 2018).
The country has taken the study of the English language with importance and has
added it to the educational curriculum because culture can be shared through
language, thus making the possibility of international exchange real.
As
already explained, English occupies an important place today in various
scientific and technological fields, and learning this language is very useful.
For this reason, Ecuador has implemented new changes in its educational
policies to align with the needs of the globalized world. To carry out the
language teaching process, the factors that affect language learning must be
considered, as well as different methods and cultural aspects that surround
this language.
Therefore,
identifying the level of mastering the English language with first-level
university students is the primary goal of this research as a starting point
for making decisions about the teaching strategies and content to help them out
improve their knowledge.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
In
this investigation, a population of 34 users was needed. An evaluation was
applied based on data collection. The Cambridge English: KEY (KET) A2 level
exam was applied, which measures the four language skills in English: Reading
Comprehension, Written Expression, Listening Comprehension and Oral Expression
(Speaking) to know the level with which students enter the Pedagogy of National
and Foreign Languages (PINE) career, the exam took 4 hours and evaluated the
four skills.
In
the Speaking skill, the evaluation was carried out with two English language
teachers who worked with the students in pairs for 2 hours on topics such as
Eating and Holidays. The interview modality was applied based on questions and
the description of images. Reading and writing took one hour in which the
students produced 2 writings of a minimum of 25 words in the first and a
minimum of 35 words in the second. Listening was assessed in 1 hour with 25
multiple choice and completion questions. For the rating, each grade was
divided into four based on the following parameters: poor, fair, very good, and
outstanding.
The
research was carried out from a qualitative approach which seeks to know in depth
a phenomenon to be analyzed from a teaching perspective, this under a natural
environment and context, such as the classroom of the students at the beginning
of the PINE career that gave the exam to know the level of English they had
(Hernández Sampieri & Mendoza Torres, 2018). In other words, this type of
approach allows knowing a situation in depth and providing what the study
subjects need, which in the case of this research is directed at the importance
of studying the English language to transcend and innovate in society.
Regarding
the scope, the research was carried out descriptively, considering that it
investigates the level or state of a variable on a specific sample or
population, in which comparative descriptions can be made in groups or subgroups
(Hernández Sampieri & Mendoza Torres, 2018).
RESULTS
AND DISCUSSION
From the data collected (grades of the
four skills) an analysis of the information was carried out based on speaking,
writing, reading, and listening. Next, the results obtained are shown.
|
Descriptors
|
Qualification
ranges
|
Number of
students
|
|
Deficient
|
0-2,49
|
6
|
|
Regular
|
2,50 a 4,99
|
10
|
|
Very Good
|
5 a 7,49
|
7
|
|
Outstanding
|
7,50 a 10
|
10
|
Table 1. Speaking Skill
Regarding speaking skills, as can be seen
in Table 1, most are regular (2.50 to 4.99) and outstanding (7.50 to 10) with
10 users respectively. In a very good performance (5 to 7.49) there are 7 users
and finally, 6 deficient who have a performance between 0 to 2.49.
|
Descriptors
|
Qualification ranges
|
Number of students
|
|
Deficient
|
0 a
2,49
|
2
|
|
Regular
|
2,50
a 4,99
|
13
|
|
Very
Good
|
5 a
7,49
|
7
|
|
Outstanding
|
7,50
a 10
|
10
|
Table 2. Listening Skill
Regarding the listening skill, it was
known that the majority of those evaluated are in a regular qualification that
has a score range of (2.50 to 4.99) with 13 students. Close to this, it is
outstanding with 10 users with a score of 7.50 to 10. In contrast to this, 7
with a very good score and finally 2 with poor performance.
|
Descriptors
|
Qualification ranges
|
Number of students
|
|
Deficient
|
0-2,49
|
12
|
|
Regular
|
2,50
a 4,99
|
2
|
|
Very
Good
|
5 a
7,49
|
4
|
|
Outstanding
|
7,50
a 10
|
13
|
Table
3. Writing
Skill
Table 3 shows the performance in the
writing skill in which it can be found many students at opposite poles of
qualification, on the one hand 13 have outstanding performance, that is, they
are in a qualification range of 7.50 to 10.
