Developing lexical competence through teaching materials: a pedagogical proposal.

Abstract

This research explores the development of lexical competence through the design and implementation of contextualized teaching materials within a rural bilingual education setting in Colombia. Anchored in the interpretative paradigm and a case study design, the study aims to propose a pedagogical strategy that responds to the sociocultural and linguistic realities of ninth-grade students at the Institución Educativa Plácido Retamoza. The central problem addressed is the limited lexical proficiency among rural learners, often exacerbated by insufficient and decontextualized instructional resources.

Data were collected through a combination of instruments, including questionnaires, surveys, initial tests, classroom observations, and a semi-structured interview with an English teacher. The analysis revealed that vocabulary learning in rural contexts is shaped by three interrelated dimensions: lexical competence, teaching practices and learning strategies. The findings demonstrate that communicative, playful, and multimodal methodologies enhance students’ motivation, retention, and ability to use vocabulary purposefully when they are adapted to the context.

This study concludes that developing lexical competence in rural bilingual contexts requires integrating cognitive, affective, and sociocultural dimensions into teaching practice. Contextualized materials grounded in students’ realities not only foster vocabulary acquisition but also strengthen their cultural identity and communicative empowerment. Consequently, this research contributes a strategic pedagogical proposal as a bridge between theory and practice, offering a framework for inclusive, transformative, and context-sensitive English language education in rural Colombia.