English Education in the Ecuadorian Public Sector: Gaps and Recommendations

Executive Summary The Ecuadorian government implemented three

initiatives in order to improve the quality of English education in the public sector. The Ministry of Education designed a new National English Curriculum and established an English language requirement for English teachers. The National Institution of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT in Spanish) offers opportunities to students and English teachers to study abroad with full funding. These initiatives seem to be the best solution to the problem of quality of English Education; however, the following two gaps are found: 1) A B1 level of language proficiency does not give high school graduates the language skills needed to succeed while studying in an English-‐speaking country, 2) The English language requirement for teachers does not guarantee quality of English instruction. In order to improve the quality of English Education the Ministry of Education must: 1) Re-‐design the curriculum so that English instruction begins at 1st grade and an all-‐content class in English is taught in 12th grade. 2) Increase the English language requirement for secondary school English teachers (9th-‐12th) to a C1 level. 3) Create an entity that is in charge of offering periodic teacher trainings in approaches to Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ........................ 1 Why English? ...................................... 1

Introduction ...................................... 2

Background ....................................... 3 National English Curriculum ......... 3 Communicative Functional Language Approach ................................. 3 Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) ..................................... 3 National English Curriculum Guidelines .................................................... 4

English language requirement for English teachers ........................ 5 SENESCYT Scholarships ................. 6 “Go Teacher” Scholarship ..................... 6 University of Excellence Scholarship .................................................. 6

Analysis .............................................. 7 B1 CEFR Level & Opportunities to Study Abroad .................................... 7 National English Curriculum & The Role of English Teachers ....... 10

Recommendations ....................... 12

References ...................................... 13

Speaking English is important to advance in education, and is seen as a necessary tool to survive in this world where technology, research and job opportunities are more accessible to people who speak this language.

According to Pike (2013) there are five important reasons to learn English:

1. Professional opportunities. 2. Social networking and relationships–

becoming a global citizen. 3. Entertainment and cultural understanding. 4. Education–research and academics. 5. Access to knowledge – the Internet.

Why English?

Ecuador

Norma E. Ureña Moreno [email protected]

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Communication among people from different countries is no longer dependent on borders. Nowadays, English is recognized as lingua franca and used as a tool of international communications. In terms of English language proficiency, Latin America is still far behind the rest of the world. According to Education First (2013), more than half of the countries in this region have the lowest English proficiency in the world.

Ecuador was ranked 46 out of 60 countries, having one of the lowest English language proficiencies. Ecuador is moving towards a knowledge-‐based economy where investing in education, infrastructure, skills, and technology is essential. In order to improve future innovation, become more competitive internationally and provide mobility through education, countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Brazil created scholarship programs for local students to study abroad in the best universities around the world.

In the case of Ecuador, different types of scholarships to study abroad have been presented to Ecuadorians by the SENESCYT. These scholarships offer students the unique opportunity to continue their studies in the best universities in the world with full funding. Most of these universities are either located in English speaking countries or use English as a medium of instruction. Thus, if high school graduates want to study abroad, they need a high level of English language proficiency. The degree of exposure that Ecuadorian students have to English varies depending if they attend a private or public school. In 2012, in order to stop this inequity and improve the quality of English education in the public sector, the Ministry of Education designed a new National English Curriculum that governs English instruction in public schools and established a language proficiency requirement for English teachers in the public sector.

This policy brief is addressed to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education to provide recommendations on what must be done to improve the quality of English education in the public sector. It presents an analysis of the relationship among the initiatives taken by the government in order to expose some of the gaps among them and provide the following recommendations:

1. Re-‐design the curriculum so that English instruction begins at 1st grade and an all-‐content class in English is taught in 12th grade.

2. Increase the English language requirement for secondary school English teachers (9th-‐12th) to a C1 level.

3. Create an entity that is in charge of offering periodic teacher trainings in approaches to Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Introduction

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Background In Ecuador, English is taught as a foreign language and not as a second language

as commonly believed. According to the Cambridge Dictionary Online (2014), English is taught as a foreign language when learners’ main language is not English and live in a country where English is not the official and main language. In the Ecuadorian context the exposure that students have to English is limited to schools hours. In order to improve the level of English language proficiency that high school graduates acquire in the public sector the Ministry of Education implemented the following innovations:

1. A new National English Curriculum 2. English language requirement for English teachers

Additionally, SENESCYT introduced the following innovation:

3. Scholarships to study abroad.

These three innovations are discussed in depth in the following sections.

