This document contains a thesis proposal for a study on considering the Cosmovision of indigenous Cabécar students in the process of teaching and learning English as a third language. The proposal includes an introduction providing background on bilingual education in Costa Rica. It then presents the problem statement, general and specific objectives, variables, population and sample. It also includes proposed teaching strategies such as contextualizing the classroom environment and developing an English-Cabécar dictionary to help integrate the students' culture into English lessons.

1. UNIVERSIDAD MAGISTER
FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÒN
CARRERA DE LICENCIATURA EN LA ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÈS
TESIS DE GRADUACIÓN PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE LICENCIATURA EN
ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÈS
“A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY ON THE COSMOVISION OF THE CABÉCAR INDIGENOUS
7TH GRADERS IN THE PROCCES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AS A
THIRD LANGUAGE AT LICEO RURAL ROCA QUEMADA, 2019”
IVANNIA JIMÈNEZ RIVERA
ENERO, 2019

2. INTRODUCTION

3. BACKGROUND OF THE
PROBLEM
 Costa Rica is a country with many indigenous territories and it
is necessary all of them have access to education, but an
education based on their own customs and traditions, in other
words, an education based on their own Cosmovision.
 Learning English as a Foreign Language in Costa Rica will
allow students to develop communicative competence, to gain
knowledge of a new culture, new beliefs and attitudes as well
as to develop their full potential in order to become productive
members of Costa Rican society.

4. JUSTIFICATION
In Costa Rica the levels and quality of education differ from one
place to another. This variation is attributed to the geographical
and technological access one zone can have in comparison to
another.
Human rights stablish that everybody has the right to receive
education. Indeed there are some laws related to indigenous
population, such as the Convention 169 Indigenous and Tribal
People which states that all indigenous groups have the right to
receive education with the same level and quality in comparison
with the rest of the country.

5. PROBLEM STATEMENT
How can the Cosmovision of the Cabécar indigenous
7th graders be considered in the process of teaching
and learning English as a third language at Liceo Roca
Quemada, 2019?

6. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To analyze the Cosmovision of the Cabécar
Indigenous 7th graders in the process of teaching and
learning English as a third language for helping
students to improve their knowledge at Liceo Roca
Quemada, 2019.

7. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 To identify the main elements in the Cabécar
Cosmovision with the purpose of contextualize the
English class.
 To determine different factors when learning another
language for helping Cabécar 7th graders with the
learning of English as a third language.
 To identify factors that interfere in the English teaching
and learning process to 7th graders with the purpose of
suggesting actions to face them.

8. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 To stablish the most important aspects of formal
education with the purpose of combine them with the
Indigenous Cabécar Cosmovision of 7th graders.
 To propose strategies considering the indigenous
Cabécar Cosmovision in the English teaching and
learning process.

9. VARIABLES
 Main elements in the Cabécar Cosmovision.
 Different factors when Learning another language.
 Factors that interfere in the English teaching and
learning process.
 Main elements of formal education

10. INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION
 Liceo Rural Roca Quemada

11. INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION
Liceo Rural Roca Quemada is an indigenous territory
and belong to Circuito 06 of the Dirección Regional
de Educación de Turrialba and Jiménez, it is located at
the indigenous community Tsinikläri, Chirripó, and it
was founded in the year 2005. Nowdays it has 129
students and there are 5 levels from seventh to
eleventh.

12. HISTORICAL REVIEW
 Vision: educate citizens proud of their roots and been able to
face the demands of today`s world, promoting a development
for themselves and for their communities.
 Mission: to provide to Cabécar community the necessary
tools for an integral development that promote the cultural
rescue and the incorporation as a dynamic and competitive
society in different areas of human development in order to an
academic, spiritual and cultural growth.
 Population: 120 people (10 Cabécar families)
 Geographic location: Tsiniklarï, Chirripó.

