1

Approval of director
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Designing a Virtual Platform as a Tool to Strengthen the Teaching of English to Indigenous

Students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury

Angie Gabriela González Alzate

Yudy Catherine Silva Bolaños

Research Line:

Enseñanza y Aprendizaje del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera en la Región Amazónica

Universidad de la Amazonia

Faculty of Educational Sciences

English Language Teaching Program

Florencia

2018
 3

Designing a Virtual Platform as a Tool to Strengthen the Teaching of English to Indigenous

Students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury

Angie Gabriela González Alzate

Yudy Catherine Silva Bolaños

Director

Silvia Lucia Molina Higuera

Magister

Universidad de la Amazonia

Faculty of Educational Sciences

English Language Teaching Program

Florencia

2018
 4

Dedication

We dedicate this achievement to God, who was always guiding our

process and giving us discernment.

To my beloved Juan Diego, and my grandmother Ludivia, who have

inspired and taught me the real concept of effort and love.

To my lovely mother, Consuelo Bolaños, who supported me through this

whole process.

To our families for helping us in every sense.

Angie Gabriela González Alzate

Yudy Catherine Silva Bolaños

 5

Acknowledgments

To the director of this research project, Professor Silvia Lucia Molina Higuera, who

provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted this study.

To Professor Julián David Mejía Vargas, who encouraged us to use our pedagogical and

disciplinary knowledge for the contribution to the improvement of teaching in indigenous

communities.

To the professors Eulices Córdoba Zúñiga and Rogers Stevie Loaiza Clavijo, jurors of

this research project, who made significant contributions for the adjustment of it.

To the whole community from the Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury, who

permitted us to develop this research project by sharing with us their valuable time.

To Brayan Stiven Tovar Claros, the System engineer who was in charge of programming

the virtual platform and installing it in the computer equipment of the institution.
 6

Abstract

This research project illustrates the process followed to design a virtual platform as a tool

to strengthen the teaching of English to indigenous students at Educational Institution Inga

Yachaikury. This has be done by developing four phases that are diagnosis, collecting data,

platform design, and validation of the platform. The first phase consisted on the application of a

diagnostic test that aimed at knowing the English level of students from the institution. In the

second phase, the information required for designing the platform was gathered by applying a

survey of needs and making use of some books. The third phase was centered on the virtual

platform design which called for photographs, audio recordings, Inga language translations and

information about the indigenous culture. The last phase was focused on validating the

educational tool through a survey that aimed at knowing the level of satisfaction of students and

teachers from the institution. In this sense, the results obtained from this project were analyzed

by using a qualitative research as it was necessary to know the population’s context, needs,

perspectives, and expectations as well as the acceptance the virtual platform had. Likewise, the

ethnographic approach was used due to the population belongs to an indigenous community and

it was intended to strengthen their roots through the teaching of English integrated with

information and communication technologies.

Keywords: Virtual Learning Objects, Didactic Materials, Bilingualism, Ethnic Education,

English Teaching
 7

Resumen

Este proyecto de investigación ilustra el proceso seguido para diseñar una plataforma

virtual como una herramienta para fortalecer la enseñanza del inglés a estudiantes indígenas en la

Institución educativa Inga Yachaikury. Esto se hizo mediante el desarrollo de cuatro fases que

son el diagnóstico, la recopilación de datos, el diseño de la plataforma, y la validación de la

plataforma. La primera fase consistió en la aplicación de una prueba de diagnóstico que tenía

como objetivo conocer el nivel de inglés de los estudiantes de la institución. En la segunda fase,

se recopiló la información requerida para diseñar la plataforma aplicando una encuesta de

necesidades y haciendo uso de algunos libros. La tercera fase se centró en el diseño de la

plataforma virtual para lo cual se necesitaron fotografías, grabaciones de audio, traducciones al

idioma Inga e información sobre la cultura indígena. La última fase se enfocó en la validación de

la herramienta educativa a través de una encuesta que buscaba conocer el nivel de satisfacción de

los estudiantes y maestros de la institución. En este sentido, los resultados obtenidos de este

proyecto se analizaron mediante una investigación cualitativa, ya que era necesario conocer el

contexto, las necesidades, las perspectivas y las expectativas de la población, así como la

aceptación de la plataforma virtual. Asimismo, se utilizó el enfoque etnográfico debido a que la

población pertenece a una comunidad indígena y mediante la plataforma se esperaba fortalecer

sus raíces a través de la enseñanza del inglés integrada con las tecnologías de la información y la

comunicación.

Palabras claves: Objetos virtuales de aprendizaje, Materiales didácticos, Bilingüismo,

Etnoeducación, Enseñanza del inglés.

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Contents
INTRODUCTION 12
1. PROBLEM STATEMENT 14
1.1. Description of the problem 14
1.2. Research question 16
1.3. Justification 16
2. OBJECTIVES 18
2.1. General objective 18
2.2. Specific objectives 18
3. LITERATURE REVIEW 19
3.1. State of the art 19
3.2. Theoretical framework 30
3.2.1. Virtual Learning Objects 30
3.2.2. Didactic Materials 31
3.2.3. Bilingualism 32
3.2.4. Ethnic Education 33
3.2.5. English Teaching 34
3.3. Normativity 35
3.3.1. Colombia’s Constitution of 1991 35
3.3.2. Law of Native Languages (1381/2010) 35
3.3.3. General Law of Education (115/1994) 36
3.3.4. Law of Bilingualism (1651/2013) 36
3.3.5. English National Program (2015-2025) 36
3.3.6. Decree 1295 of 2010 37
3.3.7. Agreement 21st, 2009 expedited by the Universidad de la Amazonia Academic 37
Council
4. METHODOLOGY 38
4.1. Type of research 38
4.2. Research methodology design 39
4.2.1. Context and Participants 39
4.2.2. Data collection tools 39
4.2.3. Steps of the research study 40
4.2.3.1. Phase 1. Diagnosis 40
4.2.3.2. Phase 2. Collecting data 41
4.2.3.3. Phase 3. Platform design 41
4.2.3.4. Phase 4. Platform validation 42
5. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS 43
6. OUTCOMES AND DISCUSSIONS 44
6.1 Timeline 44
6.2 Analysis of the research phases 45
 9

6.2.1 Phase 1. Diagnosis 45

6.2.2 Phase 2: Collecting data 51
6.2.3 Phase 3: Platform design 80
6.2.3 Phase 4: Validation of the Platform 89
7. CONCLUSIONS 105
8. RECOMMENDATIONS 106
9. REFERENCES 107
10. ANNEXES 114
 10

List of figures
Figure 1. Homepage 82
Figure 2. Lessons 83
Figure 3. Translation 84
Figure 4. Development 85
Figure 5. Scoring 85
Figure 6. Method 86
Figure 7. Types of exercises 87
 11

List of tables
Graphic 1. Timeline 44
Graphic 2. First part of the diagnostic test 47
Graphic 3. Second part of the diagnostic test 49
Graphic 4. Gender 53
Graphic 5. Age 53
Graphic 6. Origin 54
Graphic 7. English language proficiency 55
Graphic 8. Inga language proficiency 56
Graphic 9. Role 57
Graphic 10. Use of computers 58
Graphic 11. Frequency of the use of computers 59
Graphic 12. Usefulness of computers 60
Graphic 13. Platforms for learning and teaching 61
Graphic 14. Platforms focused on English learning 62
Graphic 15. Existing platforms to learn English 63
Graphic 16. Interest in topics related to indigenous culture, traditions and way of 64
life
Graphic 17. Contents 68
Graphic 18. Name of the platform 69
Graphic 19. Symbol 70
Graphic 20. Animal 71
Graphic 21. Colors 74
Graphic 22. Photographs 75
Graphic 23. Indigenous language 76
Graphic 24. Method 77
Graphic 25. Visual design 90
Graphic 26. Instructions 91
Graphic 27. Topics related to Inga’s culture 92
Graphic 28. Logical organization of contents 93
Graphic 29. Methodology 94
Graphic 30. Photographs 95
Graphic 31. Audios 96
Graphic 32. Colors, symbols, and name 97
Graphic 33. Usefulness of the three languages 98
Graphic 34. Attractiveness 99
Graphic 35. Teachers’ interest on the platform 100
Graphic 36. Students’ interest on the platform 101
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Introduction

The present research was focused on designing a virtual platform as a tool to strengthen

the teaching of English to indigenous students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury. This

indigenous community is located in a small village called Yurayaco that is part of the

municipality in the department of Caquetá, Colombia called San José del Fragua. It is three hours

from the capital city, Florencia. Yurayaco counts with its own private indigenous institution,

Yachaikury. This institution has preschool, primary, secondary, and vocational education. There

are also different learning cycles that are equivalent to different levels and depend on the age of

students. Even though this project helped the whole Inga indigenous community, it was applied

specifically to the language cycle. This cycle is integrated with 9th, 10th and 11th grades and the

students are between 14 and 19 years old. Those people were chosen due to the institution does

not count with didactic materials for teaching English and the teachers of the community are not

trained in English. They do not master the language and, as a result, the teaching of this language

is not articulated with their context and their English level is low in comparison to the Basic

Standards of Competences. Therefore, the main purpose of this project is to design a virtual

platform as a tool to strengthen the teaching of English to indigenous students at Educational

Institution Inga Yachaikury.

Rivero, González & Acosta (2015), defined virtual learning objects as digital mediums

that serve as a support to transmit knowledge. This object can be a game, a video, an image, an

audio, a text, or any tool where digitalization is carried out. A Virtual Learning Object (VLO)

can be used in different contexts with an educational purpose and it is constituted by at least

three internal components: contents, learning activities and contextualization elements. In

addition, the learning object must have an external information structure to facilitate its storage,
 13

identification and data recovery. It serves as a support to the educational process to develop

competences in students as a way of strengthening learning. In the same way, the use of

technology in education has been a good strategy to teach in an interactive manner. It has had a

great impact on students learning in English language teaching, for example, as “technology

provides so many options as making teaching interesting and also making teaching more

productive in terms of improvements” (Shyamlee and Phil, 2012, p.150).

Based on what has been explained, VOL can be a way to teach English to indigenous

people, in this case, Inga indigenous community, without altering their culture. Thus, it can take

into account their customs, practices and native language. In this way, they will remain their

mother tongue, as they will learn English from their own language (Inga). In addition, the

acquisition of a third language will support them to share their culture and know others.

However, this kind of material had not been implemented to the Inga community. That is

why this project worked on designing an offline platform as a didactic tool to solve the problems

that indigenous learners have related to English learning. In other words, this project

strengthened the teaching of English to Inga indigenous community through the design of a

virtual platform which will incorporate the culture of this community with the objective of

developing linguistic competences in different languages (Inga, Spanish, and English) to benefit

the solidification of their culture, appropriation and contributions to other forms of thoughts.
 14

1. Problem Statement

1.1.Description of the Problem

Colombia is a multicultural country where a considerable part of the population belongs to

indigenous communities. According to the information of General Census DANE (2005), the

percentage of indigenous population in Colombia is 3,43%, and there are more than 80

indigenous communities settled in different parts of the country.

Colombia’s Constitution of 1991 recognizes that Colombia is a multicultural and

multilingual country. In concordance, the Ministry of Education presented the National Bilingual

Program 2004-2019 with the aim of making Colombian citizens bilingual in Spanish and English

by 2019, taking into account the Common European Framework. This framework of references

was designed to provide a basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses and curriculum

guidelines, the design of teaching and learning materials, and the assessment of foreign language

proficiency (Common European Framework, 2002). In this sense, the National Ministry of

Education defined the Basic Standards of Competences in Foreign Languages which aim at

contributing to having citizens capable of communicating in English, with internationally

comparable standards. However, these standards do not take into consideration the contexts in

which indigenous communities live, ignoring their culture, customs, and traditions, which make

more difficult the process of learning English.

Nowadays, in Caquetá there are eight recognized indigenous groups. One of them is Inga

community, which is located in San José del Fragua. It is organized in nine reservations which

are Niñeras, Cusumbe, San Miguel, San Antonio, San Rafael, San Gabriel, Brisas, Fragüita, and
 15

Yurayaco. They arrived in Caquetá at the beginning of the 20th century, seeking more

opportunities to keep their culture.

As a mechanism to recover Inga culture, the indigenous institution, Yachaikury, was

created in Yurayaco, San José del Fragua-Caquetá. This institution counts with preschool,

primary, secondary, and vocational education. Its main goal is to keep Inga culture and train

young indigenous people in the areas of agriculture, health promotion, traditional medicine,

handicrafts, dressmaking, computers, etc. Moreover, this institution seeks for developing

linguistic competences in different languages (Inga, Spanish, and English) to benefit the

strengthening of the culture, appropriation, and contributions to other forms of thoughts.

However, reaching this goal has become a big challenge for them because of the following

reasons. On the one hand, the institution does not count with didactic materials for teaching

English. No grammar books, dictionaries or ludic games can be found there. As stated by Núñez

and Tellez (2009), “language learning materials constitute a key factor in creating effective

teaching and learning environments”. On the other hand, teachers of the community are not

trained in English. They do not master the language and, as a result, the teaching of this language

is not articulated with their context and their English level is low. In this order of ideas, it was

necessary to design other kinds of didactic materials that help them in the process of teaching

and learning English and contextualizes their culture. Because of that, this research aimed at

designing a virtual platform with the following characteristics: first, it was contextualized to the

Inga culture; students learned English not only from Spanish but also from Inga language. That is

why the platform had three available languages: English, Inga, and Spanish. It was reinforced

their mother tongue, as they did not use Spanish all the time. Second, it was taken into account
 16

Inga customs and practices, but it does not mean that they will not learn about other cultures. On

the contrary, English will help them realize that there are many other cultures around the world.

1.2. Research Question

How to strengthen the teaching of English to indigenous students at Educational

Institution Inga Yachaikury using a virtual platform?

1.3. Justification

Nowadays, the learning of a new language, in this case English, leads both the student

and teacher to pose new challenges to face, in a competent way, a society that increasingly

requires more prepared subjects with innovative ideas. In this way, the teacher has seen the need

to be trained to give a good guidance to their students. Because of that, this project undertakes

the task of facilitating a new tool by creating a technological instrument to teach English.

Yurayaco reservation is composed by indigenous who arrived in Caquetá at the beginning

of the 20th century, seeking new opportunities for their daily life and to keep their culture. They

count on their own school, Yachaikury, which is a private indigenous institution where young

indigenous learn to speak their mother tongue, Spanish and English. Although they have an

ethno-educational approach, they have to do with the National Bilingual Program 2004-2009,

EFL: “a strategy for competitiveness”. For this reason, designing a virtual platform as a tool to

strengthen the teaching of English to Inga indigenous community allows the accomplishment of

the General Law, and the young Inga community to speak their mother tongue (Inga), Spanish

and English. Specifically, Virtual Learning Objects are defined as digital mediums that serve as a
 17

support to transmit knowledge. This object can be a game, a video, an image, an audio, a text, or

any tool where digitalization is carried out. (Rivero, González & Acosta, 2015).