1. National English Curriculum

In 2012, the Ministry of Education designed the new National English Curriculum that governs English instruction in the public sector. It was designed to contribute to the development of students’ ability to live together in their local communities and to take a proactive role as world citizens in the 21st century.

The Ministry of Education acknowledged the importance of English as a tool to prepare individuals to understand people and cultures beyond linguistic and geographic boundaries. Therefore, it was designed to help students develop their communicative language skills. The Ministry of Education integrated the Communicative-‐Functional Language Approach and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) while designing the National English Curriculum Guidelines. These two components are described below in order to better understand the curriculum guidelines.

The Communicative-‐Functional Language Approach has been used internationally because it includes a set of principles about the nature of language and language teaching and learning that empathizes authenticity. It organizes the syllabus in terms of the different language functions that learners need to master in order to communicate effectively.

The CEFR provides a common basis for the elaboration of language curriculum guidelines and syllabi. It has played a role in language and education policy worldwide because it describes “what language learners should be able to do at different stages during the process of learning [and] what knowledge and skills must be developed in order to communicate effectively in the target language” (MOE, 2012, p.4).

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National English Curriculum Guidelines

After adopting the two components explained above, the Ecuadorian National English Curriculum has the following characteristics and overall objectives.

Characteristics

Ø English teaching is optional from 1st grade (2doEGB) to 6th grade (7mo EGB). Ø English is taught from 7th grade (8voEGB) to 12th grade (3roBACH). Ø Five weekly 45-‐minute class periods of English are mandatory.

Overall Objectives of the

National English Curriculum Guidelines

Ø “To ensure high-‐school graduates reach a minimum B1 language proficiency level according to the CERF.

Ø To build up learners’ communicative language competence [and] its linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic components through the development of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing” (MOE, 2012, p.7).

www.educacion.gob.ec

The CEFR proposes a scale of six language proficiency levels that starts at A1 for students in the beginning level and ends at C2 for students who can use the language at high levels of discourse. Table 1 shows the different levels with their corresponding levels of proficiency in the target language.

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Taking into account the first overall objective of the National English Curriculum, Table 2 shows the grades in the Ecuadorian Educational System with its corresponding levels of language proficiency established by the CEFR.

Level Group

Level name Level School Grade

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ English is not required 1st-‐6th grade (2do-‐7mo EBG) A

Basic User

A1 (beginner)

7th grade (8vo EGB) 8th grade (9no EGB)

A2 (elementary)

9th grade (10mo EGB) 10th grade (1ro BACH)

B

Independent User

B1 (intermediate)

11th grade (2do BACH) 12th grade (3ro BACH)

B2 (upper intermediate)

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

C

Proficient User C1 (advanced)

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

C2 (proficient)

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

Table 2. CEFR Reference Levels in the Ecuadorian Educational System

Source: Ecuadorian National English Curriculum Guidelines (2012)

2. English Language Requirement for English Teachers

Also in 2012, along with the implementation of the National English Curriculum, the Ministry of Education established a language requirement for English teachers working in the public sector in order to improve the quality of English instruction.

In July 2012, President Rafael Correa signed a contract with the Educational Testing Service, a non-‐profit organization dedicated to educational measurement and research, primarily through testing (ETS, 2014). This contract was signed in order to evaluate the English language proficiency of all English teachers in the public sector.

Teachers are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score a B2 language proficiency level in the CEFR, or its equivalent in other international exams. In order to clarify what the standard is, Table 3 presents the B2 equivalent in other international exams that teachers can take.

