Investigación formativa en la Licenciatura en Lengua Extranjera Inglés: implementación de Macro-proyectos para empoderar la investigación en el Programa. Código 1616003 y con Centro de costo No. 640202-12

Abstract

After analyzing data and getting the results, the research team was aware it was necessary to rethink the question and the objectives of the research and even, it was evident we had to change the title. In the beginning we had assigned the term “formative”, however the researchers did not want to reduce the term to a simple transliteration, this led us to think of a new word. Hence, this reflection led us to reach more that a new term, a new concept as it was decided for “EFL research didactic strategy”. Alongside the development of the present research, there have been some shortcomings that researchers had to face and should be taken into account for future research calls.

These shortcomings have been divided into four. The time to dedicate to do research, the research culture, the incomes to develop the research and researchers´ payment and the research criteria to evaluate the projects.

The first shortcoming relates to the allotted time to work on the project. Even though the teachers are assigned some hours to work on the research, these are not adequate. The researchers have too many different tasks as they are English teachers, they have to cope with the LLEI organizational responsibilities and also they have to do the research.

The second limitation has to do with the research culture. It is clear that the research culture is not a straighten feature in the LLEI. Many of the hired teachers at LLEI are English teachers and no researchers. This is evident in CAU different from Bogotá, where regional teachers, who are not researchers have to develop tasks related to research besides their teaching practice.

This brings us to the third limitation which has to do with the main researcher’s responsibilities when the he has to execute the incomes. This is an extremely complex task. First he has to design a close relation of the incomes. Second he needs to be updated with the regulations, protocols, formats, etc., stipulated by the office which finances the project. It is dreadful for the researchers to dedicate all the time to do research and administrate the resources. On the other part, awarded the incomes sometimes are not sufficient to visit all the CAU or attend to international events.

The last shortcoming has to do with the criteria to evaluate the projects. This responds to the enterprise objectives but not to the educative ones. For example they ask to describe the impact of the project by using numerical indicators on international markets, enterprise productivity and customer service improvement.