This research takes into account Virtual Learning Objects due to the fact that the

institution mentioned before present lack of didactic materials to teach English, leaving as a

consequence a poor level of English language. For the Inga community, it is very important to

learn English taking into account their language because it helps them keep their culture and

expand their knowledge about other cultures.

This research brought some benefits for students, teachers, and the indigenous institution.

All of them had a new and innovative tool, which made the teaching and learning process easier

and more significant. It provided students bases for starting a major in a university. This

proposal enriched the theory of Language learning by showing how the platforms could be

applied to enhance EFL learning in minority indigenous communities. Finally, this project

provided a new reference to create didactic materials for indigenous as it is the first proposal for

teaching English to indigenous people with a virtual platform in Caquetá.

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2. Objectives

2.1.General objective

To design a virtual platform as a tool to strengthen the teaching of English to indigenous

students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury.

2.2.Specific Objectives

To diagnose the English language needs of the educational community according to their

linguistic and sociocultural contexts.

To collect information related to the Inga culture to use it for the development of the

virtual platform.

To organize the grammatical and lexical contents and establish the platform layout.

To validate the virtual platform through a survey directed to teachers and students from

the Inga community.

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3. Literature review

3.1.State of the art

The state of the art contains the deepest base of the research that allows the finding of new

knowledge when reviewing the literature associated with the proposal. That is why, it was

determined where, how, who, where and why the research problem has been developed.

Additionally, which kind of errors have been made in its implementation in order to avoid

repetition, and how much is known about the subject in terms of validated knowledge. In the

present research about using a platform to teach a third language in an Inga indigenous

community, it was very necessary to review other studies about the topic for reinforcing the

information and achieving a useful product to teach English to aboriginal students. In this way, it

will take information from international, national and regional researches according to the

research line and proposal topic.

International: “The Use of Learning Management Platforms in School Context – a

National Study”

The report made by the authors Pedro, Soares, Matos & Santos emphasized that the main

purpose is to provide the use of learning management systems in elementary and secondary

education in Portuguese schools. The research was carried out through a survey that helped to

establish the advantages and disadvantages of platforms in pedagogical contexts. This survey

was divided into four stages that contain the identification of educational needs in the schools,

data collection, study and design, organization, analysis, and the report of results.

Moreover, as part of the survey’s methodology, it was implemented a questionnaire for

students and teachers with the aim of having a global view about the use of these platforms, their
 20

impact, and functions in school contexts. The survey included five sections and almost eighty

items; the first part was especially for contextualization of interviewed, the platform they use at

school and other aspects such as the percentage of users, and the relevance in the subject areas in

the curriculum. The second section addressed different functions played by learning platforms in

education: communication, collaboration and interaction, information provision, and information

collection. The third section covered questions about perceptions of the learning platform impact

in matters of organization, interactions, and participation. Finally, the fourth and fifth sections

were about the level of satisfaction with the use of educational platforms, and about the schools’

needs in relation to the use of those tools.

As a result, the survey showed some relevant data on the educational platform

implementation. Initially, the students and teachers perceived those platforms as positive and

effective in elementary and secondary schools. The global results demonstrated that the habitual

use of virtual environment could have an impact on the school context. According to Pedro et al.

(2008) "can be understood as a favorable factor to the acquisition, development, and

establishment of regular habits of use, since it is part of both a shared language and a shared

repertoire, collectively understood among teachers, pupils and the remaining school community"

(p.35). That is to say, virtual environments help to widen the information in the educational

community, and the appropriate communication and work among students. Educational

platforms allow dealing with pedagogical necessities and adaptation in subject areas in the

curriculum, even in the learning of a second language; but according to the survey, most of the

schools employ platforms in areas like mathematics and sciences. Contrarily to curricular areas

like languages, social sciences, economic sciences, arts and physical education that present a

lower rate of use in educational context.

 21

In conclusion, the process of including educational platforms in schools brings positive

and enriching aspects in educative settings. Virtual environments provide spaces for

communication, learning, and incorporation of different tools in schools. In the same way, it is

important to layout and create new pedagogical platforms for integrating students’ activities and

projects with the purpose of motivating them to be responsible to achieve and improve their own

work, to acquire knowledge, to develop new skills, to support cooperative-work, and to take

advantage of academic information provided in virtual spaces. Finally, the appropriate use of

platforms encourages the diversification of educational tools in the teaching practice, which

seeks to integrate extracurricular elements in educational contexts. It is necessary to create

awareness and promote the good use of educational platforms to achieve concrete and significant

experiences for students and teachers.

“Roots and Wings: Teaching English as a Second Dialect to Aboriginal Students-A Review

of the Literature.”

This paper is an information analysis made by the authors Ruth Epstein and Lily Xu. The

review is divided into three essential parts: (1) information about aboriginal students, (2)

challenges in teaching English, and (3) appropriate practices in teaching English to aboriginal

students. This paper has the purpose of involving social and cultural processes and implications

of language maintenance. Also, explain the best practices in teaching Standard English, but

ensuring the conservation of indigenous roots. It is important to mention that English is used as a

dialect, because the review is from Canada, and the aboriginal students have a vernacular dialect

of English. Likewise, It is expected to educate those students in Standard English (the one used

in the US, Canada, Australia, or Britain).

 22

Firstly, taking as reference the aboriginal students' characteristic, the authors argue,

"Aboriginal students are distinctive in terms of their diverse social, cultural, and linguistic

background" (p.7). That is to say, most of those students live different situations in comparison

with non-aboriginal students. Notably, these students attend to rural schools, and they also

represent a great variety of linguistic backgrounds; while some aboriginal students just speak an

indigenous language like English or French, others are bilingual in a vernacular English and a

low level of Standard English. Moreover, the standard language is used as the way of instruction

in most of the schools, the aboriginal students are in disadvantage because this approach has little

emphasis on their linguistics needs, and it ignores the importance of maintaining their dialect and

roots. In effect, the author suggests the model of Virginia Collier and in which there are four

components in second language learning: Sociocultural processes, Language development,

academic and cognitive development. Virginia Collier states that (as cited in Epstein and Xu,

2003) "sociocultural processes strongly influence, in both positive and negative ways, students'

access to cognitive, academic, and language development and the development of any one of

academic, cognitive and linguistic components depends critically on simultaneous development

of the other two, through both first and second languages" (p. 3). In essence, this model brings

positive results in English teaching to aboriginal students while it examines the different

sociolinguistic contexts and backgrounds among them.

Secondly, focusing on challenges in teaching to aboriginal students, there are many

social, historical and cultural aspects that affect students and teacher's performance in schools.

One of the principal problems is the socioeconomic inequity because poverty and funding

prevents aboriginal students from fully participating in school. The majority of aboriginal

students are more likely to belong to a poor family, and the financial resources from the
 23

government are not enough for satisfying their socioeconomic needs. On the other hand, the

racism does not permit an appropriate learning environment for aboriginal students. Social and

cultural inequities in the students promote rebellions, failures and dropout school, and also

creates negative experiences in the learning process. In effect, aboriginal students have a low

cultural identity, lack of confidence, self-esteem, anxiety and other internal factors that produce

barriers and problems in second language or dialect acquisition. Fraiser (as cited in Epstein and

Xu, 2003) "Studies conclude that the Aboriginal students' educational barriers and problems in

schools are caused by a social and cultural environment that is alien to many of their

experiences, that is, there is little connection between their lives at home and at school".

Aboriginal students do not feel a significant relationship between the environment in their

families and schools, and as a consequence, they experience confusion due to their cultural

background and social integration.

Additionally, as part of the challenges, the aboriginal vernacular language or home

language (L1) has not been used for the students' instruction in academic contexts. As a result,

by using Standard English as the only way of instruction, the students' linguistics needs are not

satisfied. Although aboriginal language is taught, it does not play a relevant role in education;

that is why many of indigenous languages have been disappearing around the world due to the

lack of interest in educational institutions. To this is added, the non-appropriate didactic

materials to teach aboriginal languages, and the teachers' lack of knowledge and training in

language variations generates more inequality in teaching. In essence, aboriginal students face

many factors or challenges in schools, and it is reflected in the high number of students who drop

out, and the lack of education in some indigenous communities or more vulnerable groups in the

country.
 24

Thirdly, with the purpose of solving the problems or challenges mentioned above, the

authors suggested some appropriate practices in teaching English. One of the most important is

to promote an inclusive and friendly environment, in which students feel they are involved in the

learning process. This has to be complemented with the community and parental involvement,

non-aboriginal students and teachers' attitudes toward vernacular dialects, and a policy that

recognizes all those indigenous languages as formal dialects in order to foster equality and

appropriate sociocultural conditions. Finally, to make use of different models and strategies that

would be pertinent for their learning style and support the conservation of indigenous roots; the

author recommended The Bidialectal Approach in which the dialect differences are seen as a

bridge or resource rather than a barrier.

In conclusion, teaching to aboriginal students is a challenge in current education. The

curriculum has not been including their linguistic and educational needs. Just a few numbers of

teachers are aware of addressing effectively teaching. Aboriginal students need appropriate

materials, inclusion in the curricula, program support, funding from the government, appropriate

strategies for their learning styles, professional development, and other related supports. That is

why, around the world, many studies about teaching to aboriginal students have been gaining

strength, and the way is long yet, but the most important is that teachers remember that native

languages should be maintained, not replaced.

National: “Indigenous Students’ Attitudes towards Learning English through a Virtual

Program: A Study in a Colombian Public University”

The research was done by the author Ruth Elena Cuasialpud in a Colombian Public

University about two indigenous students who took a level I virtual English-course named 'Alex
 25

Program' during the second term of 2008 and the first term of 2009. Interviews, observations,

and questionnaires were used for data collection. It was found that students were frustrated

taking a virtual course and that their motivation as regards the learning of this language was very

low. Thus, they need to be motivated and guided along the process. As author cited, there are

three main aspects concerning difficulties with the language and motivation: the way in which

the student means to acquire the English language; second, previous low preparation in the

language; and third, the student is not used to self-monitoring his use of language (Velandia,

2007).

Meanwhile, the author found that there were also twenty other students, all of whom

belonged to different indigenous communities of Colombia, enrolled in a variety of

undergraduate programs such as medicine, economics, engineering, and law. Some of them were

finishing their majors but others were just starting. In their indigenous communities, many of

them inaccessible, these students had learned little or nothing about English and computers. As a

result, when they faced university for the first time, their use of technology was poor as well as

was their English level. That is why most of them did not want to take the English course and

those who did it, failed or just dropped out in most of the cases.

Finally, in the findings, there were expressed some difficulties related to English learning

through the platform. The lack of educational background around the foreign language, the use

of new technologies, and the virtual modality were the biggest challenges for indigenous students

when learning English through Alex Program. First, the interviewed students expressed that

among their native communities or small towns the education level is low in comparison to big

cities. Many indigenous children cannot attend school every day because of countryside labor

and lack of motivation from parents and teachers towards education. Second, the students
 26

pointed they were not able to afford a computer or technological devices, and it prevented a

better understanding of the management of the platform. In their communities, there were not

enough contact with computers or internet resources, and the students started the university with

little knowledge about technology. Third, the virtual modality did not have a great impact on

indigenous students because the factors mentioned before interfered with their learning process.

There was not preparation for facing the platform, and the students were not instructed about

simple matters such as grades, management, and alternatives to understand the prompts.

Regional: “Designing contextualized didactic material for teaching English as a third

language to second grade Huitoto children community from High School Campo Elias

Marulanda (Solano, Caquetá).”

This project was made in 2016 by Fredy Bolivar Cantillo in Universidad de la Amazonia.

The purpose was based on designing a contextualized material for teaching English as a third

language in an indigenous community. The project was divided into three stages: 1) diagnose the

students in order to know their situational needs, 2) to design and develop the didactic material,

and 3) to establish the booklet's contents (visual design, evaluation activities, grammatical topics,

and others). This project had a great relevance in the development of new educational

alternatives in teaching a third language to indigenous communities in Caquetá. The results that

will be discussed below were significant because they contribute to educational research,

promote plurilingualism, and the conservation of indigenous languages in the country.

Initially, during the first stage were implemented several interviews to collect information

about teachers, students and people from the Huitoto community. The author gathered life stories

from teachers in order to know their pedagogical perspectives, thoughts about students' needs
 27

and the community history. Throughout this research, the background of the indigenous

community was clarified. The huitotos are originally from Perú but the Quina and Rubber Auge

made them emigrate to Putumayo, Amazonas and Caquetá to re-establish their sociocultural

situation. According to Dane report in 2006, there are around 7.343 indigenous population, and

less than 300 live in Caquetá; The Huitoto's community that is located in Solano speaks Nipode,

one of the four vernacular dialects that belong to the Wuito's language family in Colombia.

Moreover, the second and third stages of the project were focused on analyzing

available materials in the region, and the design of a didactic material for teaching English as a

third language. Given this points, the author concluded that the materials in Florencia were not

enough suitable for teaching, because of the lack of contextualized situations and visual tools

that would catch students' attention. The books were focused on grammatical structures and

some of them were not appropriate for children learning. As the final stage, the author designed a

booklet with some grammatical contents about the indigenous context for generating identity and

creating a bridge between what they already know, and the new knowledge. The didactic

material was based on the Common European Framework (CEF) and English standards in

Colombia. It has six units, each one fosters the linguistic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic

competences; and most of the activities were expected to create suitable interaction between the

student, teacher and booklet. In a sense, this didactic material was designed to fulfill most of the

situational and linguistic needs in indigenous students because the author thought about the

relevance of teaching a new language, but reinforcing and attaching importance to their mother

tongue, which has a great relevance in the conservation of culture and language in a community.

To conclude, the author mentions several conclusions and recommendations about

intercultural materials in teaching. In the same way, it was indicated that teachers have a crucial
 28

role in the design, application, and adoption of contextualized materials combining the students'

culture in the educational setting; this aimed at achieving a meaningful and enjoyable learning

around a foreign language. It has been seen that many students perceive English as an

insignificant subject since it does not provide what they seek, and they discern its use

unnecessary in a country where the formal language is Spanish. The author suggests motivating

the students to change the perception of education through useful materials that help them to

reflect about their culture, beliefs and daily life. Likewise, to take into account the different

linguistic needs around indigenous students in order to guide them in the learning process, and

appreciate they live in places where the educational investment from the government is nil or

negligible.

“Designing contextualized materials for Teaching English to Korebaju Community”

Fernando Galeano and Paul Bolaños developed this educational research in a Korebaju

Community located in Caquetá, Colombia. The authors were concerned about the importance of

English language in a globalized world; therefore, they based their project on five specific

stages: 1) description of the indigenous community, 2) interaction of instruments and strategies

to gather relevant information, 3) to analyse the data and select the information about Korebaju

culture, 4) to design and develop the research proposal, and 5) to evaluate the material impact. In

essence, this project sought to include all aspects related to Korebaju culture for designing a

material that would include the students' context in the process of learning English as a third

language.