13. SWOT ANALYSIS OF LICEO
RURAL ROCA QUEMADA
STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES
All the student population is Cabécar.
All the students speak Cabécar.
The management board is
collaborative.
All the staff is very collaborative and
work very hard.
Students want to learn.
More than 90% students have a
scholarship.
Students walk long distances to go to
high school.
There are not access to electricity.
There are not internet access nor
telephone signal.
The students and professors dorms are
in poor conditions.
Some of the students are parents and
they have to work

14. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 Education: According to Centeno (2010:125) it is the teaching
learning process in which not only the students but also the
teachers interchange values, knowledge, beliefs, experiences
and rules for living together.
 Teaching English: English has become the language of
international and intercultural communication and trade among
countries. The costa rican educational system is committed to
achieving this goal of having bilingual citizens in two or more
languages by means a comprehensive, articulated curriculum
from kindergarten through high school.

15. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Education in Indigenous areas:
 The Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention ( 1989:10), an
international treaty exclusively for these peoples, states in the
article 26 that “measures shall be taken to ensure that
members of the peoples concerned have the opportunity to
acquire education at all levels on at least an equal footing with
the rest of the national community”
 English teaching is an indispensable tool for any social group,
which opens new opportunities and empowers us to face a
globalized world. Teaching English language to indigenous
students is a great challenge for teachers. They should be
taught trying to preserve their roots, their culture and their
mother tongue.

16. RESEARCH
“Research is a set of systematic, critical and empirical
processes that apply to study in a phenomenon”.
Hérnandez, Fernández and Baptista (2010:10)

17. TYPE OF RESEARCH
 Descriptive research: according to Barrantes (2008:131)
the purpose of the descriptive investigation is to describe
situations and events.
 Exploratory research: according to Hernández sampieri
(2014:131) an exploratory investigation is applied when
the objective is to examine an issue or a problem of
investigation partially studied and that it has not been
boarded.

18. APROACHES OF RESEARCH
 QUANTITATIVE:According to Minchiello (1990:5), qualitative
research is the data analyzed through numerical comparisons
and statistical inferences, reported through the analysis of the
informants.
 QUALITATIVE: According to Minchiello (1990:5), quantitative
research is the data collected through participant´s
observation and interviews, collecting descriptions from the
informants
 MIXED: Mixed methods research is a methodology for
conducting research that involves collecting, analysing and
integrating quantitative and qualitative research.

19. SUBJECTS AND SOURCES
OF INFORMATION
 SUBJECTS: The subjects of information are the people
as study objects that can contribute with valuable
information to achieve the goals of the investigation.
 SOURCES OF INFORMATION: There are many other
sources of information divided into primary (original
material) and secondary sources(compilation).

20. POPULATION AND SAMPLE
 Population: 27 students from 7th grade in Liceo
Rural Roca Quemada.
 Sample: 15 students from 7th grade in Liceo
Rural Roca Quemada

21. ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATION
 Students do not use a variety of own strategies to
learn English and practicing the language.
 The class is limited by repeating what the teacher
says, but the students do not interact by
themselves.

22. ANALYSIS OF THE OBSERVATION
 Students use Spanish and some others use Cabécar
language during class time.
 Teacher forces them to repeat or answer in English.
 Cabécar elements take part of the classroom
environment.

23. ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEW TO THE
TEACHER
 Teacher said the main element of cabécar culture
they try to use is contextualization. Teacher try to
contextualize the class, some time they use the
cabécar ranch to give classes.
 English is difficult because students never have
had contact with English, students did not have
English class at school, so high school is the first
contact with this language.

24. ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEW
TO THE TEACHER
 One of the main factors that interfiere in the
educational process is the absenteeism. Many
students do not go to classes every day because
they have to work and help their parents,also
because of some cultural custumes.
 Students are producing orally the foreign
language in the classroom depending on the
topic.

