Perceptions towards public English as a foreign language education in Mexico: Insights from secondary school learners

Abstract

Exploring students’ perceptions of English as a foreign language learning serves to understand the achievements of public education. This study examines the perceptions of public secondary learners in Mexico. These research questions were addressed: What kind of perceptions do secondary school students have about learning English in public education? How does their language proficiency affect these perceptions? To answer these questions, a quantitative descriptive study was carried out with 114 students of 2nd grade in a public secondary in Tabasco. The participants completed three quantitative instruments: a sociodemographic survey, to document their background in English and general information; an English test, to classify them into different language proficiency levels, and a four-point Likert-type questionnaire, to identify their perceptions about learning English. The results reveal that students with greater competence have better perceptions about learning English in public education and that perceptions about achievements and learning tasks vary with competence, highlighting the importance of research around key actors in education: the student, as well as the selection of strategies to improve their language skills and perceptions about English as a foreign language learning in public education.