The book is named "Learning English through our Korebaju culture". In general terms, it

is A1 level in concordance with CEF and it has six units. Each unit has an objective about what

the students are expected to achieve during the process. The books' topics are contextualized and
 29

closely related to their daily life, traditions, customs, and values; in other words, the book

achieved the purpose of including indigenous culture for teaching English. In the same way, the

authors took into account that layout aspects have to emphasize the native culture; that is why,

pictures, icons, symbols, and colours were used in order to highlight their nature, spirituality, and

beliefs.

Moreover, the results were explained according to the interview results, findings from

field diary and pictures, conclusions of data analysis, material design, and implementation. In

effect, the material had a great impact in the community, and its development was significant

because they all worked as a team. The researchers received help, suggestions, and information

from the community. That is why the material was suitable for the students' needs in relation to

the context and culture. According to Galeano et. al (2016):

"The result of the application contributes the best evidence for seeing the impact of units

designed in students and improve units’ content. The English teaching through Korebaju

culture changes the way to support students to identify problems and figure them out, to

plan lessons, to use resources of the culture that promote English learning and

community’s comprehension, their culture and their members as managers of

development and social change" (p. 46).

Finally, the authors gave some recommendations and conclusions about designing

contextualized materials for educational purposes. The principal suggestion was about English

teaching to aboriginal communities in Caquetá. There is a lack of interest in teachers about these

minorities groups; in effect, it has been evidenced on the poor number of contextualized

materials around native cultures, and indigenous students' low English level. To finish, the

conclusions showed that immersions are highly relevant during research in order to gather
 30

information, clarify ideas and understand their way of living. In the same way, it was expressed

that when the community works together, there is reached a better understanding of the

deficiencies, and the situational and educational needs of the students.

3.2.Theoretical framework

The present research focuses on the importance of strengthening the teaching of English to

indigenous students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury using Virtual Learning Objects.

In order to understand what the main objective of this proposal is about, it is necessary to

describe some topics related to it. There are six important aspects that will be considered in this

section. Those are Virtual Learning Objects, Didactic Materials, Bilingualism, Ethno Education

and English Teaching.

3.2.1. Virtual Learning Objects: According to The IEEE Learning Technology Standards

Committee (LTSC), a learning object is “any entity, digital or non-digital, that can be used, re-

used, or referenced during technology supported learning”. In the same way, Ip. Young and

Morrison (2002) define a learning object (LO) as “a computer-mediated or delivered module or

unit, that stands by itself that provides a meaningful learning experience in a planned learning

context”. The emphasis on “learning experience” is to acknowledge the different type of

interaction a learner may have with the “learning object”. The learning object must be used with

an intention of learning. In concordance, Ip and Canale (1997) used the term “virtual apparatus”

to refer to independent educational components which can be combined on a web-page to

produce educationally interesting learning. Brooks, Cooke, and Vassileva (n.d) define Learning

objects are reusable pieces of educational material intended to be strung together to form larger

educational units such as activities, lessons, or whole courses. These materials are stored in

learning object repositories which can be distributed in nature. Objects are then retrieved and
 31

integrated into learning management systems to be delivered to the learner. It would seem that

there are almost as many definitions of the term as there are people employing it.

Learning objects can be defined as “information pieces which are structured independent

of one another, which can be updated and used again for different purposes and needs, which can

be combined to create a whole content, which are labeled with defining information and which

can be accessed via a network and used for educational purposes.” Learning objects have great

importance in distant education applications. In recent years, learning objects have been widely

mentioned as a new concept in the areas of e-learning, design, and development. (Gonen and

Basaran. N.d)

Knowing this, what is necessary is to know how Virtual Learning Objects can help in the

educational process. Nurassyl and Astana (n.d) mention that virtual learning is understood as

process and result of subjects and the interaction of the object. This interaction defines

educational process specifics as a whole system. The educational process is as virtual as there are

the subject and the object of relations. The virtual educational environment provides complex

methodical and technological support for the educational process, educational process

management, and its quality. Therefore, it is possible to say that the virtual educational

environment carries out the following functions: information training, communication,

administrative function. Virtual learning allows high-quality, transparent and available training.

In this sense, the use of Virtual Learning Objects can be a helpful tool to teach English.

3.2.2. Didactic Materials: As Padrón, Dodero, Díaz, and Aedo (2005) state, didactic materials

are “any kind of aid that assists both teachers and learners to achieve their objectives during the

entire learning process” (p.2). Those are the combination of contents in the form of learning

objects with a pedagogical strategy that works as a guide and facilitator in the educational
 32

process. Moreover, “it includes the adaptation and/or creation of a learning- teaching exercise, a

task, an activity, a lesson, a unit, or a module composed by one or two units” (Núñez and Tellez,

2009). Didactic materials may include books, maps, pictures, videos, software, among others.

Thus, developing materials is highly important as it satisfies students' learning objectives and

styles, preferences, and expectations. Gardner (1993), as cited by Núñez and Tellez (2009),

envisioned the multiple intelligences model in which he asserts that human beings are unique and

have eight native intelligences he termed as interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, spatial,

kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, linguistic, spiritual and naturalistic that must be acknowledged

and developed when teaching a language. This, in turn, should lead teachers to reflect upon

classroom procedures in unique paths. According to Unesco (2004), teachers have to respond to

the diversity of learners and enhance the quality of education improving the effectiveness of

teachers by developing appropriate textbooks and learning materials. Developing materials to

enhance teachers' pedagogical practices involves reflection and practice because, as Goethe

stated, "Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do”, meaning

that reflection and action go together from the onset of materials development.

3.2.3. Bilingualism: Bilingual programs are not recent. They have been applied in countries like

Australia, Canada, and the United States since the 1970s under the names of immigrant on-

arrival programs or immersion education. The reasons for the appearance of these programs were

related to the need to teach immigrants to develop competences to adapt to their new society and

be able to get a job and/or perform in different contexts.

Colombia decided to create the National Bilingual Program with the objective of giving

tools for the new generations. An important thing for the implementation of the program is the

schedule. In primary school education, some institutions have one hour a week devoted to
 33

English teaching and other institutions still have no assigned time. Even though the Secretaries

of Education and each institution will decide, according to their possibilities, the way to do this

job in the primary school, the design of the standards begins in the first grade in order to set

goals in the long term for Colombian boys and girls (MEN, 2006).

Integrating culture while teaching is very important because it helps students understand

in an easy way, especially in Colombia, a country that has a variety of groups. Johnson (2005)

maintained that language learning consists of more than the ability to understand new linguistic

structures. Regarding English as a global language, Crystal (2003) stated that English has

developed a special role worldwide not only because it has been made the official language of

several countries, but also because it has been made a priority in different countries’ foreign-

language teaching. Under those circumstances, Colombia has a priority to be a bilingual country.

3.2.4. Ethnic Education: Colombian ethnic groups received recognition from the State as people

with their own culture and language. It happened through Colombia’s Constitution of 1991. This

document includes articles that deal with the ethnic groups settled in the country, with linguistic

diversity, with ethnic and bilingual education, with the government’s responsibility for ethnic

culture and education.

Culture is very important in ethnic education. When working with culture, teachers and

students should avoid seeking to adopt a native-like identity or character. Rather, they should

attempt to recognize and validate multiple cultural identities in the classroom community. In

other words, there should be opportunities to incorporate and acknowledge the learners’

expertise of their language and cultural way of life into the daily fabric of the classroom. In sum,

in order to learn to understand and respect others’ ways of thinking and acting, one needs to be

able to value and reflect on one’s beliefs and behaviors (Sumaryono & Ortiz, 2004).
 34

Undoubtedly, culture plays a central role in the teaching and learning of foreign

languages. However, its understanding and implementation in the foreign language classroom is

not an easy task as EFL teachers can find a myriad of perspectives and concepts defining culture

and how it can be taught.

3.2.5 English Teaching: The teaching of English has taken a lot of force in the last century due

to the emphasis that the educational reforms in Colombia are giving it, such as the national

bilingualism plan 2004-2019, and Law of Bilingualism (Law 1651 of July 12th, 2013). The need

to learn a foreign language is due to it is seen as a vehicle of communication between people,

institutions and countries of different cultures, and thanks to this, education is currently inviting

English teachers to use different teaching strategies that respond to the need to instruct students,

and motivate them to communicate in the language. As Mayoral (2016) states, "the English

teaching has become increasingly important in the field of educational research and applied

linguistics, as well as other disciplines such as educational psychology and, specifically,

emotional intelligence of the neurosciences, where the development of neuronal connections is

deepened through the learning of languages "(p.12) translated by authors. This is how the

teaching of English is not only focused on external benefits such as educational and work

opportunities, but also internally as cognitive and emotional development.

It is important to highlight that the teaching of English enables the creation of new

environments by providing teachers and students with a different environment for learning a

wide variety of contents. That is to say, learning a second language does not always mean

teaching the language itself, but the inclusion of different contents that are related and can be

connected through the target language. In the same way, learning English involves the use of

different strategies and materials that facilitate students and teachers the creation of contexts that
 35

refer to the language or culture of which they are learning, in this case English that is consider a

foreign language in Colombia. That is why, it is concluded that the teaching of English is

increasingly crucial in current society, for this reason, it is important to use different tools,

strategies and methodologies that facilitate the teaching process and motivate students to

communicate in English.

3.3. Normativity

In this part, the normativity that supports this research proposal is listed.

3.3.1. Colombia’s Constitution of 1991. It sets out in the articles 7, 8, 10 and 70 that the State

recognizes and protects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Colombian nation and therefore it

is the duty of the State and individuals to protect the cultural and natural wealth of the country.

Article 7. The State recognizes and protects the cultural and ethnic diversity of Colombia.

Article 8. “The state and all people must protect the cultural and natural richness of the

nation”

Article 10. “Spanish is the official language in Colombia. The languages and dialects of

ethnics groups are official in their territories too. The education provided in communities

with linguistic traditions will be bilingual”

Article 70. “The State has the duty to promote and encourage the equal cultural access to all

Colombians with the same opportunities through a permanent education and a science

teaching, technical, artistic and professional in all the states of the creation of a national

identity process. The State recognizes the equality and the dignity of all people who live in
 36

the country. The State will promote research, science, the development and the spreading of

cultural values in the nation."

3.3.2. Law of Native Languages (1381/2010). The articles 17, 19 and 22 support creating

educational materials to help to preserve the language and culture of the community:

Article 17. “Production of Reading materials, (…) to the production and the use of writing

material in native languages. Due to fulfillment of the efforts to develop this provision in

preference to the publication of materials that achieve a relation with cultural values, towns and

ethnic community traditions of the country”.

Article 19. “Conservation and spreading of native language materials. (…) it will

promote the collection, preservation, and spreading of writing materials, representative

audiovisual materials of the native language and the oral traditions produced in these

languages, libraries, cultural centers, national documents, regional and ethnic groups of

life”.

Article 22. “Native language observation. (…) to evaluate the situation of the use of

native languages of Colombia. This sociolinguistic survey will count with the Cultural

Ministry support and it will be implemented by the authorities of the towns and

communities of ethnic groups”

3.3.3. General Law of Education (115/1994). It establishes in its article 21 and 23 the teaching

of the foreign language as a mandatory subject in the basic and secondary education. (Law

115/1994).
 37

3.3.4. Law of Bilingualism (1651/2013). It puts forward in the second constitutional article that

it is necessary to develop the communicative abilities for reading, understanding, writing,

speaking and expressing oneself correctly in a foreign language. For this reason, the

strengthening of speaking skill in the English language is very important as others. (Law

1651/2013).

3.3.5. English National Program (2015-2025); Colombia Very Well! The Ministry of

Education (MEN). It sets out a comprehensive and intersectoral strategy, which pretends to

strengthen the use of the English language as a communication tool with the world in order to

improve the job opportunities for students. In the case of higher education, it has established the

intervention of two important points: quality and development with the intention of reinforcing

academic processes. (MEN, 2015).

3.3.6. Decree 1295 of 2010. It establishes that the programs of bachelor’s degree have to develop

communicative competences in a second language. (Decree 1295 of 2010).

3.3.7. Agreement 21st, 2009 expedited by the Universidad de la Amazonia Academic

Council. It regulates the degree options of the undergraduate students of the Universidad de la

Amazonia.
 38

4. Methodology

4.1.Type of research

The ethnographic approach was adopted for this research project. It is known as a direct

study made into characteristic groups during a certain period, using participant observation or

interviews in order to know their social behaviour. Quantz (as cited Cohen, Manion & Morrison,

2007) argues that "research is inescapably value-laden in that it serves some interests, and that in

critical ethnography researchers must expose these interests and move participants towards

emancipation and freedom" (p. 187). Moreover, Harris and Johnson (2000) remarked that

ethnography means 'a portrait of a people'. An ethnography is a written description of a particular

culture (the customs, beliefs, and behaviour - based on information collected through fieldwork).

To finish, Lincoln and Guba (1985) suggest that it is necessary to carry out a clear procedure

with some of the following aspects: using multiple devices for recording together, multiple

observers, use a flexible observation schedule in order to minimize biases, handing low-inference

terminology and descriptions and adopting respondent validation.

Finally, it was necessary to adopt the qualitative research. It was explored a wide array of

dimensions of the sociocultural aspect, including the essence of everyday life, the

understandings, conceptions, experiences and thoughts of the research participants. Additionally,

the different ways of social processes, discourses or relationships around their work, and the

significance of the meanings that are generated. Mason (2002) states that “We can do all of this

qualitatively by using methodologies that celebrate richness, depth, nuance, context, multi-

dimensionality and complexity rather than being embarrassed or inconvenienced by them.” (p.1).

In essence, it has an unrivalled capacity to constitute compelling arguments about how things
 39

work in particular contexts while it is concerned with understanding human behaviour from the

respondents' perspective.

4.2.Research methodology design

4.2.1. Context and participants

The present research was focused on designing a virtual platform as a tool to strengthen

the teaching of English to Inga indigenous students. This indigenous community is located in a

small village called Yurayaco that is part of municipality in the department of Caquetá,

Colombia called San José del Fragua. It is two hours from the capital city, Florencia. Yurayaco

counts with its own private indigenous institution. This institution has preschool, primary,

secondary, and vocational education. There are also different learning cycles, which are

equivalent to different levels and depend on the age of students. Even though this project can

help the whole Inga indigenous community, it was applied specifically to the language and

meaning subject and fifth cycle. This cycle is integrated with 9th, 10th and 11th grades and the

students’ age range is from 14 to 19 years.

4.2.2. Data collection tools

According to Birmingham and Wilkinson (2003), "Research instruments are simply

devices for obtaining information relevant to your research project, and there are many

alternatives from which to choose" (p. 3). There is a variety of useful instruments such us

questionnaires, interviews, content analysis, focus groups, observation, and others that help to

have clearer and accurate data about the research. In this way, this project will take into account

the following instruments in order to gather information about the community:

 40

 Observations: Observations have been used in a variety of disciplines as a tool for

collecting data about people, processes, and cultures in qualitative research. Kawulich,

(2005) established that in recent years, the field of education has seen an increase in the

number of qualitative studies that include participant observation as a way to collect

information.

