DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.2013.2.a03Published:
2013-07-01Issue:
Vol 15, No 2 (2013) July-DecemberSection:
Research ArticlesUnveiling social awareness through literacy practices in an EFL class
La conciencia social a través de prácticas de alfabetización en un salón con inglés como idioma extranjero
Keywords:
problemáticas sociales, indagación, agresión verbal y física, consciencia social, reflexión (es).Keywords:
social issues, inquiry, verbal and physical aggression, social awareness, reflection (en).Abstract (en)
This qualitative research study addresses issues of verbal and physical aggression among tenth grade students in a public school. Through a pedagogical intervention the participants worked collaboratively to reflect on social issues in their English language classes. Inquiry was a fundamental element in this study as it allowed students to explore, read, compare, and then reflect on issues that come from their own context and experiences (Giroux, 1988). Students’ reflections were collected through questionnaires, artifacts, and audio recorded interviews in order to gather information to reveal students’ social awareness of physical and verbal aggression in their school context. The findings revealed that students see violence as a need to avoid their partners´ abuse. Students´ reflections showed that students considered that parents and teachers paid more attention to academic concerns, rather than personal growth. The study demonstrated that inquiry along with writing about social issues in English allowed students to develop rationality and sensitivity towards violent acts, furthermore, inquiry about their social problems encouraged students to work collaboratively, to reflect about their social conditions and to apply the use of the English language in contextualized situations.
Abstract (es)
Esta investigación cualitativa aborda temas de agresión verbal y física entre estudiantes de grado décimo de un colegio público. A través de una intervención pedagógica los participantes trabajan colaborativamente para reflexionar sobre problemáticas sociales en sus clases de inglés. La indagación fue un elemento fundamental en este estudio ya que permitió a los estudiantes explorar, leer, comparar y luego reflexionar sobre situaciones que surgen de sus propias experiencias y contexto (Giroux, 1988). Las reflexiones de los estudiantes fueron recopiladas a través de cuestionarios, producciones de clase y grabación de entrevistas con el fin de recoger información que revelara la consciencia social de los estudiantes sobre las agresiones verbales y físicas en su colegio. Los hallazgos revelaron que los estudiantes ven la violencia como una necesidad para evitar el abuso de sus compañeros. Las reflexiones mostraron que los estudiantes consideran que los padres y profesores prestan más atención a la parte académica que al crecimiento personal. El estudio reveló además que la indagación junto con la escritura acerca de problemáticas sociales en inglés, les permitió a los estudiantes desarrollar racionalidad y sensibilidad hacía los hechos violentos, además de motivarlos a trabajar colaborativamente para reflexionar sobre sus condiciones sociales y poner en práctica la lengua inglesa en situaciones contextualizadas.
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