Out-Of-field teaching in bilingual education: reflections on the role of english teachers and non-english major teachers

Abstract

The implementation of bilingual programs in educational institutions has increased the non-English major teachers hiring to assume learning process within bilingual educational contexts. This phenomenon is known as out-of-field teaching, which questions their pedagogical and professional implications in scholar institutions. In such manner, the present research aimed to analyze the influence of non-English major teachers on English major teachers’ role and responsibilities from first to fifth grade in three private bilingual schools located in Bogota. For that, an investigation with a mixed approach was developed, integrating quantitative and qualitative tools; a survey, interviews,and a Padlet. Also, twelve teachers participated: six English major teachers and six nonEnglish major teachers. The data collected evidenced that, although some non-English major teachers might performance similar functions and show compromise with the teaching process, they also presented limitations related to linguistic knowledge, didactic strategies, and specific pedagogy to teach a second language. Besides, the increasing on English major teachers’ responsibilities was identified since they tend to be mentors and pedagogical support to the other educators. All in all, the research displayed that the presence of non-English major teachers may cause tensions in the English learning process, affect the professional perception of English major teachers and evidence the necessity of strengthening the hiring process and teachers’ training in school bilingualism programs.