The English It has become the universal language and is also the most widely spoken language in the world. For this reason thousands of people decide to study it as second language since having a good knowledge and understanding of English will only bring you advantages both personally and professionally.
However, it is usual for many people to start English courses and drop out in the attempt, either because they do not feel that they are learning, due to lack of time or simply because it was not in their interest.
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Seeking to know the preferences of Colombians when learning English, American School Way, the language school with the largest presence in the country, conducted a survey of 10,000 students that revealed that 85% of them prefer to learn English in person over virtuality and the hybrid model.
Likewise, the survey carried out with students in Bogotá, Soacha, Medellín, Cali, Villavicencio, Manizales, Armenia, Pereira and Mosquera, showed that the level of English in these people worsened during the pandemic by 60%.
“When we returned to face-to-face classes, we noticed that the English level of our students dropped from 387 to 232.2 points, despite the fact that during this period many of them continued to learn virtually, so we implemented different actions such as English marathons and conversation clubs that are still in force today to return to and exceed pre-pandemic levels,” says Claudia Martínez, Director of Student Quality at the school.
The level of English proficiency in Colombia is low, according to the most recent study by EF Education First, and for the experts at American School Way, one of the key actions to improve it is to learn the language in person.
Although many bet on learning virtually for the comforts of time, mobility and time flexibilityattendance would serve so that fewer people drop out of their studies halfway through.
On the other hand, within the reasons why the students affirmed to discard the virtuality are: the distractions in the places where they take the classes (54%), the lack of interaction between peers and teachers (23%), connectivity problems (15%), and other factors in 8%.
“In the survey, the students highlighted interaction among peers and with teachers, feedback, and guided and personalized teaching processes among the main reasons for preferring face-to-face learning; as well as the immersion and relationship with the language that occurs to a greater degree in face-to-face study compared to virtuality”, argues Martínez.
Benefits of attendance
The school’s experts listed some of the advantages of studying English in person:
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- Pronunciation: The pronunciation of the vowels and consonants of a language, that is, the phonetics, is learned more easily since the presence allows identifying gestures that accompany it to pronounce it correctly.
- Participation and exchange of experiences: This happens more quickly in person and with the teacher’s guidance, the motivation of the students is considerably increased.
- Networking and physical closeness: The human being needs to socialize by nature and face-to-face presence allows this to happen more easily, which also contributes to networking or the creation of professional contacts.
- Commitment: For some people it is important to attend classes in person to generate a greater degree of commitment to their learning.
