English Language Teaching Methods for the Idiomatic Preparation Required by the University of the XXI Century

Abstract

The idiomatic preparation in English is an imperative of the University of the XXI Century. With the purpose of analysing the teaching methods that are used for the General English teaching-learning process of first level students in the PUCE Esmeraldas Campus, a quantitative-qualitative investigation was carried out with the analytical-synthetical, hermeneutic-dialectic, and statistical methods, the techniques of observation and survey, applied to a population of 110 students and 4 General-English teachers from the first level of the different careers at the mentioned institution. The results revealed that the methods more frequently used were the Task-Based Approach to Language Teaching (TBLT), the Direct Method, the Grammar-Translation Method, the Audio-Lingual Method, the Total-Physical Response, Community Language Learning, and the Communicative Approach to Language Teaching, with the Ludic Methodology in some occasions. The teachers prepared dynamic activities to activate learning, so the students kept involved in this process. The students indicated that they do prefer to learn with the use of songs, videos and drama in communicative activities. These results permitted to conclude that in the didactics of General English, a methodological eclecticism, which permits to develop the English language in students from different specialities and interests, is used.