LIVED EXPERIENCES OF LEARNING AND PRACTICING ENGLISH: A CASE STUDY COSTA RICA

Abstract

In the community in La Virgen de Sarapiquí, community outreach projects have been carried out from 2018 to 2024. The projects had the purpose of providing the participants with professional skills for the potential tourist visitation in the area due to the opening of El Ceibo of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. In the last three years, English courses have been taught in the community with the aim of promoting linguistic competences in their tourism ventures. This qualitative research evidences the lived experiences and perceptions of two participants in the process of learning and Practicing English in socio-productive activities, developed under this community outreach framework. For this descriptive case study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, collages, and reflective narratives. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and using NVivo as software for data coding. The results obtained include the context of the participants before taking the English courses, the perceptions of these people about the English courses, the experiences lived in the implementation of the language and job projections in relation to English. It was concluded that the learning of English was effective and its use in the socio-productive activities of the participants. Also, extension projects are key in the development of rural communities along with the implementation of project management principles such as quality, complexity, adaptability, and resilience; In addition, rigorous qualitative research allows a systematization with perspectives from the experiences and perceptions of the participants.