 Survey: Bhat (ND) defined the survey as “as a research method used for collecting data

from a pre-defined group of respondents to gain information and insights on various

topics of interest”. A survey involves asking people for information through a

questionnaire, which can be distributed on paper or other types.

 Field Diary: Field diaries refer to notes created by the researchers during the act of

qualitative fieldwork to remember and record the behaviours, activities, events, and other

features of an observation. Field notes are intended to be read by the researcher as

evidence to produce meaning and an understanding of the culture, social situation, or

phenomenon being studied. (Schwandt, 2015)

 Photographs: This tool will be significant for this research project because it evidences

the data collected during the immersion. The pictures will be utilized for the platform in

order to adopt their own their context to teach a foreign language.

4.2.3. Steps of the research study

4.2.3.1. Phase 1: Diagnosis and survey about needs

This phase aimed at diagnosing the English language needs of the educational community

according to their linguistic and sociocultural contexts. The data collection was done taking as

reference the ethnographic method. The survey, diagnosis, observations and analysis of the
 41

context was be a key point in the development of this research proposal. In the same way, the

English level of participants was analysed through a 'diagnostic test' that served as a starting

point in the design of the educational platform. Through the survey was established the students'

perspectives in terms of English as foreign language, the mother tongue Inga, and the contents in

order to appreciate not only the linguistic needs but also the situational ones.

4.2.3.2. Phase 2: Collecting data

For gathering the information needed to design the contextualized educational platform, it

was necessary to implement a survey of needs in which students were asked about specific

aspects that determined every feature of the virtual tool. In this sense, the name of the platform,

its symbol, main colours, content, and methodology could be stablished. Likewise, in this phase

some books were used to collect information that complemented the platform such as the names

of animals, foods, some verses and stories.

4.2.3.3. Phase 3: Platform design

For designing the educational platform it was required a system engineer who knnows

about virtual tools. In the same way, the information collected in the previous stages was

incorporated. The thematic contents were discussed taking into account the suggestions of the

institution's teachers and directors in the survey, and it was included a wide variety of activities

and explanations that enable a higher understanding about English as a third language. It is

important to emphasize that this platform was intended to strengthen the teaching of English as

well as reinforcing their native language. Thereby the instructions, words, phrases and

explanations are written in English, but if the cursor is hovered over each word or expression, it

is possible to see its respective translation both in Inga and in Spanish.

 42

4.2.3.4. Phase 4: Validation of the Platform

The last stage consisted on validating the virtual platform through the application of a

survey. It aimed to know the level of satisfaction of students and teachers from the educational

institution concerning the educational tool. Initially, the presentation of the platform was done in

order to show general aspects of it. They were explained about how to register and develop each

lesson. Then, students and teachers had the opportunity of interacting with the platform, which

permitted them to have a wider and objective vision for them to answer the survey.
 43

5. Ethical Considerations

Ethical considerations in research are critical. Ethics are the norms or standards for

distinguishing between right and wrong. They help to determine the difference between

acceptable and unacceptable behaviours on the part of the researcher. Ethical considerations

were so important in this project because the integrity, reliability, and validity of the research

findings relied heavily on adherence to ethical principles. (CIRT, n.d). This proposal established

some ethical considerations. The first one was asking for formal consent before starting to

implement the research instruments. This process was developed with the principal and teachers

from the institution. The second one was about letting people to decide if they wanted to be part

of the project or not. No one was forced to provide information, answer surveys or the

diagnostic test, or give suggestions on the creation of the platform. Finally, the photographs of

the platform were used under the consent of the coordinator of the indigenous institution. It is

important to clarify that the research was developed inside the school; it means, the students

were not taken out of the institution in order to avoid unwanted events.
 44

6. Outcomes and discussions

6.1.Timeline

The experience timeline is based on the methodological phases that were proposed. The

graphic expresses the chronological time in which the project was developed during the

intervention in the indigenous community. The project was carried out in five months with

the assistance of teachers, directives, and students. The essential point to start the project was

the recognition of educational and situational needs. It was done through a diagnostic test in

which students' English level was evaluated. Additionally, the students and teachers

answered a survey about their expectations for the platform, suggestions about form and

content, and recommendations that were used as the base to design the virtual platform. To

close the project, a validation survey was conducted with the purpose of knowing the level of

satisfaction in students and teachers in relation to the platform.

Graphic 1. Timeline
Collecting information related to
Research problem identification.

and situational needs through a

Recognition of the educational

Designing of the educational

Application of the validation

diagnostic test and a survey.

survey and analysis of the

Inga’s culture.

information.
platform.

May June 2018 July to September October

2018 August 2018 2018.
2018
 45

6.2 Analysis of the research phases

The results obtained from this research project (Designing a Virtual Platform as a Tool to

Strengthen the Teaching of English to Indigenous Students at Educational Institution Inga

Yachaikury) were analysed according to the phases stablished in the methodology.

6.2.1 Phase 1. Diagnosis

The first phase of the methodology consisted on the implementation of a diagnostic test to

the students (Annex A). This instrument allowed confirming the level of proficiency in English

of the students, and thus, designing a platform that fits the educational needs in relation to the

foreign language. For this reason, the following information is about the diagnostic test that was

analysed through a frequency distribution of the responses, since it represents a set of ordered

scores in their respective categories.

Diagnostic test analysis

The diagnostic test emerged as a mean to confirm the level of English in the students of the

Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury. The test was formative and advisory in the design of a

platform that aims to strengthen the teaching process in the English language of students who

belong to an indigenous community. This diagnosis was made to eighteen students of ‘Lenguaje

y Significado’ cycle in the institution; their ages range between 14 and 20 years. It is worth

affirming that the objective of the evaluation was to know the weaknesses of the students related

to English, and therefore, base the design of the educational platform on these collective needs.

The diagnostic evaluation was formulated taking into account that the participants expressed

having a basic level in the language in a survey made to the educational community. To finish,
 46

the test was divided into two parts and ten questions. The first one consisted of five questions

related to animals. The second one was about ages, months of the year, days of the week,

adjectives, among others. As mentioned above, basic language contents were used to confirm if

the students really had a basic level of proficiency in English as they stated in the survey, and

thus, use the information as a basis for the design of the virtual tool.

First part. This part of the test was intended to know if the students knew vocabulary

related to wild animals, domestic animals, and their respective habitat. The first part was divided

into five different questions which have three options (A, B or C), and the students had to select

the correct one. The questions were analyzed taking into account the number of students who

matched and failed in their answers. (See Graphic 2. First part of the diagnostic test).

The first question was about the place in which a snake would be found. The options were:

a) in the jungle, b) in the hotel, and c) at a house. Having said that, fifteen students who

correspond to 83% gave a correct answer at selecting 'in the jungle', and three people that make

part of 17% failed.

The second question included a domestic animal. It was expected to see if students knew

vocabulary related to the typical place where dogs live. The answer options were: a) in a hotel, b)

in a cafe, and c) at a house. In this sense, fifteen students who represent 83% were right for

choosing 'at a house', and three respondents who are part of 17% did not give the correct answer.

The third question was related to a lion and its place of habitat. The answer options were:

a) in a zoo, b) in a cafe, and c) at a house. The students' responses were highly common and right

because sixteen people who are equal to 89% selected 'in a zoo', and only two respondents that

are part of 11% failed in this question.

 47

The fourth question included a camel and the place where it lives. The three options were:

a) in a desert, b) in an airport, and c) in a hospital. That is how, fifteen students who represent

83% matched when pointed 'in a desert', and three people that belong to 17% selected the wrong

options.

The fifth question was about the place in which a fish can be found. The answer options

were: a) in a hotel, b) in a desert, and c) at the sea. Having said this, fifteen students who are part

of 83% answer the correct option ‘at the sea’, and only three respondents were wrong.

Graphic 2. First part of the diagnostic test

18
89%
16 83% 83% 83% 83%

14
Number of respondents

12

10

4 17% 17% 17% 17%

11%
2

0
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5
Questions

Correct Wrong

Based on the previous information, it is possible to affirm that most of the students know

the animals and their habitat because all the questions were correctly answered with a percentage

higher than 80% in each one. Although the vocabulary used was not too broad, and it could be

deduced from the written form that is used in Spanish, a small portion of the population failed to
 48

do the exercise correctly. That is how, it can be concluded that students know vocabulary about

domestic animals, wild animals and habitats, and finally, this allows to recognize that the level of

English is basic, and that they have knowledge of words like jungle, house, desert, sea , and zoo.

Second part. This part of the diagnostic test aimed at recognizing students’ knowledge

about age, state, feelings, personal descriptions and others. This part consisted on five dialogues

in which students have to point (A, B, or C) according to the correct way of answering to the

question in the prompt. The questions were analyzed taking into account the number of students

who matched and failed. (See Graphic 3. Second part of the diagnostic test)

The sixth question was asked in order to identify how the population answer to the

question ‘Are you O.K?’ which is related to frame of mind, and taking into account that the

answer options were emphasized on the structure of affirmative and negative responses in the

verb to be. The options were: a) Yes, it is, b) Yes, I am, and c) Yes, please. In this sense, six

people who represent 33% pointed the correct answer ‘Yes, I am’, and a great part of the

population, 67% (12 respondents), marked the wrong answer.

In the seventh question, the students had to answer to the prompt ‘Are you cold’ that is also

related to a state, and the structure of verb to be. The answer choices were: a) Yes, I are, b) Yes, I

am, and c) Yes, they are. Unfortunately, seventeen respondents that belong to 94% did not know

the correct answer, and only one person who represents 4% pointed the correct option ‘Yes, I

am’.

The eighth question was about answering to the query ‘how old are you?’ in which it was

necessary that students knew the difference between a frame of mind, an occupation and a

number because the answers provided three options: a) happy, b) architect, and c) eight. That is
 49

how seven people that make part of 39% marked the correct choice, ‘eight’; and the 61% that

was constituted by seven respondents, pointed the wrong options.

In the ninth question, it was necessary to know the difference between months and days

because the interrogation was ‘What day is today’. The answer choices were: a) April, b)

October, and c) Monday. That is how, twelve respondents who are part of 67% gave the correct

answer ‘Monday’, and the 33% that represent six people failed in this question.

For the tenth and final question, the students must knew adjectives for describing the

current state, feeling or another description because the question was 'how are you?', and the

answer choices were: a) I am tall, b) I am intelligent, and c) I am fine. Unfortunately, eighteen

students that represent 100% pointed the wrong answers and none of the surveyed matched the

correct option.

Graphic 3. Second part of the diagnostic test

18 94% 100%

16

14
Number of respondents

67% 67%
12 61%

10

8 39%
33% 33%
6

2 6%
0%
0
Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10
Questions

Correct Wrong
 50

According to the information provided by the second part of the diagnostic test, it is valid

to affirm that some structures for questioning and answering are unknown by the majority of the

students. Although the answer choices were especially based on the verb 'to be', the students

could not find the different forms of the verb according to the pronoun. In the same way, it was

evidenced that students need vocabulary related to physical and cognitive descriptions, moods,

feelings, occupations, months and days, because their answer did not coincide with the question

that was provided in the dialogue. To conclude, the second part of the diagnosis gave a broader

view of the level that students have in relation to the English language. It was shown that they

have many gaps in terms of vocabulary and structures, which allowed recognizing that they do

not reach a basic level of proficiency in the language.

Diagnostic test discussion

The diagnostic test has great importance when it is necessary to recognize the knowledge

of students or the level of proficiency in the target language in order to have basis in the plan of

solutions to low performance in students. This diagnostic test measured through the correct and

incorrect answers in order to assign a numerical value and differentiate the levels of competence

of the students, and thus thinking about the possibility of setting a mark around the level at which

the students are. The purpose of the results data is to provide complementary information that

may be useful for the platform to make decisions about its training processes and propose

improvements in its functioning.

It is important to highlight that this test was divided into two parts, the first consisted on

five questions related to animals and the place where they live, and the second included five

dialogues that students had to complete according to their knowledge about grammatical
 51

structures and vocabulary related to numbers, moods, physical and cognitive descriptions, and

others. On the one hand, the first part was encouraging to show that the vast majority was right

with the answers, because the students knew the vocabulary and the answer options were easy to

deduce. But, on the other hand, the second part showed a more real representation about the level

of students in English, since the majority could not give the correct answers because they did not

know basic grammatical structures such as the verb 'to be' or a broad vocabulary in language.

In this way, it can be concluded that this diagnostic test confirmed the low level of

proficiency of the students in the indigenous institution, and this is important because it allows

recognizing that it is necessary to make use of this type of content in the platform for reinforcing

it. Although the students were able to answer the first part of the test correctly, it did not show

the level of the students as clearly as the second part. This diagnostic test is going to serve as a

basis for the contents related to vocabulary and grammatical structures in the platform, and in

this way, it is expected to achieve the objective of strengthening English, without forgetting the

importance of using vocabulary related to their context, language and way of living as an

indigenous community.

6.2.2 Phase 2: Collecting data

The second phase of the methodology was focused on gathering the information needed to

design the contextualized educational platform. To do so, it was implemented a survey of needs

in which students were asked about specific aspects that determined every characteristic of the

virtual tool (Annex B). In this sense, the name of the platform, its symbol, main colours,

contents, and methodology were stablished. This instrument had the objective of knowing in
 52

depth the educational and situational needs in the institution, and it allowed knowing the

expectations, the context, the needs and interests of the respondents.

Survey Analysis

During the process of researching about the project «Designing a Virtual Platform as a

Tool to Strengthen the Teaching of English to Indigenous Students at Educational Institution

Inga Yachaikury.», it was applied a survey with the objective of characterizing the necessities,

the context, the interest and perspectives towards the learning of English in the Educational

Institution Inga Yachaikury. In this way, a detailed analysis that allows identifying the

population's expectations to which the project is directed is presented below.

The following information is organized into four parts: 1) information of the population, 2)

about the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), 3) about the contents, and

4) about the design.

1) Information about the population. The population who participated in the survey were

twenty-four people. Therefore, in this section of the survey, the general aspects of the

participating population are expressed.

Question 1. Gender. Eight people corresponding to the 33% of the population answered

they are women. On the other hand, sixteen expressed to be men, meaning that 67% are

masculine gender. (See Graphic 4. Gender).

 53

Graphic 4. Gender.

24
22

Number of respondents
20
18 67%
16
14
12
10 33%
8
6
4
2
0
Women Men
Answer choices

In this way, it is possible to identify that the majority of the people who participated in

the survey were men (16); while the rest of the population (8) mentioned being women.

Question 2. How old are you? Of the twenty-four surveyed people, fifteen were between

14 to 17 years, which corresponds to 62%. Four of them, who belong to the 17%, indicated that

their ages are between 21-32 years. On the other hand, three people that represent the 13%

showed they were between 18 to 20 years; and only two people that render 8% manifested to be

between 33 years and older. (See Graphic 5. Age).

