This systematic literature review examines the panorama of interculturality in rural contexts of bilingual education in Latin America. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in Latin America and identify key themes, challenges, and gaps in the field. The review highlights the importance of recognizing and…

Even though the majority of Colombian professors are also involved in research, they have limitations in their English language skills that separate them from the rest of the scientific society. Evidently, these limitations have become an obstacle in the awareness of professors' modest, but no less important, research work. In order to carry out…

This article reviews the background of the foreign language bilingualism in Colombia, as well as the Colombian bilingualism plans and the policy launched between 2004 and 2016. Then, these plans and policy are analyzed taking into account the most common criticisms from the academic community. In this sense, aspects such as the lack of continuity,…

In the past two years, several Latin American nations have begun celebrating their bicentennials of independence, turning attention to questions of national identity and the legacy of independence in the twenty-first century. This reflection is sure to continue into the coming decade. This article offers a few practical suggestions for bringing…

This qualitative study aims to explore the loss and maintenance of Spanish in Latin American children in Vancouver from the perspective of parents. It focuses on the experiences of children either developing bilingually (Spanish-English) or monolingually (English). The participating families were from Colombia, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and had…

There are a variety of methods to impart the cultural setting of a foreign language. The teacher can use, among other things, cultural assimilators, films, mini-dramas, culture capsules, background lectures, and native-speaking class visitors. This last technique can be extremely effective but difficult to arrange and difficult to control once it…

This is the first unit in a series of instructional materials arising from an exploratory study of cultural barriers to communication between North Americans and Colombians. A syllogistic model, in which our unspoken and unconscious assumptions comprise the major premise, is used to explain the difficulties of intercultural communication. These…

The materials presented here describe the Latin American naming system, explain how it differs from the North American system, and indicate how contrasting features of the two systems can be a barrier to communication between the two peoples. Major concepts considered are (1) the American full name versus the "nombre completo," (2) the…

This study, based on interviews with North American students and Peace Corps trainees in Bogota, and their host families, professors, and other Colombians in contact with the students, attempts to define the non-linguistic barriers to cross-cultural communication between North Americans and Colombians. The purpose of the study is to gather data…