On the other hand, 12 are deficient users
with grades between 0 and 2.49. There is a division of the total number of
people based on their writing knowledge of this language, which may be related
to grammar and vocabulary. Out of this, 4 are very good and 2 are fair.
|
Descriptors
|
Qualification ranges
|
Number of students
|
|
Deficient
|
0-2,49
|
1
|
|
Regular
|
2,50
a 4,99
|
10
|
|
Very
Good
|
5 a
7,49
|
9
|
|
Outstanding
|
7,50
a 10
|
11
|
Table 4. Reading
Skill
As it can be seen in table 4 which refers
to the reading skill, it was known that 11 people had an outstanding grade that
would be from 7.50 to 10, followed by this, 10 got a regular grade with a
rating range between 2.50 to 4.99, 9 users with ratings between 5 to 7.49 were
very good. In this evaluation area only one person had a poor performance that
is in a score between 0 to 2.49.
|
Descriptors
|
Qualification ranges
|
Number of students
|
|
Deficient
|
De
0,9 a 4
|
11
|
|
Regular
|
De
4,3 a 6,8
|
11
|
|
Very
Good
|
De
7,6 a 7,9
|
2
|
|
Outstanding
|
De 8
a 9,6
|
8
|
Table 5. Analysis of the
four skills
Table 5 shows the general performance in
the four language skills. It is possible to see that 11 people were deficient
(0.9 to 4) and regular (4.3 to 6.8) performers respectively. 8 users got an
outstanding grade (8 to 9.6) and 2 very good (7.6 to 7.9). In general, most people
have low grades and a limited number of adequate grades. This is a relevant
point to improve the teaching process and help in the shortcomings found in
students.
Discussion
In Ecuador, learning English is
elementary, due to this, its acquisition is mandatory until the end of high
school and after that, higher education institutions have decided to add it to
their study credits. In addition, the importance of this language can be
perceived not only at a national level, but internationally in different fields
such as socioeconomics and even science.
In a study carried out in the United
States that analyzed the impact of English on the social and cultural
integration of Kyrgyz migrants. These people, due to economic difficulties in
their country, decided to migrate to improve their economy. The 20 people who
entered this research were between 37 and 56 years old. It was learned that of
the participants only one person practiced their profession, on the other hand,
6 entered the labor market and 14 seek work in any trade in which the minimum
level of English is required. Under this investigation, it is known that the
knowledge of English is an elementary part for the adaptation of new lives.
Thus, being able to reach a process of self-realization that gives stability to
their lives in the new country (Kazakbaeva, 2022). It can be noted that this
study variable is of great importance even at the time of finding a job.
Regarding the academy and the discovery of
information, it is known that English is a fundamental part since the new
discoveries have been disseminated more frequently and updated in this language
(Mascarenhas et al., 2018). Despite the attempts to manage in Spanish and under
what is necessary English, it has not worked since people trust more in the
information in the most used language in the world. Over time, platforms,
books, magazines, etc., in Spanish have been adapting to the demands as an
attempt to improve the reach or impact of the information (Lorenzo et al.,
2018).
An improvement can be achieved through the
incorporation of the English language as a fundamental component within the
curriculum that must be transversal to each of the contents that are developed
in the programs, understanding it as "a curricular strategy through which
some axes or issues considered priority in the training of our students, can be
present in all programs, projects, activities and study plans contemplated in
the institutional project "(Velásquez, 2009, p. 36).
In this way, the knowledge is taught from
knowing how to do and knowing how to be, thus managing to respond to the
requirements of the English language at a national and international level in
terms of quality, where more flexible and creative didactic models are also
chosen which are oriented by a differential approach, which means that in order
to teach English to a specific community, it is first necessary to evaluate its
characteristics and make a prior diagnosis and then give a way to the
development of teaching strategies and content or study plans.
CONCLUSIONS
It was determined that it is necessary for
universities to begin to evaluate the way in which they are applying the
English language within the curriculum in undergraduate programs since studies
reveal that the level that students are obtaining in English tests is very low,
that is why it is required to make a modification in the way in which the
knowledge in this subject is taught to increase the motivation of the students,
achieving that they articulate the concepts of English with fundamental topics
of their professionalization, so that they can generate more significant
knowledge in the subjects.
In addition, it is concluded that it is crucial
to improve the level of English in higher education to solve the problems
rooted in the early years of learning the language. On the other hand, it would
be optimal to do more research on the acquisition of English and its
development in all higher education institutions.
AUTHORS
CONTRIBUTION
Sara
I, worked on the bibliographic research, Verónica Ch, helped with the analysis
and interpretation of results, Cristina J, contributed with the abstract
writing and translation and, Edgar’s contribution was related to the final
revision and the format of the article
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
First, it is necessary to thank the
Direction of Research and Development Unit of the Faculty of Human Sciences and
Education at the Technical University of Ambato for supporting this research.
On the other hand, to the students of the
first semester of the English Language Training Program for their direct
participation in this study.
Finally, to the teaching colleagues as
co-authors of this study for their valuable help in writing the final document.
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