Percepciones de los estudiantes del centro de idiomas sobre el aprendizaje de inglés virtual como competencia

Abstract

English is one of the most widely used languages worldwide, which is why there is a need to introduce this language in the educational field, especially in higher education, since nowadays it has become a basic need for professionals. This study was focused on analyzing students' perceptions of online English learning at the Language Center of the Technical University of Cotopaxi. A qualitative approach and a case study method was used. As a data collection technique, an unstructured interview was applied to ten students from different careers and English levels. The results revealed that the majority of students choose English as a proficiency because it is one of the most in-demand languages for getting a job. Moreover, some students take English courses only to fulfill a mandatory requirement before graduation. Additionally, inside online English learning there are certain complications with respect to the development of speaking skills. Furthermore, low student participation is due to lack of interest or fear of making mistakes. Therefore, it is necessary to implement different techniques and methods to carry out the online teaching-learning process of English as a proficiency in an effective way and thus be able to achieve all the expectations that students have.