English language learning and education policy in Chile: can English really open doors for all?

Abstract

To date, knowledge of English in Latin America has reflected existing political and economic power structures. It has remained the preserve of the elite with access to private schooling, and as such it demarcates and divides social groups by reinforcing an unequal distribution of wealth, resources, and knowledge. However, the number of people learning English as a foreign language is growing across the region. This article analyses the “English Opens Doors Programme” in Chile, which aims to improve national economic competitiveness and promote equitable access to English language learning in all publicly funded schools. The article examines this initiative within the context of Chilean education policy since 1990, thereby acknowledging the influence of different stakeholders in this process, and the tensions between education for economic growth and education for social justice in a highly segmented and marketised system.

Keywords:

• education policy
• global economy
• equity
• English language learning

Acknowledgements

My thanks go to Sue Wright and John Naysmith of the University of Portsmouth, to Amos Paran of the Institute of Education, University of London, and to the anonymous referees for their invaluable comments on earlier drafts of this article. The responsibility for any errors in the text is mine alone.

Notes

1. Braj Kachru represented the global community of English speakers as three circles. Native speakers are in the inner circle, speakers of English as a second language in countries such as India form the outer circle, and people learning English as a foreign language are in the expanding circle.

2. The more nationalist, populist left is represented by presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. The latter recently demonstrated his antipathy towards US influence in the region with calls of “Gringo go home” at a rally in Buenos Aires in March 2007 (Carroll, 2007).

3. Presidential Measure 26 made provision for trainee teachers specialising in English language to spend a semester abroad studying in an English speaking country. Presidential Measure 27 facilitates native speakers of English volunteering as language assistants in Chilean schools.

4. Proponents of human capital theory view education as an upfront investment by individuals and society, based on a trade-off between a low level of education and earnings today, versus more education and earnings tomorrow.

5. The calculations are based on exchange rates for November 2005.

6. The evaluation covered comprehension of English (60 questions on a scale of 0–60 points), which was sub-divided into comprehension of written English (40 questions on a scale of 0–40 points) and comprehension of spoken English (20 questions on a scale of 0–20 points). The same test was applied to all students.

7. The existing process of teacher evaluation has received mixed responses from educators, with a significant number refusing to take part and consequently risking dismissal without compensation (Ministerio de Educación, 2006).

8. For example, further research into different types of learners might expect to find a mix of instrumental and integrative motivation among individuals who plan to undertake extended periods of postgraduate study in an anglophone country.

9. The Chilean government, foreign embassies, higher education institutions, schools and colleges and cultural organisations from Chile, the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia participated in the event, which attracted 9000 visitors over several days.