Voices of IB learners: social justice education in the EFL classroom – opening doors to a more communicative approach

Abstract

This research article describes a qualitative study conducted with 14 high school seniors currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program at a private educational institution in Cuenca, Ecuador. This article aims to explore the impact of social justice issue-based education on the development of oral communication in the English as a foreign language classroom. As part of the process, it was essential to analyze the participants’ perceptions and experiences as integral components of language learning. The data obtained was collected in two phases. First, a questionnaire composed of six questions was applied to explore the students’ perceptions of the issue in question. In the second phase, a discussion was held with the intervention of a focus group including five students, which allowed them to openly share their points of view on the subject of this exploration. In this way, it was evident that the topics related to social justice had a positive impact on the development of the student’s oral communication and that they constituted a useful learning approach for students to increase their knowledge of English. The results achieved through the present study aim to improve English-language teaching at different levels, and consequently strengthen oral communication development in class.