Using Collaborative Action Research to Address Bullying and Violence in a Colombian High School EFLClassroom

Ortega, Yecid

doi:10.17533/udea.ikala.v25n01a04

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Within this established linguistic hierarchy, so-called native English teachers are paid more and given fewer responsibilities than their Colombian colleagues (Guerrero, 2018). International schools in Colombia “continue to propagate the idea that English is best” (Ortega, 2020, p. 41). In sum, the teaching of English at the expense of local and Indigenous languages reflects problematic ideologies traced back to colonial times and further perpetuated through international schools in Colombia.…”

Section: Decolonialitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critical Examination of Language Ideologies and Policies in an International School in Colombia

Bettney Heidt

2023

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background: In recent years, scholars and educators have criticized exclusionary language ideologies and policies within international schools. International schools often emphasize proficiency in English as a language of power instead of valuing students’ and teachers’ dynamic multilingual practices. Focus of Study: Although oppressive language ideologies and policies in international schools are a central concern for critical education scholars, relatively little is known about international schools that are negotiating a shift toward more inclusive and equitable approaches. To understand the role of language ideologies and policies within an international school context, I examined the following research question: What language ideologies influence language policy creation and appropriation at Colegio Colombiano (CC)? Research Design: To answer this question and further understand the complex and shifting roles of language ideologies and policies within international schools, I conducted a case study at CC, an international school in Colombia. Data Collection: Through collaborative research with nine teachers, I examined how teachers engaged with more equitable approaches to multilingual education. I collected and analyzed various types of data, including school language policies, lesson and unit plans, classroom observations, teacher and student interviews, and a teacher questionnaire. Findings: Through analyzing the collected data, I found a spectrum of language ideologies and language policies, as many faculty demonstrated a significant shift away from oppressive and exclusionary language ideologies and language policies through an increasing recognition of Spanish. On the other hand, although explicit messages about English as superior were no longer officially promoted, colonialistic ideologies and policies persisted that valorized English, denigrated Spanish, and ignored other societal and home languages. To analyze these findings further, I critically examined the described spectrum of language ideologies and policies through Pennycook’s (2000) framework of language ideologies. Conclusions: I conclude with key considerations for educators and researchers across diverse contexts as they critically reconsider and decolonize current approaches to multilingual education.

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Section: Decolonialitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critical Examination of Language Ideologies and Policies in an International School in Colombia

Bettney Heidt

2023

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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“…Gaining trust with the teachers was easier because I had known Sol from a previous collaborative action-research (Ortega, 2020). When I asked Sol that I wanted to conduct my doctoral research with her, she proposed that other two teachers would be involved.…”

Section: Trust and Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Charlas y Comidas: Humanising focus groups and interviews

Ortega

2023

Qualitative Research

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Qualitative research has utilised focus groups and interviews to gather information from participants while conducting ethnographic research. This article explores the potential of alternative forms of collecting data that are more in line with the participants’ feelings, emotions and expectations. Charlas (chats) and Comidas (meals) were utilised in an ethnographic study with English teachers and their students in marginalised high schools in Bogotá, Colombia. I found that opening a safe space for participants to share their ideas, suggestions and comments while chatting informally or having a meal encourages leadership of the research process. This generated a sentiment of trust and bond which strengthen their sense of belonging to their academic community. This article contributes to the literature on alternative, critical and decolonial forms of doing research by considering ways to implement methods that acknowledge the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the participants which strengthen humanising relationships, especially in marginalised contexts.

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“…Other studies have concentrated on how critical pedagogy could promote not only the acquisition of linguistic repertoires but also dialogue, collaboration, and reflection in the English language class (Contreras & Chapetón, 2016;Contreras & Chapetón, 2017;Echeverri & Pérez, 2014). For instance, in a collaborative action research project, Ortega (2018) describes the implementation of lessons that addressed bullying and violence at the school. This experience enabled the learners to be conscious of the normalized violence there and collaborate to take concrete actions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Dialogic Action through the Expansion of English Language Learners’ Communicative Repertoires

Gómez-Giraldo

2022

HOW

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This action research study sought to foster dialogic action through the expansion of English language learners’ communicative repertoires in a 6th-grade class at a public school in a Colombian town. During the first action research cycle, the restricted concept of communication of the grammar-based syllabus and the competitive and violent interactions between the learners were identified as key issues to address. From a critical perspective of pedagogy and literacy, this study understands that communication in language education should transcend the use of a standard target language, and include multiple linguistic codes and multimodal representative forms. Considering these principles and the issues identified, we designed an action plan for the second action research cycle. This plan consisted of activities that sought to expand English language learners’ communicative repertoires and promote reflections on violence and conflict resolution through the analysis and creation of different visual representations. Data were collected through journal entries, semi-structured interviews, and students’ artifacts. Findings show how the learners have a diverse and differentiated access to communicative repertoires and how they manipulated available representations to transform meanings. As a conclusion, not enough evidence of the emergence of dialogic action was found since competitiveness and violent interactions in the classroom did not significantly change during the intervention. Nonetheless, embracing the learners’ communicative practices created spaces for reflection on complex social and moral topics in the classroom, even if their English linguistic resources were still limited.

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Using Collaborative Action Research to Address Bullying and Violence in a Colombian High School EFLClassroom

Cited by 9 publications

References 63 publications

A Critical Examination of Language Ideologies and Policies in an International School in Colombia

A Critical Examination of Language Ideologies and Policies in an International School in Colombia

Charlas y Comidas: Humanising focus groups and interviews

Promoting Dialogic Action through the Expansion of English Language Learners’ Communicative Repertoires

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