Governmental partnerships for language learning: A commercial language platform for young workers in Colombia

Gustavo Garcia Botero; Jacqueline Garcia Botero; Frederik Questier

doi:10.4995/eurocall.2017.8620

Authors

Gustavo Garcia Botero Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Jacqueline Garcia Botero Universidad del Quindío
Frederik Questier Vrije Universiteit Brussel

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2017.8620

Keywords:

Computer-assisted language learning, Duolingo, foreign language learning policies, labor market, mobile-assisted language learning

Abstract

In June 2015, the Colombian government via the Labor Ministry announced a project for young workers called 40.000 Primeros Empleos. In the framework of this project, the Ministry of Labor signed an alliance with the language platform Duolingo as a strategy to provide participants with English learning opportunities and a free language certificate. With the help of a monitoring and evaluation perspective, this study describes Colombian English language learning policies and their relationship with the labour market. The discussion presented here intends to maximize the outcomes of these kinds of agreements and to provide insights for researchers and national stakeholders willing to carry out similar projects in their countries. Certification is also thoroughly analyzed as a means of estimating the possible impact of this partnership.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Gustavo Garcia Botero, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Gustavo Garcia Botero is a PhD researcher in Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His research interests include language teaching and learning, educational technologies, mobile learning, and adult education.

Jacqueline Garcia Botero, Universidad del Quindío

Jacqueline Garcia Botero holds an M.A in Educational Sciences. She is professor and researcher at the Universidad del Quindío, Colombia. Her main research interests include language learning and teaching emphasizing on metacognition and e-learning

Frederik Questier, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Prof. Dr.FrederikQuestierworks at the Interfaculty Department for Teacher Training and the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His main fields of interest are learning technologies, innovation and Free & Open Source Software.

References

Baker, C. (2014). A parents' and teachers' guide to bilingualism (Vol. 18). Multilingual Matters.

Bézy & Settles. (2015). The Duolingo certificate of English and East Africa: Preliminary linking results with IELTS and CEFRL. Duolingo research report. DRR-15-01, August 4, 2015.

Bonilla Carvajal, C. & Tejada-Sánchez, I. (2016). Unanswered Questions in Colombia's Foreign Language Education Policy. Profile, 18(1), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.15446/profile.v18n1.51996

Brian, K. (2007). OECD Insights Human Capital. How what you know shapes your life. OECD Publishing.

Byram, M. (2008). From foreign language education to education for intercultural citizenship: Essays and reflections. Multilingual Matters, 17.

Campbell, S. (2002). Translation in the context of EFL – The Fifth Macroskill? TEFLIN, 13, 1.

Cook, G. (2002). Breaking taboos. Readings in Methodology, 46.

Cook, G. (2010) Translation in language teaching: An argument for reassessment. (Oxford: Oxford University Press

Cook, V. (2013). Second language learning and language teaching. Routledge.

Council of Europe (2002). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Cambridge University Press.

Duolingo Test Center, Language certification for all, 2014. https://englishtest.duolingo.com/en.

Education First (/2015). English Proficiency Index. Comparing English skills between countries. EF EPI. Available from https://www.ef.edu/epi/.

El Universal. (2016). Duolingo presenta Jalisco Bilingüe. El Universal, retrieved from http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/techbit/2016/03/14/duolingo-presenta-jaliscobilingue#imagen-1.

English in Action. 2012. Welcome to English in Action. Dhaka, Author. http://www.eiabd.com/eia/

Entrevista Interactiva Duolingo: Louis Von Ahn (2014) Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0vpQ57bBSY.

Fischer, R. (2007). How do we know what students are actually doing? Monitoring students' behavior in CALL. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(5), 409-442. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588220701746013

García, I. (2013). Learning a language for free while translating the web. Does duolingo work? International Journal of English Linguistics, 3(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v3n1p19

García Botero, G. & Questier, F. (2016). What students think and what they actually do in a mobile assisted language learning context: new insights for self-directed language learning in higher education. In S. Papadima-Sophocleous, L. Bradley & S. Thouësny (Eds), CALL communities and culture – short papers from EUROCALL 2016, (pp. 150-154). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2016.eurocall2016.553.

González, A. (2007). Professional development of EFL teachers in Colombia: Between colonial and local practices. Íkala, Revista de Lenguaje y Cultura, 12(18), 309-332.

Grant, A., Roldán, P., Pe-ate, H., López, L., Teruel, R., Gómez, M. E. & Mora, L. (2002). Monitoring & evaluation: some tools, methods and approaches (No. C10-61). World Bank.

Grünhage-Monetti, M., Halewijn, E. & Holland, C. (2003). ODYSSEUS – Second language at the workplace: Language needs of migrant workers: Organising language learning for the vocational/workplace context. Strasbourgh: Council of Europe Publishing.

Guerrero Nieto, C. H. (2008). Bilingual Colombia: What does it mean to be bilingual within the framework of the National Plan of Bilingualism? PROFILE Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, 10, 27-45.

Hall, G. & Cook, G. (2012). Own-language use in language teaching and learning. Language Teaching, 45(3), 271-308. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444812000067

James, T. & Miller, J. (2005). Developing a monitoring and evaluation plan for ICT in education. Monitoring and Evaluation of ICT in Education Projects, 57.

Jara, I., Claro, M. & Martinic, R. (2012). Mobile learning for teachers in Latin America: Exploring the potential of mobile technologies to support teachers and improve practice. United Nations, Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization.

Jordan, G. (2015). Geoff Jordan vs. Duolingo. Retrieved from: http://eltjam.com/geoffjordan-vs-duolingo.