Teachers who do not obtain a certification of a B2 level in the CEFR or its equivalent in the other international exams have the opportunity to attend English language training courses and retake the exam. The language training has three modules: A2-‐B1 Module, B1-‐B2 Module and TOEFL Module (MOE, 2014).

www.conocimiento.gob.ec

CEFR’s International Standardized equivalent

Exams

B2 equivalent scores

Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test

(TOEFL iBT)

87

International Language English Testing System (IELTS)

Band 6

First Certificate in English (FCE) 70

Certificate in Advance English (CAE)

45

Table 3. CEFR B2 equivalent scores

Source: Ministry of Education, Ecuador (2014)

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President Correa believes that “without human talent, Ecuador won’t advance… we lack the minimum critical mass of top flight professionals needed to spur the country’s development”(Custer, 3013). With this in mind, the Ecuadorian government, through SENESCYT, aims to improve Ecuador’s global competitiveness by strengthening and opening opportunities for the development of Ecuadorians studying abroad. In order to offer opportunities for Ecuadorians to study abroad, SENESCYT grants full scholarships to Ecuadorians -‐living in Ecuador or abroad-‐ who wish to pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies. For the purpose of this policy brief, the “Go Teacher” and the University of Excellence Scholarships are described below in depth because they offer opportunities for English teachers and high school graduates to study abroad in English speaking countries.

3. SENESCYT Scholarships Opportunities to Study Abroad

www.senescyt.gob.ec

“Go Teacher” Scholarship This scholarship seeks to improve the English language proficiency of Ecuadorian teachers of English. It gives teachers the opportunity to be immersed in English-‐speaking countries for a period of time, allowing them to interact with different cultures, practice their language skills and learn new teaching methodologies. English teachers interested in this scholarship can chose from two different programs: Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Training or a Master’s in Curriculum Design and TESL Teaching.

This scholarship is only granted to Ecuadorians living in Ecuador. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in Educational Sciences with an English language focus, English Teaching, Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics or have an undergraduate degree in any career with a minimum of one year of experience teaching English (SENESCYT, 2014).

www.programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec

University of Excellence Scholarship

The main purpose of this scholarship is to give Ecuadorians the unique opportunity to study in the best universities of the world with full funding. It is granted to Ecuadorians, living in Ecuador or abroad, who wish to pursue their undergraduate and graduate studies in the top 175 best universities in the world, as recognized by SENESCYT. To make sure that students come back and work for the benefit of the country, the only condition of the scholarship is to return to work in Ecuador for two years for every year spent abroad.

www.blogs.salleurl.edu

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Ecuadorians accepted to the top 50 universities have the opportunity to choose the program they would like to study, whereas those accepted in the rest of the universities must choose a program in the following areas: life sciences, production and innovation, social sciences and natural resources. Within the top 50 universities, 90% of the universities are located in the U.S.A, the U.K, Canada and Australia, where English is the national language. The rest of the universities are located in Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore, where universities use English as medium of instruction for the programs offered to international students (SENESCYT, 2014).

Country Language Required

Number of Universities

Percentage

U.S.A English 33 66% U.K English 7 14% Canada English 3 6% Australia English 2 4% Japan English 2 4% Switzerland English 1 2% Hong Kong English 1 2% Singapore English 1 2%

Table 4. The Top 50 Universities of Excellence by country

Source: SENESCYT (2014)

Analysis Relationship among the three initiatives

The Ecuadorian government’s three initiatives to improve the quality of English education in the public sector were needed in the country for so long. When the initiatives are analyzed individually as in the previous section, they seem to be the best solution to the problem of quality English education in the public sector. However, the following two gaps can be found when analyzing the relationship among these initiatives.

Language proficiency at the high-‐school level and the opportunities to study abroad

This analysis begins with the relationship between the National English Curriculum

and the opportunities to study abroad through the University of Excellence Scholarship. This analysis considers only the top 50 Universities of Excellence because they allow students to choose the program they would like study. The high school graduates’ level of English language proficiency determines their opportunities to study abroad.

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According to the National English Curriculum Guidelines “Ecuadorian students in the public educational system will be able to…access more labor and professional development opportunities within Ecuador or abroad…” (MOE, 2012, p.4), and so are expected to reach a minimum B1 language proficiency level in the CEFR. Students at this level will become independent users of the language with an intermediate level of proficiency. The language skills that students will develop at this level are presented in Table 5. The bolded sentences in the table show that these skills enable students to communicate in English using everyday language.

In the CEFR common reference level there are three levels of language proficiency above the B1, the upper intermediate (B2), the advanced (C1) and the proficient level (C2). With this in mind, the following question must be asked,

Students, whose native language is not English, applying to universities where English is used as the medium of instruction, are required to take an English language exam. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is preferred and required by most universities around the world. The scores required to apply are different for undergraduate and graduate programs among universities.

