The struggle of an EFL Primary Teacher: Portraying English Teaching and Learning Experiences through a narrative study.

Abstract

In this study, the research describes and analyze the experiences and everyday life teaching practices of a primary school teacher around ELT process with primary school children at "Institución Educativa Técnico Industrial Julio Flórez". This is a public institution located in the region of Chiquinquirá – Boyacá. The participant teacher has 36 years of experience, she holds a bachelor's degree in basic education and promotion to the community with a specialization in written language pedagogy but coincidentally, most of her pedagogical practice has been spent teaching English. The study belongs to the subproject 3 of the LLEI in the B.A program: The voices of the LLEI realities: life stories and experiences. In this region, the experiences and voices of students and teachers in relation to the ELT process have never been documented, everything that surrounds the process of teaching and learning English must be known and analyzed in order to improve teaching-learning practices. Along the process, the participant has a voice, and telling her story and experiences on how she has given her life to teaching and learning English, and the strategies she has implemented to achieve it; many of the situations experienced by other teachers in related contexts around the region come out from the periphery. The data is analyzed with a thematic approach and is categorized into 3 main themes that address the teacher's landmarks, her teaching-learning experiences and their influence on the professional development of a pre-service teacher.