Graphic 5. Age
24
21
Number of respondents

18
62%
15
12
9
6 17%
13%
8%
3
0
14 - 17 18 - 20 21 - 32 33 - Older
Answers
 54

The pattern obtained from the survey matches the ages of the target population. In this

way, it is possible to identify that the majority of the people who participated in the survey are

students, because the ages range between 14 - 20 years. Meanwhile, the rest of the population,

who are teachers, demonstrated that their ages are between 21 and 72 years.

Question 3. Where are you from? The results of the survey showed a great variety of

places of origin among the respondents. Therefore, only four people, which corresponds to 17%,

belonged to the municipality where the school is located, Yurayaco. Likewise, other four people,

who represent 17% of the population, were from El Refugio San Miguel. On the other hand,

three people who are part of the 13% coincided with Mocoa as their place of origin. Other two

surveyed (8%) mentioned that they originated from San José del Fragua; the same case with El

resguardo San Miguel, that two people belonged to the place. Finally, the rest of the population

were from different places of Colombia such as Municipio de Villa, Resguardo Yunguillo,

Cauca, Villagarzón, Neiva, Acevedo, Belén de los Andaquíes, El Doncello and Bogotá. (See

graphic 6. Origin)

Graphic 6. Origin

24
22
Number of respondents

20
18
16
14
12
10
8 17% 13% 17%
6 8% 8%
4 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4% 4%
2
0

Answers
 55

In this way, it is possible to affirm that the population came from a great variety of places,

not only from Caquetá but also from other departments in Colombia. It allows recognizing the

population as multicultural due to the students and teachers belong to different cultures.

Likewise, it is important to note that not all students belong to indigenous communities, but they

have been taught in the Inga culture throughout the study cycles offered in the school. In

conclusion, the interviewed population belongs to different cities and municipalities in the

country, and some of them are not indigenous; that is why it must be included contents on the

platform that motivate these students to immerse themselves in the Inga culture and language.

Question 4. What level of English language proficiency do you have? The information

gathered permitted to know the situation of the students and teachers in relation to the English

language. It was evidenced that eighteen people who belong to the 76% denoted to have a basic

level. Five of the surveyed, which represent the 21% pointed they were not sure about their

English level. Therefore, one of the students (4%) considered that its level is advanced; and

finally, none of the students indicated to be at an intermediate level. (See Graphic 7. English

language proficiency)

Graphic 7. English language proficiency

24
21
Number of respondents

75%
18
15
12
9
6 21%
3 4%
0%
0
Advanced Intermediate Basic Not sure
Answer choices
 56

In this way, it is valid to affirm that the majority of the surveyed indicated having a basic

level of proficiency in English; even when the criteria included in this level were not mentioned,

most of the students and teachers pointed the answer. On the other hand, the low level of

proficiency in the language was evident, because only one person mentioned having an advanced

level, none claimed to be at an intermediate level, and five people said they did not know their

level. In this way, it is concluded that the level of comprehension in English was low and the

platform must start with the less complex contents of the language in order to achieve a better

understanding in the students.

Question 5. What level of Inga language proficiency do you have? With the information

obtained, it was known the level of Inga that students and teachers have in the indigenous

community. In this sense, eleven of surveyed who belong to the 46% affirmed to have a basic

level. Additionally, seven people that constitute the 29% assured to comprehend the Inga

language at an advanced level. In the same way, four students and teachers that represent the

17% pointed to have an intermediate level, and only two (8%) were not sure about the level they

have. (See graphic 8. Inga language proficiency)

Graphic 8. Inga language proficiency

24
Number of respondents

21
18
15
46%
12
9 29%
6 17%
8%
3
0
Advanced Intermediate Basic Not sure
Answer choices
 57

Therefore, with the previous results, it was concluded that a high portion of the students

and teachers have a basic level in the indigenous language. Furthermore, the intermediate and

advanced levels are constituted by fewer people than it was expected because only eleven

recognized being proficient in Inga language. Finally, two of them demonstrated the lack of

understanding toward the language and their own situation as indigenous speakers. This

evidences little knowledge in the mother tongue, what compels to make use of Spanish and Inga

languages in the platform for avoiding misunderstandings and having a positive impact on

students' learning.

Question 6. What is your role in the school? The information from the survey of needs

permitted to recognize the different roles of the respondents in the educational institution. In this

sense, eighteen people who represent 75% stated they were students, 25% that belongs to six

people, affirmed to be teachers. Finally, none of the surveyed indicated to be directives of the

institution. (See Graphic 9. Role)

Graphic 9. Role

24
21
75%
Number of respondents

18
15
12
9
25%
6
3
0%
0
Student Teacher Administrative
Answer choices
 58

From the preceding results, it was evidenced that the majority of respondents were

students, and only six teachers that represent the minority participated in the survey of needs.

Finally, the participation of directives was null, even when the invitation was made to the whole

Institution.

2. About the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). In this section

of the survey, the use of technological tools was evaluated in order to establish adequate

parameters for designing the platform.

Question 7. Do you know to use a computer? According to the question related to the use

of computers, 96% of people that refers to twenty-three respondents, affirmed to know using a

computer. In addition, only one person (4%) admitted that could not use a computer. (See

Graphic 10. Use of computers)

Graphic 10. Use of computers

24 96%

21
Number of respondents

18
15
12
9
6
3 4%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

The interview highlighted that the population to which the platform is directed and the

teachers have mastery of the computers. This allows the process of including a virtual tool in the

English area becomes easier. Likewise, students will be able to use the platform more effectively
 59

and teachers will direct more dynamic and flexible classes, and will be able to teach English by

fostering their indigenous mother tongue.

Question 8. If the answer to the previous question is 'yes', please answer how often. In

the question related to the frequency with which computers are used, the 79% expressed they

sometimes use computers. In addition, two people that represent 8% affirmed that they always

use computers; the same case of other two people that assured to use the computers usually.

From the information, it was also possible to identify that only one person (4%) pointed to use

computers with little frequency, and none of the respondents answered 'never' to this question.

(See Graphic 11. Frequency of the use of computers)

Graphic 11. Frequency of the use of computers

24
22
79%
Number of respondents

20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4 8% 8%
2 4%
0
0
Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never
Answer choices

According to the preceding results, it is meaningful to affirm that the use of computers is

highly significant. Taking into account that the majority of respondents affirmed to use

computers with a frequency greater than 50%, it is accurate to say that the platform is adjusted to

the needs and situations of the students and teachers of the institution.
 60

Question 9. Do you consider that computers are a useful tool for the teaching and

learning processes? The results of this question permitted to recognize students and teachers'

expectations toward the learning and teaching processes. Thus, twenty-four of the twenty-four

surveyed that represent 100% affirmed that computers are useful for learning and teaching.

Contrarily, none of the respondents refuted that computers are useful when they are appointed

for educational purposes. (See Graphic 12. Usefulness of computers)

Graphic 12. Usefulness of computers

24 100%

21
Number of respondents

18
15
12
9
6
3
0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

From the noted above, it is possible to conclude that students and teachers have high

expectations regarding to the use of computers for educational purposes. It permits to recognize

that the technological resources foster education, and students and teachers are aware that having

a good use of computers contributes positively in the learning and teaching processes.

Question 10. Have you used educational platforms to teach or learn something in

particular? Based on the provided information, it is possible to identify that eighteen of the

respondents who represent 75% assured they rarely use platforms to teach or learn something. In

addition, only two people who belong to 8% affirmed that they have made use of platforms with
 61

educational purposes many times. Finally, four people who correspond to 17% denied using

educational platforms. (See Graphic 13. Platforms for learning and teaching)

Graphic 13. Platforms for learning and teaching

24

21
75%
Number of respondents

18

15

12

6 17%
3 8%

0
Many times Rarely Never
Answer choices

That is how it is safe to say that the majority of respondents make little use of platforms to

learn or teach something. This demonstrates that the platforms that are currently available for

teaching a second language, or to learn any subject or area in particular, have not been properly

deployed. Institutions do not use the tools offered by the internet to help and motivate students to

practice their knowledge or learn something new. That is the reason why, it is concluded that

technological tools and platforms are not completely used by teachers and students; although

they affirmed that the use of computers for educational purposes is necessary, it has not being

applied at all by students in their learning process and in the development of classes by the

teachers.

Question 11. Do you know platforms focused on English learning? According to the

information provided in the survey, twenty-one people who make part of 87% of respondents
 62

denied knowing platforms in which English is taught; and only three respondents that signify

13% assured they know some educational platforms for learning English. (See Graphic 14.

Platforms focused on English learning)

Graphic 14. Platforms focused on English learning

24
87%
21
Number of respondents

18

15

12

6
13%
3

0
Yes No
Answer choices

The results mentioned above permitted to evidence the little knowledge about educational

platforms in which another language could be learned. It also allows knowing the necessity that

students and teachers have about the use of technological tools. Although the school has Internet

access, the use of this tool for educational purposes has not been promoted. Through the project,

students are expected to become aware of the importance of technological resources and

understand that education transcends the classroom.

Question 12. If your answer was 'yes' in the previous question. What is the name of the

platform? Of the twenty four respondents, only two people answered this question. One

surveyed who represents 4% affirmed knowing Duolingo as a platform to learn another

language, and another person (4%) mentioned 'Inglés básico'. The rest twenty-two people who
 63

belong to 92% did not answer this question. (See Graphic 15. Existing platforms to learn

English)

Graphic 15. Existing platforms to learn English

24 92%
21
Number of respondents

18

15

12

3 4% 4%
0
Duolingo Inglés básico Did not answer
Answers

Based on the previous information, it is valid to affirm that the lack of answers

demonstrates that students and teachers have not experienced English learning through

educational platforms or virtual courses. That is why, the need to adopt a modality that supports

the contents of the class with the use of technological resources within the institution is

emphasized.

3. About the contents. In this section of the survey was appreciated what the user expects

to learn through the use of the platform.

Question 13. According to your criterion, how important is that the platform include

topics related to your culture, traditions and way of life? According to the information provided

in this question, twelve people who correspond to 50% demonstrated to be quite interested in

topics related to their indigenous culture. In addition, nine people that make reference to 38%
 64

showed a great interest, and one person (4%) indicated to be moderately interested in the topics.

Contrarily to other two people who demonstrated little and nothing of interest on matters related

to their culture. (See Graphic 16. Topics related to indigenous culture, traditions and way of life)

Graphic 16. Interest in topics related to indigenous culture, traditions and way of life

24
22
Number of respondents

20
18
16
14 50%
12
10 38%
8
6
4
2 4% 4% 4%
0
Too much Quite More or less Very little Nothing
Answer choices

Taking into account the previous data, it is important to highlight that students and teachers

are very interested in topics related to their culture because the majority pointed 'too much' and

'quite' in the survey. Although it was not expected that some respondents disagreed with the

incorporation of these topics, it is encouraging to know that the majority of respondents feel

sense of belonging for the indigenous community. Finally, it is noteworthy that not all students

are indigenous, but the institution has trained them in areas that strengthen indigenous roots, and

it favors this project to have a positive impact on the learning process of students.

Question 14. To each of the following topics, give a grade according to your interest.

This question responds to the need of knowing which contents were more appropriate for the

platform and what academic inclinations the students and teachers have. For the results, it was
 65

necessary to analyze the twelve categories individually in order to have a clearer idea about the

responses. (See Graphic 17. Contents)

The first category pretended to know the relevance that myths and legends have in students

and teachers. On the one hand, eleven people who belong to 46% affirmed to be quite interested

in the topic. Other five who represent 21% were too much interested according to their answers;

and finally, eight people (33%) had little interest in this kind of content.

The second category aimed at recognizing if the students and teachers would like to find

sports on the platform. Fifteen respondents who are part of 63% declared to have a quiet interest

on sports. Other eight surveyed who represent 33% affirmed to be very interested, and only one

person (4%) showed to have little interest in the topic.

The third category asked if the students agreed with including topics about fashion in the

platform. That is how, it was evident that fifteen people who compound 63% showed little

interest in the topic; other seven (29%) affirmed to be quite interested, and only two people

pointed 'too much' in the survey.

Throughout the fourth category was expected to reflect their interests in nature as a

content, taking into account they belong to an indigenous institution. Fourteen of the respondents

who represent the 58% strongly agreed to include nature into the contents. In addition, seven

surveyed that make part of 29% pointed to be quite interested in the topic, and three people

(13%) were not very interested in nature.

The fifth category sought to know if animals should be incorporated in the platform. In this

sense, fourteen people showed too much interest in animals, and nine people who represent 38%
 66

demonstrated to have a quiet interest. Contrarily, four surveyed (16%) pointed to be little

interested in this kind of contents.

The sixth category intended to perceive how important is for students and teachers to

include the food that is representative in the platform’s contents. First, thirteen surveyed who are

part of 54% affirmed to have a quiet interest in this type of content. Second, ten people that

represent 42% appreciated the food as an interesting topic to learn vocabulary. Finally, one

person who is understood as a 4% indicated a little interest in food.

According to the seventh category, the majority of respondents coincided with the same

response. In this sense, fourteen people who belong to 58% were very interested in the

incorporation of content about their culture and traditions. Likewise, eight surveyed that

represent 33% agreed with being quite interested in the topic; and finally, only two people (8%)

showed little interest in Inga culture and traditions.

From the eighth category was known the relevance of vocabulary about| plants in the

students and teachers. On the one hand, eleven people that represent 46% assumed to be too

interested in this type of content. On the other hand, nine surveyed who belong to 38%

considered that plants are quite interesting to learn vocabulary, and only four people that make

part of 16% admitted not being attracted to this type of content.

The ninth category permitted to deduce the relevance that teachers and students give to

different occupations. In this sense, a high portion of the surveyed that represent 46% (eleven

people) perceived occupations as an irrelevant content, nine respondents that belong to 38% were

quite interested, and only four (16%) affirmed to be pleasantly interested in the topic.
 67

The tenth category that represents the contents of Inga special events sought to recognize

the sense of belonging that respondents have for their culture and traditions. That is how it was

concluded that ten people who make part of 42% were quite interested in vocabulary related to

indigenous' special events. Nine surveyed that reflect 38% were strongly interested, and a

considerable group of five people (20%) demonstrated little attraction for the content.

The eleventh category was about seasons. It was expected to recognize if students and

teachers feel attracted to this topic, taking into account this subject is alienated from reality

because, in the country, all the seasons are not presented. In this sense, fourteen people that

represent 58% affirmed to be quite interested in seasons; contrarily to seven surveyed that belong

to 29% who pointed to be little interested in the topic. Finally, only three people who make part

of 13% considered that seasons could be a good opportunity to learn vocabulary.