Kobayashi, H. & Rinnert, C. (1992). Effects of First Language on Second Language Writing: Translation versus Direct Composition. Language Learning, 42(2), 183-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1992.tb00707.x

Kozma, R. B. & Wagner, D. A. (2005). Core indicators for monitoring and evaluation studies in ICTs for education. Monitoring and evaluation of ICT in education projects, 35.

Krashen, S. (2014). Does Duolingo "Trump" University-Level Language Learning? International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 9(1), 13-15.

Larsen-Freeman, D. & Anderson, M. (2013). Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press.

Law, E. (2011). Defining (human) computation. CHI 2011: Workshop on Crowdsourcing and Human Computation.

Ley N° 1651 del 12 de Julio del 2013. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.colomboworld.com/academico/resoluciones/Ley1651de2013-LeydeBilinguismo.pdf.

Lugo, M. T. & Schurmann, S. (2012). Turning on mobile learning in Latin America: Illustrative initiatives and policy implications. Paris, UNESCO.

Milton, J. (2006). French as a foreign language and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In Proceedings from the Crossing Frontiers: Languages and the International Dimension Conference, pp. 1-6.

Ministerio de Educación Nacional, (2014). Colombia very well! Programa nacional de inglés 2015-2025 Documento de Socialización, 41. Retrieved from http://www.colombiaaprende.edu.co/html/micrositios/1752/articles-343287_recurso_1.pdf.

Ministerio de Trabajo. (2015a). ¿Qué ofrece el programa 40 mil primeros empleos? Retrieved from http://unidad.serviciodeempleo.gov.co/soy-joven-y-quiero-participaren-el-programa.

Ministerio de Trabajo. (2015b). Cartilla de presentación alianza Duolingo. Retrieved from http://www.mintrabajo.gov.co/40000-primeros-empleos.html.

Nielson, K.B. (2011). Self-study with language learning software in the workplace: What happens? Language Learning & Technology, 15, 110-129.

Onah, D.F.O., Sinclair, J. & Boyatt, R. (2014). Dropout Rates of Massive Open Online Courses: Behavioural Patterns. EDULEARN14 Proceedings, pp. 5825-5834.

Onah, D.F.O. & Sinclair, J.E. (2017). Assessing Self-Regulation of Learning Dimensions in a Stand-alone MOOC Platform. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP), 7(2), 4-21. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v7i2.6511

Orellana (2014). Estudiantes de Guatemala aprenderán inglés con Duolingo. La prensa. Retrieved from http://www.laprensa.hn/vivir/tecnologia/705787-98/estudiantes-de-guatemala-aprender%C3%A1n-ingl%C3%A9s-con-duolingo.

Presidencia de la República de Costa Rica, (2016). 350 docentes de inglés se capacitan para utilizar plataforma Duolingo dentro del Aula. Presidencia de la República de Costa Rica. Retrieved from http://presidencia.go.cr/comunicados/2016/03/docentes-deingles-se-capacitan-para-utilizar-plataforma-duolingo.

Samsung SDS (2011). Samsung SDS Multi-Campus. http://www.multicampus.co.kr.

Seargeant, P. & Erling, E. J. (2011). The discourse of 'English as a language for international development': Policy assumptions and practical challenges. Dreams and Realities.

Tardy, C. (2004). The role of English in scientific communication: lingua franca or Tyrannosaurus rex? Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 3(3), 247-269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2003.10.001

Torres-Martínez, S. (2009). Las vicisitudes de la ense-anza de lenguas en Colombia. Diálogos Latinoamericanos, 15. Retrieved from http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/162/16220868004.pdf.

UNDP (2002). Handbook on Monitoring and Evaluating for Results. New York: UNDP Evaluation Office.

UNESCO (2015). 2013 Asia-Pacific Education Research Institutes Network (ERI-Net) Regional Study on transversal competencies in education policy and practice: Phase 1. Regional synthesis report. UNESCO Bangkok office.

Uzawa, K. (1996). Second language learners' processes of L1 writing, L2 writing, and translation from L1 into L2. Journal of Second Language Writing, 5(3), 271-294. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(96)90005-3

Valencia Giraldo, S. (2005). Bilingualism and English language teaching in Colombia: A critical outlook. Presentation delivered at the Conference on English Language Teaching in Colombia, Universidad del Quindío, October, 2005.

Vélez-Rendón, G. (2003). English in Colombia: A sociolinguistic profile. World Englishes, 22(2), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-971X.00287

Vesselinov, R. & Grego, J. (2012). Duolingo effectiveness study. City University of New York, USA.

Von Ahn, Luis (2013). Duolingo: learn a language for free while helping to translate the web. Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2449396.2449398

Vosloo, S. (2012). Mobile learning and policies: Key issues to consider.

Wagner, D., Day, B., James, T., Kozma, R. B., Miller, J. & Unwin, T. (2005). Monitoring and evaluation of ICT in education projects. A Handbook for Developing Countries. Washington DC: InfoDev/World Bank.

Wagner, D. A. (2005). Pro-equity approaches to monitoring and evaluation: Gender, marginalized groups and special needs populations. Monitoring and Evaluation of ICT in Education Projects, 93.

West, M. & Vosloo, S. (2015). Policy guidelines for mobile learning. UNESCO Publishing. Ye, F. (2014). Validity, reliability, and concordance of the Duolingo English Test. Pittsburgh, PA. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/duolingo-certificationsdata/CorrelationStudy.pdf.

Zimmerman, B. J. (1986). Becoming a self-regulated learner: Which are the key subprocesses? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 11(4), 307-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-476X(86)90027-5

Zimmerman, B. J. (1989). A social cognitive view of self-regulated academic learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81(3), 329. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.81.3.329