Exploring educational practices of humanities educators to enlighten the ELT context in building citizenship.

Abstract

Nowadays, in a globalized world, the role of English language education should extend beyond language proficiency. In an attempt to develop a proposal that goes in that direction, this research study explores the perception and interpretations of citizenship within the educational practices of humanities educators in a private school in Bogotá. The study aimed to investigate how the educational practices of humanities teachers can contribute to the development of citizenship in ELT. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study identifies the theoretical foundations of educational practices, citizenship, and its relevance to ELT. The research also includes a qualitative multiple case study, considering that for the objective of this study, it was necessary to explore from the real context. The research utilized a semi-structured interview and teacher logs to collect data from the participants. The findings suggest that ELT can play a significant role in developing citizenship by providing students with the language skills necessary for communication and collaboration in diverse and multicultural contexts, fostering critical thinking, empathy, and intercultural competence. Moreover, educators can facilitate the development of citizenship in ELT by incorporating democratic values and social justice issues into their educational practices. However, the integration of citizenship education into ELT may require additional training and support for teachers, as well as the development of appropriate materials and assessment tools. The study concludes that the educational practices in ELT should not only focus on language proficiency but also on developing students' abilities to use language in social and civic contexts with the purpose of building citizenship.