The twelfth category included a topic that is very common in indigenous populations, the

handicrafts. It is expected to know how familiar students and teachers are with this topic, and

how interested they are on reflecting it in the platform. According to the survey, thirteen people

who are part of 54% affirmed to feel quite interested in this type of content. Other six surveyed

who belong to 25% demonstrated to be strongly agreed on including vocabulary about

handicrafts in the platform, and five people (21%) showed little interest around the topic.
 68

Graphic 17. Contents

Too much Quite Very little

24
21
Number of respondents

18
63% 63%
15 58% 58% 58%
54% 54%
12 46% 46% 46% 46%
42% 42%
38% 38% 38% 38%
9 33% 33% 33%
29% 29% 29%
25%
6 21% 20% 21%
16% 16% 16%
13% 13%
3 8% 8%
4% 4%
0

Answer choices

Taking as reference the previous data, it is important to organize the contents descending,

from the topic with more 'too much' and 'quite' responses; this is done with the purpose of

defining which contents have more significance in students and teachers. Then, it is valid to

affirm that the platform will contain the following contents with this relevance: food, sports,

culture and traditions, nature, animals, plants, special events, handicraft, seasons, myths and

legends, occupations and fashion. As a conclusion, it is relevant to say that the students and

teacher' answers give a clear vision of their autonomy and sense of belonging as indigenous

people. This is affirmed because the majority of contents with the greatest relevance are related

to topics of culture, traditions, plants, animals, food, and other aspects, which are very

representative in indigenous communities. This is important because it reveals that students have
 69

been educated under the responsibility of maintaining and valuing their roots, and that is what it

is expected to achieve through the platform.

4. About the design. In this section of the survey, the preferences about the design of the

educational platform were evaluated.

Question 15. Which name would you give to the platform? This question emerges from

the need to know what name students and teachers would give to the platform. In this sense,

twenty-two people who represent 92% chose ‘Rimaikuna’, which is an Inga word that means

languages. The other part of the population were compound by two people, one of them (4%)

wrote 'Sachukuanima' that means jaguar, and the other person (4%) suggested 'Studininga' which

arises from the words 'study' and 'Inga'. (See Graphic 18. Name of the platform)

Graphic 18. Name of the platform

24 92%
21
Number of respondents

18
15
12
9
6
3 4% 4%
0
Sachukuanima Rimaikuna Studininga
Answers

Considering the previous information, it is important to highlight that the population

agreed with the same answer despite the question was opened. In addition, it should be noted that

the students understood the sense of the platform since they gave it a name that includes the

word 'languages'. It means they recognize the project as an opportunity to strengthen their mother
 70

tongue, and to learn English as a third language, but using Spanish as a bridge to both languages.

In conclusion, the word ‘languages’ is appropriate to name the platform because it will contain

three languages that are going to facilitate the achievement of the objectives proposed in this

project.

Question 16. Would you like an animal as a representative symbol for the platform?

Through this question, it was possible to recognize if the respondents wish an animal to be

representative on the platform. In this way, twenty-one respondents who make part of 88%

affirmed that animals are appropriate, and only three people who represent 12% did not agree

with the idea. (See Graphic 19. Symbol)

Graphic 19. Symbol

24
88%
21
Number of respondents

18

15

12

6
12%
3

0
Yes No
Answer choices

Taking into account the importance of animals in indigenous communities, the majority of

respondents agreed that an animal is a suitable alternative to be the symbol of the platform. In

this sense, it is valid to highlight what Lira (1997) assured:

 71

"The animal is valued because it is necessary, but it is also appreciated because it shows

certain characteristics in front of which man is amazed. This astonishment leads him

directly to categorize these aspects as sacred and to feel that the animal is not inferior to the

human being..." (p. 129). Translated by authors.

That is why animals have had a great relevance for indigenous people, since they have

served as a fundamental axis in the life of man, not only in relation to basic needs, but also at

religious and philosophical levels.

Question 17. If your answer to the previous question was 'yes', which animal would you

like it to be? In this question, the surveyed unveiled which animals are more appropriate to be

the symbol of the platform. It is important to note that the population gave a great variety of

options and answers, of twenty-four respondents; eight affirmed that 'guacamaya' is a suitable

animal. Five people selected 'tigre', two respondents suggested 'Jaguar', and the other two agreed

with 'Loro'. In the same way, the other respondents recommended the following animals: colobrí,

tucán, pantera, and condor (each animal was given by one surveyed). Finally, three people did

not answer to this question. (See Graphic 20. Animal)

Graphic 20. Animal

24
Number of respondents

21
18
15
12
33%
9
21%
6 13%
8% 8% 4% 4% 4% 4%
3
0

Answers
 72

Based on the previous information, it is accurate to confirm that the majority of

respondents prefer the macaw as the symbol of the platform. The reason is that the animal

belongs to the family of parrots, and they are characterized for the ability to produce sounds

similar to humans. Then, the indigenous students and teachers considered suitable that an animal

that is able to repeat the human voice and is representative in Caquetá, symbolizes a tool that

promotes language learning.

Question 18. To the following colors, give a score according to your preference for the

platform

This question responds to the need of knowing which colors the students and teachers

prefer in the platform design. For the results, it was necessary to analyze the nine categories

individually in order to have a clearer idea about the responses. (See Graphic 21. Colors)

On the one hand, the first category belongs to the blue color. Of twenty-four respondents,

ten people who represent 42% demonstrated to be quite interested in this color. Additionally,

seven people that belong to 29% were very interested, and other seven surveyed showed little

interest in blue color. In the same way, the second category was about red color, in which twelve

respondents who are part of 50% indicated to be highly interested. Seven surveyed (29%) were

quite interested and only five people who represent 21% were not interested in the color red.

On the other hand, in the third category of green color, the respondents demonstrated a

high empathy. Thirteen people that belong to 54% assured to be very interested in green color,

eleven surveyed who represent 46% were quite interested, and none pointed to 'very little'. On

the other side, the fourth category about the color black, it was reflected the division in the

answers. Eleven respondents who make part of 46% reflected quite interest in black color, only
 73

three people (13%) indicated great interest and ten people who represent 41% evidenced a very

little interest in the color.

Furthermore, in the fifth category related to the color brown, the respondents had very

different opinions. Nine people who belong to 38% showed disinterest in brown color, eight

surveyed that represent 33% demonstrated keen interest, and seven respondents who are part of

29% had a high interest in the color. Likewise, in the sixth category, the students and teachers

showed how much they like the color white for being used in the platform. In this way, ten

people that make part of 41% showed a great sympathy for the color white, nine respondents

who express 38% indicated a significant interest and five people that are related to 21% showed

very little interest in the color.

Finally, the seventh category included the color purple. Thirteen respondents who belong

to 54% disagreed with the use of the color in the platform, other eight people that represent 33%

affirmed they are quite interested, and only three people (13%) were highly interested in the

color purple. On the other hand, the eighth category was related to the color orange, in which

nine respondents who are part of 37% assured to be quite interested, other nine people showed a

little interest, and six people (25%) totally agreed with the incorporation of the color orange in

the platform. To finish, the ninth category was about the gray color; twelve surveyed who

represent the middle of respondents assured to have a significant interest in the color, nine

surveyed who are part of 37% manifested low interest, and only three people (13%) pointed the

answer 'too much'.

 74

Graphic 21. Colors

Too much Quite Very little

24

21

18
Number of respondents

15
54% 54%
50% 50%
12 46% 46%
42% 41% 41%
38% 38% 37% 37%
9 33% 33% 37%
29% 29% 29% 29%
25%
6 21% 21%
13% 13%
3 13%
0%
0
Blue Red Green Black Brown White Purple Orange Gray
Answer choices

Based on the previous information, it is important to establish which colors had more

relevance in the answers of students and teachers. That is why the colors are organized

descending taking into account the positive responses, in this case, 'too much' and 'quite'. Having

said this, the colors will be included in the platform with the following relevance: green, red,

white, blue, brown, orange, gray, black, and purple. It is important to say that colors have great

importance in cultures, because they are a representation of their history and beliefs. That is how

it can be concluded that the Inga indigenous community is more attracted to the colors that

represent nature, land, water and peace, which are green, red, blue and white.

Question 19. Do you agree with the use of the community's own photographs within the

platform? This question pretended to know if students and teachers agreed with incorporating

pictures of them as a community in the platform. In this sense, twenty-four respondents who
 75

represent 100% concurred with the idea of using photographs of their own culture, and none of

the surveyed were in disagreement. (See Graphic 22. Photographs)

Graphic 22. Photographs

24 100%

21
Number of respondents

18

15

12

3
0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

According to the previous information, it is possible to conclude that the respondents have

a high sense of belonging related to their community. They permitted the incorporation of

photographs that reflect their culture, customs and traditions. It is relevant to highlight that the

institution is a boarding school, then, it facilitates the process of photographing their way of

living, because in the school there are bedrooms, laundries, hatcheries, and other places that are

important to realize the life in a place that serves as home and school.

Question 20. Do you consider appropriate that the platform uses the Inga language to

teach English? Through this question, it was possible to identify if the students recognize the

importance of including the Inga language in the platform. This is how twenty-two respondents

who belong to 92% affirmed that their indigenous language is important in the process of learning
 76

a third language; contrarily, two people that are part of 8% felt disinterest on the language. (See

Graphic 23. Indigenous language)

Graphic 23. Indigenous language

24
92%
22
20
Number of respondents

18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
8%
2
0
Yes No
Answer choices

Based on the previous data, it is valid to affirm that the students recognize the importance

of learning a third language, without forgetting that it is necessary to reinforce their mother

tongue. This is because, as it was specified in the fifth question of this survey, many students

consider they have a low level of proficiency in Inga. For this reason, it is necessary for them to

strengthen their own language and appreciate this platform as an opportunity to learn English.

Question 21. Which of the following aspects would you like to have more relevance in

the platform? The information obtained in this question permitted to notice the population

perspectives about the method they prefer to learn English. In this sense, fifteen surveyed that

correspond to 62% preferred exercises and activities when they learn another language, and nine

people who make part of 38% were inclined to the explanation of topics. (See Graphic 24.

Method)
 77

Graphic 24. Method

24

Number of respondents 21

18
62%
15

12
38%
9

0
The topics' explanation Exercises and activities
Answer choices

Based on the previous information, the surveyed promoted an inductive method in which

they can experiment through activities, exercises and examples. According to Mallia (2014),

"Inductive teaching is a bottom-up approach that gives learners greater responsibility for their

own learning. Grammatical rules are not given, and instead, carefully selected materials

illustrating the use of the target language within a context are supplied" (p. 222). Having said

this, this method is suitable for the students and teachers, taking into account that the platform

will engage the use of contents related to their context because it facilitates the process of

deducing the rules and students' understanding.

Question 22. Do you have any comment or suggestion to give about the platform design?

Through this question, it was obtained some interesting answers that should be taken into

account in the platform design. The answers are listed below:

1. “Gracias”
 78

2. “La inclusión de imágenes con enseñanza Español-Inga-inglés y los sonidos de las

palabras en los tres idiomas para mejorar la pronunciación”

3. “Sería bueno que hubiesen filas de las letras por colores diferenciando inglés, español e

inga”

4. “Es muy importante que nos den a conocer lo cultural y lo occidental”

5. “Gracias (papaimita)”

Survey discussion

The survey permitted to recognize the necessities, perspectives, interests and context in the

students and teachers. Initially, the survey was analyzed taking into account the information of

the population, the use of ICT, the contents and the platform design. In this way, the first aspect

showed that the population are mostly students; they belong to the male gender, and their ages

range is between 14 to 20 years. Although many of the respondents claimed to come from

different places in Colombia, most of them are from Caquetá, which facilitates the appropriation

of topics related to the regional context. Finally, even though a large portion of the respondents

claimed to have an advanced level of Inga, the analysis of the survey determined that the

respondents have a basic level in both languages, Inga and English.

In addition, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) broadly

revealed the level of ownership in terms of technological resources in the institution. On the one

hand, it was determined that the population is able to use computers with a regular frequency, so

it is concluded that the use of platforms will be easier and it will allow the learning to be

achieved with a greater impact. On the other hand, although everyone is aware of the importance

of computers at an educational level, the vast majority do not use them to learn or teach

something and do not know platforms for learning a foreign language; except two people who
 79

claimed to know ‘Duolingo’ and ‘Inglés básico’. Likewise, through the third aspect, the

population showed their interests around the contents they expect to find on the platform. That is

why, the respondents reported that including topics related to their culture, traditions and way of

life is highly relevant for them; and this was reflected by opting for topics such as food, animals,

events and other representative aspects in their indigenous community.

To finish, the respondents had great relevance in aspects related to the design of the

platform. Initially, the population decided that 'Rimaikuna' is an appropriate name because its

translation in Inga refers to languages. On the other hand, respondents showed their interest in

being represented by an animal that has significance in their community and in the region, in this

case, the macaw was chosen for its ability to imitate the human voice and be well known in

Caquetá. Another aspect that was concluded through the survey was the colors that will have

more relevance; they were chosen by the surveyed taking into account which ones are more

representative in their culture, which are green, red, blue and white. It is also important to note

that the population agrees with the use of photographs that reflect their culture and way of life,

and the platform will contain the English, Spanish and Inga languages, because they are aware of

the need to strengthen their mother tongue, learn English and use Spanish as a bridge in both

target languages. Finally, the methodology that they selected for the teaching of contents and

structures will be the inductive one, because this allows students to experiment through activities

and exercises.

In conclusion, the survey allowed knowing what students and teachers expect to find on the

platform. The survey had great relevance because they confirmed topics about the population,

and it was possible to know aspects that were unknown in this investigation. The interests,

preferences, context and needs are important when designing a tool for teaching, because by
 80

including topics that are adjusted to all the students captures the attention, and generates a

positive impact on the process of learning another language. In the same way, students are

expected to appreciate the platform as an opportunity to strengthen their language and culture,

and to learn English by using topics related to their context, traditions and ways of living.

6.2.3 Phase 3: Platform design

The main purpose of this project was to design a virtual platform as a tool to strengthen

the teaching of English to indigenous students at Educational Institution Inga Yachaikury. To

reach this goal, it was necessary to follow some steps as mentioned below:

1. Before starting creating the platform layout, a diagnostic test was developed in order to

know what students needed to learn. Even though this test evaluated very basic topics, the

majority of students failed. Based on the results obtained from it and considering that the

school did not count with any didactic material for teaching and learning English, it was

determined to include topics that belong to a basic level (Annex c)

2. In order to collect the information needed to design the platform, a survey of needs was

implemented in which students were asked about specific aspects that would determine

every feature of the virtual tool. In this sense, the name of the platform, its symbol, main

colors, content, and methodology could be stablished (Annex D)

3. Based on the results obtained from the test and the survey, it was determined to design

twenty-six lessons that would take into consideration the students’ context. It was also

necessary to take information from some books of the community such as the names of

animals, foods, verses and stories. In this sense, this virtual tool was made in three

languages (English, Inga, and Spanish). To do so, it was required to work in cooperation
 81

with a teacher from the indigenous community who was in charge of translating the twenty-

six lessons into the Inga language. In parallel, the lessons were done in English as well

(Annex E and Annex F)

4. After having the lessons in the three languages, the task of taking photographs started. From

Florencia to Yurayaco, several pictures were taken according to the topics meant to be

taught. In this sense, different places (towns, parks, churches, rivers, mountains), and

objects (foods from the marketplace, flowers, trees, buildings) were photographed. Also,

when arriving at the school, people (students, teachers, workers) and animals from there

were pictured (Annex G)

5. In the same way, the audio recordings were made. All the words, expressions, stories and

verses included in the lessons had to be recorded.