The equivalent score of the B1 CERF level in the TOELF scale is in the range of 57-‐86 out of 120. Ecuadorian high school graduates reaching a B1 language proficiency will be able to apply to only 10 universities of the top 50 Universities of Excellence. They also might be able to apply to 3 universities that only require taking the TOEFL without asking for a minimum score as shown in Table 6.

Listening *Understand the main points of clear, standard speech on familiar matters regularly encounter informal situations at school, work, leisure, etc. * Understand the main point of many radio or television programs on topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is clear.

Reading *Understand text that consist mainly have high frequency, every day language. *Understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal terms.

Speaking *Deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling in an area where the language is spoken (basic social language) *Enter unprepared into conversations that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life. *Connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions *Give brief reasons and explanations for opinions and plans and describe their reactions to the plot of a book or film *Narrate an story

Writing *Write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest *Write personal letters describing experiences and impressions

Table 5. Level B1 of the CEFR language skills

Source: Ecuadorian National English Curriculum Guidelines (2012)

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Table 6. List of TOEFL/CEFR scores required for undergraduate studies by the top 50 University of Excellence

English Proficiency (Ecuador)

Score TOELF CERF

Country University

110 U.K *University of Oxford 105 U.S.A *Northwester University 104 U.SA *Harvard University 102 U.S.A *Carnegie Mellon University 100 U.S.A *Massachusetts Institute of Technology's

*University of California Berkeley *Columbia University *University of Pennsylvania *Cornell University *Yale University *University of Chicago *Johns Hopkins University *Duke University *University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign *New York University *The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill *McGill University *University of South Carolina *University of Maryland, College Park *University of Pittsburgh *Brown University

100 U.K *University of Edinburgh C1 U.K *Cambridge University C1 Switzerland *ETH Zurich 95-‐105 U.S.A *University of Wisconsin-‐Madison 94 Australia *The University of Melbourne 93 Canada *University of Toronto

U.K *King College of London 92 U.S.A *University of Washington 92-‐109

U.K *University College London (scores depend on the program)

90

Canada *The University of British Columbia Hong Kong *University of Hong Kong

88-‐100 U.S.A *University of Michigan (scores depend on the program)

B2 U.K *University of Manchester

B1 (CERF)

(57-86)

(TOEFL)

85 U.K *Imperial College of London 85 Singapore *NUS Singapore University 83 U.S.A *University of California, Los Angeles 80 U.S.A *University of California San Diego

*The Pennsylvania State University *University of California Santa Barbara *The University of California, Davis

80 Australia *Australia National University 79 U.S.A *University of Texas at Austin 70 U.S.A *University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

N/A Strong Command of the language

U.S.A *Stanford University

N/A Strong Command of the language

U.S.A *California Institute of Technology

N/A Command of the language U.S.A *Princeton University

N/A TOEFL Required U.S.A *University of Washington in St. Louis

N/A TOEFL Required Japan *Kyoto University

N/A TOEFL Required Japan *The University of Tokyo

Besides showing a high level of English language proficiency by taking the TOEFL, students applying to any university in the U.S.A are required to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test. This exam is only offered in English and it is not an English language exam; it is a university admission test that shows how much students know and how well they can apply that knowledge. It tests students’ knowledge in three areas: reading, math and writing (SAT, 2014). The following question must be considered to move on in the analyses.

Source: All this information was retrieved from all the universities’ websites.

The low quality of English education in the public sector has caused inequalities of access to the University of Excellence Scholarships between the private and public.

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According to President Correa, the scholarships were created to benefit students from the middle and middle-‐low classes. He is conscious that this inequality of access exists and he announced that in the future, the socioeconomic status of the applicants would be analyzed in order make sure that the scholarships are awarded to students who cannot afford to study abroad independently. The reality is that restricting access to the scholarships based on students’ socioeconomic status will not fix the problem of inequality of access nor will increase the level of English language proficiency in high school graduates from the public sector. The solution to the problem must be found in providing a better English education in the public sector so everyone can have the same opportunity to access the scholarships.

