Learning to appreciate English: An action-research. Reflections on language valorization, self-efficacy, and metalinguistic awareness of basic ESL students at the University of Puerto Rico

This qualitative action-research explored the ESL acquisition experiences of sixteen students enrolled in Basic English 3101 and 3102 which in turn provided feedback to improve the course curriculum. The participants belonged to the Educational Services Program at a University of Puerto Rico campus. In the quest to understand the nature of ESL learning, the methodology included a research plan in three phases labeled: Before (Autobiography) During (Group Reflection), and After (Learning Log). In all phases, notes were taken in an observation journal. Participants' comments were triangulated and categorized using the N'Vivo data analysis program.;The findings of this research revealed that participatory interaction provided opportunities for the construction of language valorization, metalinguistic awareness and performance accomplishment beliefs. L2 learning occurred in contexts other than the formal-educational setting of school. It also occurred at home, suggesting a bidirectional influence between learning at home and learning at school.;In addition, the discourse of English language valorization in Puerto Rico surfaced the integrative and instrumental value of English. Along with awareness of L2 proficiency, students' need of English to understand ESL tasks was also an awareness aspect in this study. The findings also revealed that participatory interaction bridged the gap between the sources of fear of speaking English to achieving L2 performance. The processes of language valorization and the construction of metalinguistic awareness served as the scaffold that moved students to L2 learning.;Furthermore, the interaction of processes generated an L2 learning model, illustrating that participatory interaction is the root and the result of L2 learning. This model reveals that the greater the interaction between the processes of language valorization, the construction of metalinguistic awareness and L2 beliefs the more transformed their ongoing participation. The development of these processes also defined the human development aspect of L2 learning, which moved students to learn to appreciate the English language. Moreover, the findings of this research also provided information on action-research and the pedagogical practice of reflections to discover the nature of ESL acquisition for students in Puerto Rico.