6. When having all the components of each lesson (photographs, audio recordings, and texts),

a system engineer was given this information for him to programme the virtual platform. To

do so, he used:

o Angular 5, which is an all-encompassing JavaScript framework that is frequently used

by developers all over the world for building web, desktop, and mobile applications.

o Electron, which is an open source library for building cross-platform desktop

applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

o Flaticon, which is a free platform that provides high-quality graphic designs that can

be used in both personal and commercial projects.

o Freesound, which is an open database of audios snippets, samples, recordings, and

bleeps, released under Creative Commons licenses that allow their reuse.
 82

Rimaikuna is a virtual learning platform made for indigenous students, which looks for

strengthening the teaching and learning of English. This platform was designed in three

languages (Inga, English, and Spanish) in order to facilitate the process of learning a third

language and strengthen the knowledge of the mother tongue. The platform has twenty-six

available lessons with content based on the students' context.

The first section of the platform (Figure 1) shows its symbol (a macaw) and its name

(Rimaikuna). It is the section where students can register.

Figure 1. Homepage

After signing up, the platform spreads out twenty-six lessons (Figure 2). Each one of them

has a vocabulary section and a test section. In the first one, students receives the information

expected to be taught and they put into practice what they are learning. On the contrary, the

second one aims to evaluate what students have learnt. Nevertheless, the first five lessons contain

two more sections (dialogue and grammar), in which students can see some other examples of

how they could use English.

 83

Figure 2. Lessons

The whole platform has three available languages, which are English, Inga, and Spanish.

As the target language is English, this language predominates in the whole platform. All the

titles, subtitles, instructions, vocabulary, and exercises are mainly written in English. However, if
 84

the cursor is hovered over each word or expression, it is possible to see its respective translation

both in Inga and in Spanish. (Figure 3)

Figure 3. Translation

When students have finished a lesson, its color is going to be lighter. In addition, on the

right side of it, two icons are going to appear showing how many times students failed when

answering and how many attempts they made (Figure 4). With this data, the teacher can score

the students’ performance.

 85

Figure 4. Development

On the one side, when the students solve an exercise correctly, a check icon is going to

appear along with a sound. On the other side, when they make a mistake, a wrong icon is going

to show up with its correspondent sound (Figure 5). This exercise is going to be at the end of the

lesson for them to try again until they succeed. Nonetheless, finishing a lesson is not a

requirement to move to any other lesson.

Figure 5. Scoring
 86

The teaching method used was inductive; it means, students are taught through examples

which are illustrated with photographs and images related to what they are learning. The

platforms is also provided with audio recordings that teach students how to pronounce what is

written and aims to improve their speaking and listening abilities. In this order of ideas, the

general structure of the activities are: instruction, picture, audio recording, word or phrase and,

in some cases, the example (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Method

The way of evaluating is diverse (Figure 7), as students have to solve different types of

exercises that strengthen their listening, writing, and reading skills while testing their knowledge

as shown below:
 87

Figure 7. Types of exercises

Regarding the content of the platform, twenty-six lessons that belong to a basic level

were designed. The topics included are:

 Lesson 1: Hello! (Saying hello and introducing yourself)

 Lesson 2: How are you? (Expressing how we feel – Verb “to be”)

 Lesson 3: What is your name? (Talking about ourselves – Personal pronouns)

 Lesson 4: Where do you live? (Describing the place where we live – Prepositions of

place “in, at, near”)

 Lesson 5: What do you do? (Talking about our job – Verbs “to do”, “to work”, “to

study”)

 Lesson 6: Can I help you? (We will learn the words “can”, “could”, and “may”)

 Lesson 7: Animals (Recognizing our animals)

 Lesson 8: What is your favorite food? (Talking about different types of food)

 Lesson 9: I do not feel good (Talking about diseases)

 88

 Lesson 10: Places (The places of our school)

 Lesson 11: Numbers (Learning the numbers)

 Lesson 12: Who do you live with? (Talking about our family)

 Lesson 13: Colors (The colors of my land)

 Lesson 14: Parts of the body (My body)

 Lesson 15: Months of the years and days of the week (What day is today?)

 Lesson 16: It is usual! (Talking about traditions and customs)

 Lesson 17: Solar system (Talking about the solar system)

 Lesson 18: Prepositions of time (Talking about periods of time)

 Lesson 19: What time is it? (Telling the time)

 Lesson 20: How is your house? (Describing our house)

 Lesson 21: How do you feel? (Expressing how we feel)

 Lesson 22: What do you like to do? (Describing what we like to do in our free time –

Present simple)

 Lesson 23: What are you doing? (Saying what we are doing – Present continuous)

 Lesson 24: Where did you grow up? (Telling some important events of our life – Past

simple)

 Lesson 25: I was revising for my exam (Talking about our studies in past – Past

continuous)

 Lesson 26: Verses (Reading comprehension)

 89

6.2.3 Phase 4: Validation of the Platform

In the last phase, a validation survey was applied as a result of students and teachers’

interaction with the educational platform. This survey aimed to know the level of satisfaction of

the population in relation to aspects such as design, methodology, multimedia and contents

(Annex H).

Validation survey analysis

This validation survey was executed with the purpose of proving and confirming the

educational platform “Rimaikuna”. The survey was applied to seventeen people, of who, four are

teachers and thirteen are students from the educational institution Inga Yachaikury. The twelve

questions were mainly based on the information of the survey of needs in order to confirm

whether the platform satisfied their expectations related to contents and design, and other topics

established in the survey. The surveyed were also asked to express their impressions after using

the platform for the first time because it was highly relevant to know if they approved the

platform as a useful tool for teaching and learning English; and in this way, to ensure that the

platform “Rimaikuna” to be used on a broad scale for the near future. Finally, at the end of this

validation survey, the students and teachers provided some comments and suggestions about the

aspects that the platform did not fulfill satisfactorily.

Question 1. From your point of view, do you consider that the platform “Rimaikuna”

has an attractive and suitable visual design to users? Through this question, it was identified

that sixteen respondents that belong to 94% agreed the platform has a suitable and attractive

design, one person that represents 6% avoided answering, and none of the respondents pointed

'No'. (See Graphic 25. Visual design)

 90

Graphic 25. Visual design

17 94%
16
15
Number of respondents 14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 6%
1 0%
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

Based on the previous information, it was confirmed that the majority of students and

teachers approved the visual design of the platform. The respondents provided positive

comments in this question and they highlighted the accuracy of the colors, drawings, and

photographs in the design. In the same way, the respondents assured that the aspects mentioned

above caught their attention and allowed the experience of using the platform to be more

meaningful.

Question 2. Do you consider that the instructions used in the platform are appropriate

and understandable? Seventeen respondents that make part of 100% assured that the platform’s

instructions are coherent and clear. (See Graphic 26. Instructions)

 91

Graphic 26. Instructions

17 100%
16
15
14
13
Number of respondents

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

According to the information above, it is possible to conclude that although the

instructions were in English, it was easy for users to understand what they had to do. Likewise,

the students explained that the instructions were simple to understand, and emphasized that it

was convenient to use the three languages (English, Inga and Spanish) because it helped them to

understand the texts better. It is important to clarify that the instructions are written in English,

but, by passing the cursor over the words, the users can know the translation in Inga and Spanish.

It was done in order to avoid misconceptions and facilitate the student's process of

familiarization with the English language.

Question 3. Do you consider that the platform "Rimaikuna" achieves the objective of

including topics related to your culture? Of the seventeen respondents, fifteen people that

represent 88% confirmed that the topics on the platform are associated to their culture as an

indigenous community, two respondents that make part of 12% did not answer and none of the

respondents were in disagreement. (See Graphic 27. Topics related to Inga’s culture)
 92

Graphic 27. Topics related to Inga’s culture

17
16 88%
15
14
Number of respondents
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3 12%
2
1 0%
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

Through the previous data, it was established that the majority of respondents claimed to

find contents or topics related to the Inga’s culture after using the platform. The students and

teachers analyzed the twenty-six units, and realized that most of them are related to their context,

not only in the photographs, but to the proper names in that culture, representative animals, food,

language and stories. This allows recognizing that the objective of using indigenous culture

through the contents was achieved, and that is the reason why, the respondents expressed that

using their context, culture and language generate more appropriation in the process of learning a

second language, and the strengthening of their mother tongue.

Question 4. According to what you have seen in the platform, do you consider that

there is a logical organization of the topics? In this part of the survey, sixteen respondents that

represent 94% considered that the organization of contents are logical, one surveyed did not

answer, and none pointed 'No' to this question. (See Graphic 28. Logical organization of

contents)
 93

Graphic 28. Logical organization of contents

17 94%
16
15
14
Number of respondents

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 6%
1 0%
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

Taking into account the previous information, a large part of the respondents agreed with

appreciating a logical organization of the contents in the twenty-six units offered in the platform

‘Rimaikuna’. The respondents justified that the sequence is coherent and appropriate because it

starts from basic topics to the most complex ones, and the units finish with an evaluation in

which they practice the vocabulary and tenses previously learned.

Question 5. Do you consider that the methodology used in the platform (activities,

examples and exercises) is functional for teaching English? In the fifth question, the surveyed

were indirectly asked if they were in agreement with the inductive method. Likewise, it was

found that sixteen of the respondents that make part of 94% agreed with the functionality of the

methodology, none of the surveyed were in disagreement, and one person that belongs to 6% did

not answer. (See Graphic 29. Methodology)

 94

Graphic 29. Methodology

17 94%
16
15
14
13
Number of respondents

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 6%
1 0%
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

Based on the information, the respondents assured that the methodology of using

examples, exercises, and activities was functional because it allowed them to practice and

understand the contents effectively. Additionally, the respondents expressed that this method

facilitates the learning of the second language because it challenges them to experiment through

activities in which they should remember the correct order of the expressions, and to recognize

what the audios expressed to complete the exercises. This is how the surveyed concluded that the

audios and images were highly necessary to understand the expressions and phrases in the target

language.

Question 6. Do you consider that the pictures used in the platform illustrate (in an

adequate, clear and pertinent way) all the words and expressions expected to be taught? In this

question, fourteen people that belong to 86% contemplated the photographs appropriate, two

respondents that make part of 12% did not answer and one person who represents 6% considered
 95

that the pictures were not related to the words and expressions adequately. (See Graphic 30.

Photographs)

Graphic 30. Photographs

17
16
15 86%
14
Number of respondents

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3 12%
2 6%
1
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

The previous information showed that most of the respondents thought that the

photographs were appropriate to the expressions and phrases they illustrated. In the same way,

the respondents assured that the photographs allowed them to have clarity about the contents

because they represented the actions that were exposed and it was easier to understand the

information. On the other hand, people who did not respond and expressed that the photographs

were not clear, justified their response with the low resolution of the images, in addition, they

assured the photos were not ‘decent’ and they were not completed related to the texts they

illustrated.

Question 7. Do you consider that the audio recordings used in the platform to teach

pronunciation are understandable and have a good quality? In this part of the survey, fourteen

respondents who represent 86% considered that the audios have a good quality, two people that
 96

make part of 12% perceived that the audios are not understandable and had a low quality, and

one person that belongs to 6% did not answer to this question. (See Graphic 31. Audios)

Graphic 31. Audios

17
16
15 86%
14
Number of respondents

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3 12%
2 6%
1
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

Based on the information above, it can be deduced that the vast majority expressed being

satisfied with the audios implemented to teach the pronunciation of the words in English because

they were clear and understandable, and allowed a better acquisition of the vocabulary. In

addition, some students expressed that after listening to the audios, they were able to repeat,

practice and thus improve their pronunciation in English. Although the great majority were

satisfied in this aspect, a small part of the respondents showed their dissatisfaction when they

realized that the platform did not use audios for the pronunciation of Inga language, and

expressed that the volume and the quality of the audios was low.

Question 8. Do you consider that the name of the platform, its colors and symbol

coincide with the information required in the initial survey? In the eighth question, the

respondents articulated the requirements they had expressed for the design in the survey of

needs. In this way, sixteen surveyed that represent 94% assured that the platform contained the
 97

aspects they had established, one person who is part of 6% did not answer, and none of the

respondents pointed ‘No’ to this question. (See Graphic 32. Colors, symbols, and name)

Graphic 32. Colors, symbol, and name

17 94%
16
15
14
Number of respondents

13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 6%
1 0%
0
Yes No Did not answer
Answer choices

The previous information allowed appreciating the level of satisfaction in students and

teachers in relation to the name (Rimaikuna), colors (green, white, red, and blue) and symbol

(macaw) on the platform. In this way, the respondents expressed that the use of the previous

aspects made them feel identified with the platform because it contains elements of their culture

and it called their attention when using the educational tool for learning English as a third

language.

Question 9. Do you consider that it is possible to learn English, strengthen your mother

tongue (Inga) and reinforce your second language (Spanish) using the platform

“Rimaikuna”? In this question, seventeen respondents that represent 100% of the population

expressed that it is possible to obtain positive results in the three languages (English, Inga and
 98

Spanish) with the use of the educational platform. (See Graphic 33. Usefulness of the three

languages)

Graphic 33. Usefulness of the three languages

17 100%
16
15
14
13
Number of respondents

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

Taking into account the previous information, all respondents agreed that the platform

could be a useful tool for learning English, and strengthen Inga and reinforce Spanish. For this

reason, students and teachers expressed that English serves as a bridge for the solidification of

their mother tongue and they consider it is necessary since they have many gaps in terms of

vocabulary and expressions.

Question 10. Did you like the platform ‘Rimaikuna’? To the question related to the

attraction that users feel for the platform, seventeen respondents that belong to 100%

assured they liked the educational platform “Rimaikuna”. (See Graphic 34. Attractiveness)
 99

Graphic 34. Attractiveness

17 100%
16
15
14
13
Number of respondents

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

Based on the previous information, all respondents showed to feel attracted to the

platform designed for teaching English. The reasons that respondents provided expressed that

they liked the platform because it is very understandable, practical, has striking colors, includes

audio of pronunciation in English, has basic elements to strengthen the Inga language, and it uses

the technology as a means to learn a foreign language. In this way, it is possible to conclude that

the platform met the expectations of the students, since they expressed feeling comfortable by

learning English due to the utilities provided by the platform in regarding to their own culture

and language.

