Which doors can English open? Exploring the opportunities of economically vulnerable Colombian higher education graduates

ABSTRACT

Many higher education (HE) systems in the Global South have prioritised English language education (ELE), including in Colombia where English has become the dominant foreign language of HE. However, little is known about its effects on the lives of HE students from low-income backgrounds. Addressing this knowledge gap is critical to ensure that ELE in Colombian HE is relevant. The current study used the capability approach (CA) to identify the substantive freedoms which English can enlarge or constrain in the lives of economically vulnerable graduates in Colombia, and to identify factors which are instrumental in this process. The findings from this qualitative study show that English in Colombia can cultivate economic, sociocultural and epistemic capabilities. However, they also show how this capability expansion is also shaped by a range of conversion factors and individual agency.

KEYWORDS:

• Capability approach
• higher education
• opportunity
• English language education
• Colombia
• development
• agency

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 English Opens Doors

2 National English Programme

3 English, Doors to the World

4 All amounts in the article are in US dollars

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lee Mackenzie

Lee Mackenzie holds a PhD in Education and Social Justice. He has worked as a teacher trainer, lecturer and English language teacher across four continents and speaks Spanish, English, and German. He has published articles on native-speakerism, teacher reflection, the capability approach, linguistic imperialism, peer tutoring, and the relationship between English and human development. He currently works as a lecturer in the School of Education at Liverpool Hope University in the UK.