Journal of Education & Social Policy

A Look at Teachers' Perceptions of the Bilingual Articulation between Secondary Education and Education for Work
Ana Del Carmen Horta Vellojin, Cristhian Camilo Lozano Clavijo, Lucelly Elvira Cuadro Benavides

Abstract
Recognizing the importance of the English language to improve the quality of education and increase the competitiveness of young people in their work performance, it is imperative that students learn a second language, allowing them to be an active part in a globalized world that requires preparation and updating to remain at the forefront, overcoming the challenges of intercultural communication that demands new job skills. The present research is of an exploratory nature; with a documentary analysis on programs and policies of bilingualism present in Colombia, basing the research on educational pedagogical processes and school policies. Articulating strategies were identified in bilingualism between high school and education for work, identifying guidelines for the deepening of contextualized processes significant to the educational reality. A phenomenological design was chosen with a hermeneutic approach from the position of Paul Ricoeur; executing meaning matrices and interviews with experts to analyze the data obtained. As a result, the existence of limited educational policies and programs in charge of providing convergent spaces in the educational structure was verified, generating a wide gap between the different educational levels; which makes the development of the learning of a foreign language (LE) a late and monotonous practice, creating a great frustration on the part of the LE student. Finally, four revealing problems were identified when designing bilingualism policies and programs in Colombia. Through this research, guidelines were suggested to reinforce those already implemented in the country in order to articulate the transition between the levels of the educational system in line with the Fourth Goal of Sustainable Development (UNESCO, 2015), which is an instrument for the promotion of competitiveness in the global society.

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