Question 11. If you taught English, would you use the platform “Rimaikuna” for the teaching

and/or reinforcement of the English language with your students? This question was intended

only for teachers in order to know if they would use this platform for teaching English. In this

sense, three respondents that make part of 75% assured to employ the platform, and one person
 100

who represents 25% denied being interested in making use of this educational tool to teach or

reinforce the English language. (See Graphic 35. Teachers’ interest on the platform)

Graphic 35. Teachers’ interest on the platform

75%
Number of respondents

25%
1

0
Yes No
Answer choices

The information provided allowed analyzing the attitude of teachers toward the use of the

platform. In this way, it was evident that a big part of the teachers is interested in using the

platform. They justified their answers with reasons such as: the content helps to strengthen the

English and Inga language, the platform is a different and entertaining tool for the students, and

it is important to empower students of their own culture through tools that contribute positively

at the educational level. On the other hand, the teacher who was not interested in the platform did

not justify the response, and it was difficult to establish the reasons why he/she pointed the

answer 'No'. This is how it is concluded that the platform achieved the objective of basing its

contents on topics related to the Inga culture. In addition, using English, it was created awareness

in the students of the importance of their traditions as an indigenous community; this could be

evidenced in the comments of the teachers, because they had a clear idea about the main goals

intended in this investigation.

 101

Question 12. Would you like to learn English by using the platform “Rimaikuna”?

This question was intended only for students, and thirteen respondents that represent 100%

assured they would like to use the platform for learning English. (See Graphic 36. Students’

interest on the platform)

Graphic 36. Students’ interest on the platform

13 100%
12
11
Number of respondents

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 0%
0
Yes No
Answer choices

With the gathered information, it was possible to have a broader view of the students’

opinions about the platform. In this way, it is important to know that all students are interested in

learning English through 'Rimaikuna', and justified the answer with comments that demonstrate

they perceive the platform as a practical, fun, and interesting tool. In addition, they showed a

greater interest in the English language after using the platform for the first time, since it was

easier to learn the pronunciation of the words and they realized that the vocabulary was

necessary in their daily life because it contained aspects found in their real context.
 102

To finish, the students and teachers gave some comments related to the contents,

methodology, design, audios and photographs. The following part is intended to provide their

observations after using the platform Rimaikuna.

Suggestion about the contents and methodology

 Se debe hacer audios al inga.

 Me gustaría que hubiera una simbolización de identificación como institución

Inga.

Suggestions related to technical form: Design

 Reforzar y poner fotografías más decentes.

 Sería bueno si cada página llenaría una pantalla sola. Que uno no tenga que hacer

“scroll” para leer toda la información.

Suggestions about the technical quality: multimedia (photographs and audio recordings)

 Sería Bueno tener también el audio en inga, pero luego se puede añadir.

Other comments:

 Que la plataforma tuviera más simbología o identificación inga.

 Me gusta porque ahí nos enseña lo que es el Inga y el inglés.

 Todo me gusta de la plataforma, es interesante para mí.

 Gracias, fue valiosa la experiencia. Flora Macas, Rectora.

 103

Validation survey discussion

This validation survey confirms the perception of students and teachers towards the

educational platform 'Rimaikuna'. In this way, twelve questions were designed, of which ten

were addressed to the entire population, one exclusively for teachers and one for students. At the

end, the respondents provided some suggestions and comments related to the design,

methodology, content and multimedia. Initially, the respondents confirmed that the visual design

was well thought-out and this was due to the appropriate selection of colors, drawings and

images that set the platform. On the other hand, the instructions were provided in English, and

when the cursor was passed over them, they were translated into Inga and Spanish. This aspect

was accepted by the population and they considered that the use of the three languages facilitates

the process of understanding in the English language.

Meanwhile, the contents were focused on topics related to their culture, and this allowed

the students to recognize the importance of their customs as an indigenous community and their

language. After reviewing the survey, respondents agreed that the goal of using topics related to

their indigenous culture was reached. In the same way, it was established that the contents were

organized in a logical and sequential manner. Since the units started from the most basic topics

to the most complex ones, in addition, at the end of each unit, an evaluation was made to verify if

the students had learned or not. Having said this, the methodology used for this platform was the

inductive one, because users were provided with different activities, examples and exercises to

make the students experiment with the vocabulary that they were learning, and they finished the

units with a test for confirming their knowledge after having practicing and experimenting with

the platform.
 104

However, focusing on the multimedia, which refers to the photographs and audios, the

respondents concluded that it was adequate for the information provided in the units and

activities. In the case of the photographs, they considered appropriate to the texts and the

vocabulary. In the same way, the audios were convenient to the pronunciation of the expressions

explained in the units. Although some respondents stated that the multimedia was of low quality,

the photographs were not decent and had low resolution, and the audios had low volume, the vast

majority liked the multimedia and found it helpful.

To finish, the students and teachers showed interest in learning and teaching through the

platform “Rimaikuna”. Most teachers expressed that the platform is an excellent tool to learn

English and strengthen their indigenous culture, and only one teacher showed no interest in using

the platform in their classes. On the other hand, the students found the platform attractive and

interesting, and expressed that it is highly relevant to them because they will be benefited with

the platform. That is why; they highlighted the importance of strengthening their Inga language

and learning English through contents that are closely related to their traditions and way of life,

and this can be achieved through the educational platform ‘Rimaikuna’.

 105

7. Conclusions

 The integration of information and communication technologies into the teaching process

creates an interactive environment in which students can enrich their knowledge while

enjoying their learning process.

 The designing of adapted didactic materials permits teachers to fulfill students’ learning

necessities as it boosts a better comprehension of the English language in all its areas.

 The use of the virtual platform “Rimaikuna” stimulates students’ autonomous learning

and helps them improve the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and

writing) as it provides different interaction spaces in which these abilities can be

practiced.

 The virtual platform “Rimaikuna” is a helpful educational tool for teachers from the

institution as it facilitates the development of the English classes and contributes to the

improvement of the students’ English level.

 It is possible to create educational tools that promote the teaching of a foreign language

through elements of the population’s context. In the same way, these tools can achieve

different objectives focused on the solution of diverse problematics, as it was

demonstrated through the platform ‘Rimaikuna’, which aimed at improving the low level

of English in the students, and at the same time, it tried to strengthen the indigenous

mother tongue.
 106

8. Recommendations

 To ELT program students, continue with the creation of didactic materials adjusted to the

educational and situational needs of students in the different educational institutions of

Caquetá.

 To continue developing research projects directed to indigenous communities and the

loss of aboriginal languages.

 To the educational institution Yachaikury, take advantage of the platform Rimaikuna, and

appreciate it as an opportunity to strengthen the Inga language, to value the indigenous

roots and to learn English.

 Within this ambitious and significant project, it is expected a continuous improvement of

it. Therefore, it is recommended to the teachers of the institution to have interest in the

project, and complement the audios in Inga language.

 107

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ANNEXES
ANNEX A. Diagnostic test
115
 116

ANNEX B. Survey of needs

117
118
119
120
 121

ANNEX C. First field journal

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA, NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA, FLORENCIA – CAQUETÁ
FIELD JOURNAL

FIRST INTERVENTION: Platform survey and diagnostic test

This intervention started at 8:00 am when we arrived at Yurayako. We organized the students to
respond to the survey of needs simultaneously; that is, we read and they responded individually after
our explanation. This was done with the purpose of focusing on the open questions when they were
answering because it was necessary to conclude a response and having fewer options. That is why we
gave them time to discuss and giving opinions about the response. After the survey, the students made
the diagnostic test. It consisted of nine questions related to topics such as animals, locations, age, days,
months of the year, and personal pronouns. The students lasted approximately 30-40 minutes doing the
exercise, and their questions were limited. Finally, we returned to Florencia at 11:00 am to analyze the
gathered information.
DATE EXPECTED OBTAINED POSITIVE DIFFICULTIES
RESULTS RESULTS ASPECTS
It was expected to We had a clearer The validation Some students were
implement the understanding survey could be not willing to answer
survey of needs about what done, and all the the validation survey.
with the students students expect to students made the
May 25th who were missing find in the diagnostic test.
the previous platform, and we
intervention. In know the English
addition, we level in the
wanted to know the school.
students’ English
level through the
diagnostic test.
 122

ANNEX D. Second field journal

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA, NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA, FLORENCIA – CAQUETÁ
FIELD JOURNAL

SECOND INTERVENTION: Survey of needs

This intervention started at 5am when we traveled from Florencia to Yurayako. We arrived at 7:30
approximately and we waited for the directors and students. At around 9am the principal called the
students and teachers for listening our presentation about the project. We show the objectives, explained
what the platform will contain and we expressed how important is their collaboration in the development
of the project and the platform design. When it was time to do the survey of needs, we noticed that the
students of the fifth cycle were out of the school, and it was a problem because the survey designed for
them. Then, the principal suggested to do it with the teachers and students who were there (the majority
were from first to fourth cycle). We followed her advice and during that time, it was established the
platform name and the logo. After that, we listened to students and teachers’ recommendations, and
answered their questions. Something unusual we could perceive while the students answered the surveys
was the lack of interest around their own culture and language. This situation was notorious especially in
older students, because the children demonstrated sympathy with the idea of including topics that
contextualize their way of speaking and living on the platform; contrarily, the rest preferred topics related
to fashion, sports, and others. On the other hand, the systems engineer showed the platform draft and
asked if the students have more ideas about the form and design, but they said it was appropriate. At the
end, we concluded that it would be necessary to apply the survey with students who were not in the school
because we need to know their expectations about the platform since they are the population selected for
this project. Finally, at 1pm we went back to Florencia and agreed with the directives to return as soon as
possible to do the survey and the diagnostic test.
DATE EXPECTED OBTAINED POSITIVE DIFFICULTIES
RESULTS RESULTS ASPECTS

It was expected to In this intervention The children who Students from the
implement the survey was established the were in the formal fifth cycle were
of needs that serves name and the logo presentation were not in the school.
as basis for designing for the platform. interested and That is why the
the platform. We Also, we collected approved the idea survey must be
wanted to know information about of designing a tool repeated. Another
June 27th students’ perceptions what students for learning English difficulty was the
and and reinforcing lack of interest on
 123

recommendations expect to find in the their indigenous their own culture

related to content and platform. language. (specially the
form. oldest students).
They showed
little interest in
topics related to
the indigenous
community and
their mother
tongue.
 124

ANNEX E. Third field journal

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA, NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA, FLORENCIA – CAQUETÁ
FIELD JOURNAL

THIRD INTERVENTION: Translations

This intervention started at 5:30am when we traveled from Florencia to Yurayako. When we arrived at
the village, we noticed the public order was altered. We found that some criminal groups had written
negative messages on the walls of the hospital, church and houses. That is why, we decided not to stay
in the village for long time and try to carry out the meeting with the teachers. At 9am approximately,
the teachers in charge of collaborating with the platform arrived to the meeting and invited us to talk
about the needs around the project. Then, through a presentation, we showed the information that must
be translated from Spanish to Inga. This is because the platform aims at teaching a third language, but
reinforcing their mother tongue. We ask for their cooperation because we do not know Inga language,
and many topics related to their culture and beliefs. The meeting lasted for more than an hour, and it
was concluded that the next Wednesday we have to go back, receive the translations and deliver the
rest of the information, because it was divided into segments. The teachers agreed and assured to have
the information ready for the next time. Additionally, they requested that the meetings should be done
in the afternoon in order to avoid interfering in the development of their classes. Finally, we returned
to Florencia at 11am, because we wanted to evade any problem on the road because the village was
having a bad time.
DATE EXPECTED OBTAINED POSITIVE DIFFICULTIES
RESULTS RESULTS ASPECTS

It was expected to The teachers have The principal The village was
th
July 25 know the teachers a clearer idea of organized a going through a bad
who were in charge the project, and meeting for time. It was
of helping with the they agreed on letting us to dangerous to travel
platform design and helping us. explain the without knowing that
development; also, platform in detail. public order was
we showed them The teachers altered.
part of the content showed interest
that the platform and commitment.
would have.
 125

ANNEX F. Fourth field journal

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA, NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA, FLORENCIA – CAQUETÁ
FIELD JOURNAL

FOURTH INTERVENTION: Translations

This intervention started at 11:00am when we traveled from Florencia to Yurayako. When we
arrived at the village, it was 1 o’clock, and we waited for the teachers because they had already
gone to their homes and the students were in the bedrooms. At 3:00pm, the teachers returned to the
school and we tried to talk with all of them to organize a meeting and share the translations. It was
planned to show each one’s task for correcting mistakes and give recommendations, in case they
cannot solve the whole exercise. Unfortunately, when we visited the school, any of the teachers had
done the exercise of translating. So, we asked them to send the information by e-mail during the
weekend because we expected to start uploading the information to the platform. It is important to
mention that any of the teachers sent the translations, and we waited around two weeks to receive
two of them. Finally, the intervention ended at 4pm, and we returned to Florencia. As a consequence
of all the difficulties we had during the process of translating the information (the inga), we made
the decision to propose one of the indigenous teachers to do the translations in exchange for money.
The professor accepted and promised to deliver the document by the end of September.
DATE EXPECTED OBTAINED POSITIVE DIFFICULTIES
RESULTS RESULTS ASPECTS

It was expected to We made an The translations The teachers who

receive the agreement with are in charge of a were in charge of
translations, and one of the teacher responsible helping with the
make a meeting in for completing person. translations did not
August 1st which the the Inga’s fulfil the
information was translations. commitment.
going to be shared.
It was an
opportunity for us
to learn their
language,
understand better
and help the more
we can with the
translations.
 126

ANNEX G. Fifth field journal

REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA, NATIONAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE
UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA, FLORENCIA – CAQUETÁ
FIELD JOURNAL

FIFTH INTERVENTION: Photographies

This intervention was intended for taking photographs that would be included in the platform. Before
starting, we established the places we would visit to take the pictures, and having an organized and
completed job. We started in Morelia, with photos of the park, some animals, the church and the
Pirarocú statue. Then, we went to Belen de los Andaquíes, where the park was useful to photograph
some plants and emblematic places. Additionally, we visited the market square to photograph the
fruits, vegetables, and food that represent the region. Unfortunately, we had to leave the place because
a man complained about our work. It is important to mention that we requested the permission of
each seller to photograph their products, but even so, they felt uncomfortable. After the incident, we
went to San José; on the road, we got photos of plants, wood and other representative places of the
municipality. Finally, we arrived at Yurayaco at 9:00 am, where we obtained the most important
photos. Teachers and students told us where the medicinal plants were, the chagra, the orchards, the
classrooms, dormitories, and other places; they also allowed us to take pictures of their daily tasks,
and had a very good disposition for posing. After a long day, we returned to Florence at 5:00 p.m.
and started with photographs edition.
DATE EXPECTED OBTAINED POSITIVE DIFFICULTIES
RESULTS RESULTS ASPECTS

It was expected to We took pictures The students and In Belén de los

take the pictures in different teachers helped Andaquíes, a man
that represent the municipalities of us by indicating complained because
indigenous culture Caquetá, and we the places and we were taking
September and their way of photograph how posing to photos. pictures, so he asked
10th living. As the is the students’ us to leave the place.
students live in the life in a place that
school, they have to serves as school
fulfil many duties. and home.
We wanted to show
what they live
daily, and some
places in this
region.
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ANNEX H. Validation survey

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ANNEX I. Permission to publish photographs