Published

2016-07-01

Understanding the Role of Teaching Materials in a Beginners’ Level English as a Foreign Language Course: A Case Study

El papel de los materiales de enseñanza en un curso de inglés para principiantes: un estudio de caso

Keywords:

Alternative material, beginners, course book, English as a foreign language, teaching materials (en)
inglés como lengua extranjera, libro de texto, material alternativo, materiales de enseñanza, principiantes (es)

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Authors

  • Elio Jesús Cruz Rondón
  • Leidy Fernanda Velasco Vera Universidad de Pamplona
Learning a foreign language may be a challenge for most people due to differences in the form and structure between one’s mother tongue and a new one. However, there are some tools that facilitate the teaching and learning of a foreign language, for instance, new applications for digital devices, video blogs, educational platforms, and teaching materials. Therefore, this case study aims at understanding the role of teaching materials among beginners’ level students learning English as a foreign language. After conducting five non-participant classroom observations and nine semi-structured interviews, we found that the way the teacher implemented a pedagogical intervention by integrating the four language skills, promoting interactive learning through the use of online resources, and using the course book led to a global English teaching and learning process.
El aprendizaje de una nueva lengua puede ser un reto para la mayoría de la gente debido a las diferencias en la forma y en la estructura entre la lengua materna y la nueva; sin embargo, hay algunas herramientas que facilitan la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera. Este estudio de caso tiene por objetivo comprender el papel de los materiales de enseñanza y su contribución a los aprendices de nivel elemental del inglés. Por medio de cinco observaciones de clase no participante y nueve entrevistas semi-estructuradas, se encontró que el profesor integró las cuatro habilidades lingüísticas, los recursos en línea promovieron un aprendizaje interactivo, y el libro de texto lideró un proceso integral de enseñanza y aprendizaje del inglés.

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