Contenidos de cultura colombiana en material didáctico para ELT

Abstract

The present study delves into research to achieve better learning outcomes and higher motivation for English as a foreign language, the students of public and private schools in Colombia, involving the preferred learning activities or materials, while seeing the impact of Colombian cultural references and aspects like regional dialects, culture, and everyday situations in students’ lives. The objective is to develop a material rooted in the local context that allows students to experience the language in a way that is closely linked to their environment, thus increasing its practical usefulness and creating connections between the target language and students' existing knowledge. As the educational landscape evolves, it becomes imperative to critically evaluate the learner-teacher relationship and the factors that influence motivation to learn. This research aspires to make a substantial contribution to the continuous and permanent development of educational materials within the Colombian educational framework. The diagnostic phase involved a needs analysis with students, utilizing qualitative methods to collect data.The intervention included the development of engaging and gamebased material incorporating Colombian cultural references, with a focus on promoting cultural awareness and language proficiency into English language teaching materials that enhanced students' performance. The conclusions drawn from the study emphasized the importance of cultural immersion as a teaching strategy and the development of didactic material to promote interaction with Colombian culture. The research also highlighted the significance of recognizing the diversity of culture and language in creating educational materials that resonate with students' realities and contexts, fostering relevance and commitment to language learning.