Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education

This qualitative ethnographic study investigates students’ agency of a language policy in a Colombian public university. Participants were 85 undergraduate students, and data collection involved document analysis, non-participatory observation, a questionnaire, and a portfolio. Three categories emer...

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Main Authors: Sergio Lopera, Nelly Sierra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2025-01-01
Series:Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/113292
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author Sergio Lopera
Nelly Sierra
author_facet Sergio Lopera
Nelly Sierra
author_sort Sergio Lopera
collection DOAJ
description This qualitative ethnographic study investigates students’ agency of a language policy in a Colombian public university. Participants were 85 undergraduate students, and data collection involved document analysis, non-participatory observation, a questionnaire, and a portfolio. Three categories emerged from the analysis: acceptance, rejection, and ignoring. Regarding acceptance, the findings suggest that some students agreed with including English in the curriculum. Some other students expressed rejection related to the English class, the methodology, the evaluation proposal, and the course material. Other students ignored elements regarding their own role in the program, extra-class activities, and participation and attendance in class. Conclusions indicate that students are not passive recipients of language policies because they exercise agency differently at the micro level.
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series Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development
spelling doaj-art-5af1f13454724d35b0a49aa4fac9418a2025-01-16T16:11:00ZengUniversidad Nacional de ColombiaProfile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development1657-07902256-57602025-01-01271839610.15446/profile.v27n1.113292Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher EducationSergio Lopera0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2773-0890Nelly Sierra1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8494-7394Universidad de AntioquiaUniversidad de AntioquiaThis qualitative ethnographic study investigates students’ agency of a language policy in a Colombian public university. Participants were 85 undergraduate students, and data collection involved document analysis, non-participatory observation, a questionnaire, and a portfolio. Three categories emerged from the analysis: acceptance, rejection, and ignoring. Regarding acceptance, the findings suggest that some students agreed with including English in the curriculum. Some other students expressed rejection related to the English class, the methodology, the evaluation proposal, and the course material. Other students ignored elements regarding their own role in the program, extra-class activities, and participation and attendance in class. Conclusions indicate that students are not passive recipients of language policies because they exercise agency differently at the micro level.https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/113292agencyforeign languagehigher educationlanguage policy
spellingShingle Sergio Lopera
Nelly Sierra
Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development
agency
foreign language
higher education
language policy
title Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
title_full Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
title_fullStr Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
title_full_unstemmed Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
title_short Students’ Agency in a Foreign Language Policy in Colombian Higher Education
title_sort students agency in a foreign language policy in colombian higher education
topic agency
foreign language
higher education
language policy
url https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/profile/article/view/113292
work_keys_str_mv AT sergiolopera studentsagencyinaforeignlanguagepolicyincolombianhighereducation
AT nellysierra studentsagencyinaforeignlanguagepolicyincolombianhighereducation