The National English Curriculum Guidelines states that teaching English is optional from 2nd to 7th grade and the new English curriculum starts at 8th grade. This characteristic of the curriculum has caused controversy among Ecuadorians. In an online survey by El Comercio, a local newspaper, people were asked if they agreed that English should be taught starting at 8th grade; out of 3,185 people who voted, 2,980 (93.6%) do not agree and 205 (6.4) agree (El Comercio, 2014). The amount of exposure that students have to English can make a big difference in the process of acquisition of this language. Considering that students are exposed to the language only for 5 hours a week during the school year, without a doubt, the earlier they start exposure to the language, the better.

After the analysis presented above it is important to point out that people could argue that the goal of the new curriculum states that high school graduates are expected to reach a minimum B1 language proficiency and therefore they could score higher in the language examinations and have better opportunities to access the scholarships. This argument is valid, but it is important to understand that the level of language proficiency that high school graduates reach depends on the quality of English instruction provided by English teachers. English teachers play an important role in the implementation of the curriculum and it is important to analyze the relationship between the National English Curriculum and the role of English teachers in the public sector.

National English Curriculum and the Role of English Teachers

The day that the Ecuadorian government signed a contract with ETS in 2012,

President Correa emphasized in his speech the importance of having qualified English teachers working in the public sector. Since English is taught as a foreign language in Ecuador and students are exposed to the language only during school hours, the role of English teachers in teaching and learning is the most important factor in the acquisition of the language.

The Ministry of Education initiative to make sure that English teachers reach a B2 CEFR/87 TOEFL level of English language proficiency and the scholarships offered by SENESCYT to English teachers have been seen as a big contribution to the improvement of the quality of English education in the public sector. But, these initiatives are still not enough to make the desired change in the country. The following question must be asked:

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According to Staehr & Kuhlman (2010), the mastery of the English language is a professional standard that English teachers must meet. Teachers must have knowledge of English that goes beyond understanding the language as a system of rules. They must be aware and understand the separate components of the language such as phonology, morphology, semantics and pragmatics, how language changes and how languages are similar or different.

Ecuadorian English teachers reaching a B2 language proficiency level in the CEFR “can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain or either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and independent disadvantages of various options” (CEFR, 2014, p.24). With this being said, the quality of English teaching would remain low because, as presented above, the language skills that English teachers will have if they reach a B2 level of language proficiency in the CEFR are considered those of an independent user of the language. The only difference between the B1and B2 levels in the CERF is that the B1 is an intermediate level and the B2 an upper intermediate. See Table1 on page 4.

In 2012, for the first time in Ecuadorian history, 4,089 English teachers were evaluated on their English language proficiency, out of which 37.27% scored in the A1 level, 47.79% scored in the A2 level, 10.74% scored in the B1 level, 38 teachers (0.93%) scored in the B2 level and 134 (3.27%) did not show up to the exam (Rosero, 2014). These numbers are shocking and show the reality of English education in the public sector. Some progress aiming to change the data presented above has already been seen; by 2013, SENESCYT awarded the “Go Teacher” scholarship to 1,222 English teachers and those teachers who did not meet the language requirement have been offered language courses to help them reach the established score.

The Ministry of Education has gotten on the right track regarding the need to guarantee that English teachers speak the language but has not gone far enough to make sure that their level of language proficient is the appropriate level to teach. Also, nothing has been done in order to make sure that they have had the necessary education as foreign/second language teachers. The following three questions can be asked when thinking about the relationship between the B2 language requirement for teachers and the first overall objective of the National English Curriculum.

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Recommendations

The efforts made by the government to improve Ecuador’s global competitiveness by strengthening and opening opportunities for the development of Ecuadorians studying abroad have been remarkable. But more needs to be done in order to improve the quality of English Education in the public sector to make sure that every Ecuadorian has the same opportunity not only to access scholarships to study abroad but also to succeed in this globalized world. The following recommendations must be considered in order to make sure that high school graduates reach a high level of English language proficiency by receiving quality English instruction.