25. STUDENTS WHO SPEAKS CABÉCAR
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Sí No N/R
100 %

26. STUDENTS WHO WANT THEIR PARENTS
TEACH THEM ABOUT CABÉCAR CULTURE
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Sí No N/R
100 %

27. STUDENTS WHO WANT TO LEARN ABOUT
CABÉCAR CULTURE
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Sí No N/R
100 %

28. STUDENTS WHO WANT CABÈCAR
CULTURE AT ENGLISH CLASSES
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Sí No N/R
100 %

29. TRADITION MUST BE USED AT ENGLISH CLASSES
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Historias Lengua Tradiciones
53%
34%
13%

30. STUDENTS WHO LIKES ENGLISH CLASS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Sí No N/R
67%
33%

31. STUDENTS WHO CONSIDER LEARNING
ENGLISH IS DIFFICULT
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Sí No N/R
80%
20%

32. PERSON THAT HELPS STUDENTS TO
STUDY
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Parents Siblings Classmates Other (teacher)
60%
27%
13%

33. STUDENTS WHO CONSIDER LEARNING
ENGLISH IS IMPORTANT
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Sí No N/R
27%
67%
6%

34. WAYS THAT STUDENTS LIKE TO LEARN
ENGLISH
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
De forma escrita De forma oral Jugando Otro
100%

35. PLACES WHERE STUDENTS WOULD
LIKE TO RECEIVE ENGLISH CLASSES
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Classroom Cabécar ranch Outdoor Other
7%
60%
33%

36. STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Low Good Very good Excelent
7%
27%
46%
20%

37. THE MOST DIFFICULT AREA OF
LEARNING ENGLISH
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Speaking Reading Writing Listening
54%
46%

38. STUDENTS WHO COME EVERYDAY TO
CLASSES
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Yes No N/R
67%
33%

39. REASONS WHY STUDENTS DO NOT GO
TO CLASS EVERYDAY
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Sickness Work Cultural Custums Other
20%
47%
33%

40. CONCLUSIONS
 All students speak Cabécar as a mother tongue.
Students learn English as a third language. In the case of
7th graders, the pronunciation, the vocabulary and the
grammatical structure of Spanish language interfere in
the process of English acquisition. Most students have
problems and make mistakes because of the influence of
the Spanish language upon English.
 When learning English as a third language, there are
some factors that must be taken into account for
developing successful teaching and learning process. In
the case of indigenous students, the main factor is
related to contextualization,in other words the contents
have to be adapted to the student real life.

41. CONCLUSIONS
 The target language is affected by the impact of previous languages.
In the case of 7th graders, the language that affects the most is
Spanish. This impact of the Spanish language affects different
language skills such as the one previously mentioned (word
structure, pronunciation, among other).
 In order to allow students at Liceo Rural Roca Quemada to learn
English, it is necessary that their own culture and language be well
used as part of the English class.

42. RECOMMENDATIONS
 Taking into account the cultural differences from
Cabécar indigenous students, cultural aspects such
as history, cultural background, traditions and
customs must be included when teaching and
learning English.
 For teaching English at Liceo Rural Roca Quemada,
methods such as translation using Cabécar and
cooperative learning are good for improving the
development of the students.

43. RECOMMENDATIONS
 If problems related to structure, pronunciation and
vocabulary acquisition are detected; the recommendation
for the teacher is to implement strategies for improving
the proficiency and level of the students.
 Ministry of Public Education must develop specific
programs to different areas, in this case more
contextualize and focus on Indigenous Cabécar real life.
In this way, students could learn what they really need,
the specific language. They could have more
opportunities to improve in a specific area.

44. COST OF THE STUDY
VARIABLE QUANTITY UNIT COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST
(DOLLAR)
Paper 3 2.900 8.700 15
Professional hours 125 13.602 1.700.250 2.886
Print 20 2.000 40.000 65
Bus 40 1.500 60.000 98
Breakfast 20 2.000 40.000 65
Lunch 20 2.500 50.000 82
Total 103 33.602 1.898.950 3.225
Source: Jiménez, Ivannia (2018)
Exchange Rate at Sell 544, purchase 589 (October 2nd, 2018)
Professional hours provided by Colypro, posted at c 13.602.60 (October 2nd, 2018)

45. PROPOSAL OF ENGLISH TEACHING
STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING
CABÈCAR CULTURE IN THE
ENGLISH CLASSES

46. JUSTIFICATION
In Liceo Rural Roca Quemada all the population is
from indigenous communities, they speak Cabécar as
their mother tongue, they have their own custums and
traditions. Moreover they come from schools whithout
English clases. So, when they got to highschool they
face a difficult situation because they never have had
contact with English Language.

47. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To design different cultural strategies that English
teachers can use for contextualize the English classes.

48. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
 Contextualize the room in order students feel
confortable and be aware of their own culture.
 To design a whiteboard with Cabécar vocabulary of
the day for the involved of the students.
 To develop a small English-Cabécar dictionary that
teachers can use in the English class using
Cabécar Cosmovisión.

49. CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE
CLASSROOM
 For this purpose, there mus be created the mechanism leading to a
environment for the making and transmission of knowledge, tearing
down rising barries in relation with the factors of tecknology,
community and institutional processe and the attitude.
 For this reason, there could be made trainings of the contextual
analysis and the making of educative strategies, in which there
should be considered at least the following educative factors.

50. CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE
CLASSROOM

51. CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE
CLASSROOM

52. CONTEXTUALIZED DICTIONARY
 The purpose of this small booklet dictionary is to
traslate English words into Cabécar language. It
means that students do not have to use Spanish for
traslation.
 Moreover, teacher can use the traslation method
producing higher comprenhension of the student.

53. CONTEXTUALIZED DICTIONARY
Students of 7th grade at Liceo Rural Roca
Quemada have never received English
classes before, so students do not have a
prior lenguistic knowledge of this language.
That is why basic vocabulary traslated
directly to Cabécar will be a helpfull tool for
them and also the teacher.

54. CONTEXTUALIZED DICTIONARY
Parts of the body Sa wala kie
Head Tsaku
Hair Tsakuka
Eyes Wabla
Nose Yik
Mouth Ka jar
Ears Kuka
Arm Jula tawa
Hand Jula
Leg Pja
Foot Kala
Stomach Ñabali
Button Ñak bata

55. CABÉCAR WHITEBOARD
 The purpose of the Cabécar whiteboard is the use of
Cabécar and English during the English classes and the
idea is not use Spanish.
 Some students used to traslate English words into
Spanish and then into Cabécar. That is why the idea of
using a whiteboard to write the most important
vocabulary during the class will be usefull for students.
 It is a way to get the whole class involved because most
of the time students are who traslate and write the words

56. CABÉCAR WHITEBOARD

57. COST OF THE PROPOSAL
CONCEPT QUANTITY UNIT COST TOTAL COST
(COLONES )
TOTAL COST
(DOLLARS)
Dictionary 30 1.500 4.500 10
Classroom
contextualization
10 5.000 50.000 82
Profesional hours 10 13.602 136.020 229
Total 50 20.102 190.520 320

58. SWOT OF THE PROPOSAL
STRENGTHS
 Students motivation.
 Not use of spanish.
 Teacher participation.
 Low cost.
WEAKNESS
 Time
 The lack of domain of Cabécar language by the teacher.
 Educative policies of the MEP.

59. SWOT OF THE PROPOSAL
OPPORTUNITIES
 Staff support
 Teachers support
THREATS
 Geographic barriers
 Social conditions of the territory

60. IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSAL
 Administrative impacts: The implematation of the proposal
will allow to improve the use of the administrative and
operational resources of the Liceo Rural Roca Quemada,
optimizing the achievement of educative goals.
 Economical impacts: It will be savings generated from the
optimizing of resources. This will allow the attention to other
educative necessities of the institution.
 Social impact: The implematation of the proposal will allow
the improvement of the life quaility of the students, families
and the community in an integral way, increasing the school
performance.

61. IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSAL
 Political impact: There will be an improvement in terms of the
institution, the indigenous education local boards (CLEI) and the
Public Minister of Education, improving the image of the educative
institutions.
 Community impact: This proposal will include people from the
communities, so it is a way the community get involved in the
process. Moreover it will help to keep their own custums and
traditions, students can share them in the classes and ask for their
parents and relatives different information that can be used in the
classes.

62. OTHER INVESTIGATIONS DERIVATIVE
FROM THIS STUDY
 To develop a program of scholarships as an
incentive to increase the academical performance
and parents integration.
 Analysis of the impact at the indigenous territory, the
educative policies held on the Decree to the Reform
of the indigenous Education Subsystem Nº 37801-
MEP.

63. THANKS