The Ministry of Education must:

Ø Re-‐design the curriculum so that English instruction begins at 1st grade and an all-‐content class in English is taught in 12th grade. This new distribution of the different levels of English language proficiency in the Ecuadorian educational system can guarantee that high school graduates reach a true B2 level upon graduation. See Table 7. Earlier acquisition improves the opportunities to achieve more native like proficiency. Also, exposing students to an all class in English will teach them how to navigate content in a foreign language.

Ø Increase the English language requirement for secondary school English teachers (9th-‐12th) to a C1 level. This will help to have better qualified teachers in the secondary level to assure that students will reach a B2 level upon graduation. Also, the prestige that secondary teachers will gain will encourage primary teachers to improve their English skills so they teach higher levels. This distinction will allow the Ministry of Education to work with secondary level teachers in a short term and with the primary teachers in long term so all will reach a C1 level.

Ø Create an entity that is in charge of offering periodic teacher trainings in approaches to Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This will help to make sure that those teachers who don’t have the opportunity to study abroad will receive training on how teach English as a foreign language and how to create a supported class environment. There is a need for sustainable professional development for teachers at all levels depending upon their teaching experience to make sure that English teachers not only speak the language well but also know how to teach it.

Level Group

Level group name

Level School Grade

A

Basic User

A1 (beginner)

1tst – 2nd grade (2do – 3ro EGB) 3rd – 4th grade (4to – 5to EGB)

A2 (elementary)

5th -‐ 6th grade (6to – 7mo EGB) 7th -‐ 8th grade (8vo-‐ 9voEGB)

B

Independent User

B1 (intermediate)

9th (10mo EGB) 10th grade (1do BACH)

B2 (upper intermediate)

11th grade (2ro BACH) All-‐content class in English (3ro BACH)

C

Proficient User C1 (advance)

English teachers

C2 (proficiency)

English teachers

Table 7. Proposed distribution of the CEFR levels in the Ecuadorian Educational System

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Cambridge Dictionary Online. (2014). English as a foreign Language. Retrieve from http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/american-‐english/english-‐as-‐a-‐foreign-‐language Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR) (2014) Retrieve from

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/source/framework_en.pdf Custer, Sara. (2013, August 1). Ecuador: Scholarships if you return home. Retrieve from

http://thepienews.com/news/ecuador-‐scholarships-‐if-‐you-‐return-‐home/ Educational Testing Service (ETS). (2014). https://www.ets.org Education First. (2013). EF Proficiency English Index. Retrieve on March 27,2014, from

http://www.ef.edu/__/~/media/efcom/epi/2014/full-‐reports/ef-‐epi-‐2013-‐report-‐master-‐new.pdf El Comercio. (2014, March 23). Los alumnos de Segundo a séptimo de básica ya no recibirán ingles. Retrieve from

http://www.elcomercio.com/sociedad/Ecuador-‐educacion-‐basica-‐ingles-‐malla-‐curricula-‐ ministerio_0_1106889399.html

Ministry of Education, Ecuador. (2012). National English Curriculum Guidelines; English as a Foreign Language. Quito.

Retrieve from http://educacion.gob.ec/wpcontent/uploads/downloads/2013/09/Curriculum_Guidelines_EFL_100913.pdf

Ministerio de Educación, Ecuador (2014). Fortalecimiento del Ingles. Retrieve from http://educacion.gob.ec/fortalecimiento-‐del-‐ingles/

National Institution of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT). (2014). Programas de Becas.

Retrieve from http://programasbecas.educacionsuperior.gob.ec Pike, Corina. (2013, April 8). Five reasons why you should learn English. Retrieve from http://www.bridgeenglish.com/5-‐reasons-‐why-‐you-‐should-‐learn-‐english/

Rosero, Mariela (2014, March 26). El deficit de profesores de ingles es un problema que viene desde 1950. El Comercio. Retrieve from http://www.elcomercio.com/sociedad/malla_curricular-‐ingles-‐ Ministerio_de_Educacioneducacionensenanza _0_1108689171.html

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). (2014). http://sat.collegeboard.org/home

Staehr & Kuhlman. 2010. Preparing Teachers of English Language Learners: Practical Applications of the Pre K–12 TESOL Professional Standards,Chapter 6: Language. Retrieve from http://www.tesol.org/docs/books/bk_preparingeffectiveteachers_738

Bibliography

English Education in the Ecuadorian Public Sector: Gaps and Recommendations

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