Introduction

English learning process is an activity that is characterized by having a series of tasks carried out by learners who consistently seek to develop communicative competences (Wehlan & Reinke, 2023). Possibly, the previous definition —somewhat basic in fact— represents a dynamic that human beings carry out intermittently throughout their existence; however, as Jung & Kim (2025) state, learning itself is an issue that goes beyond a simple labor predisposition performed by a group of individuals.

The purpose of this text is the characterization —through an exhaustive and rigorous documentary review— of the elements that surround the actions of English learning and society behavioral influences. Subsequently, the problem approach in this study is given from the lack of epistemological accuracy, and therefore procedural, in the teachers who belong to the Faculty of Education from San Buenaventura’s University, specifically about the matter of English learning process. These educators are trying to find optimistic ways of teaching for their students to have more possibilities in developing communicative skills, since these ones are abilities that let conveying information to people in an efficient and effective way (Yüceer et al., 2022). On the other hand, in accordance with Oceguera (2022), English learning process is a current phenomenon that must be carried out in order to achieve a communicative competence. However, English teachers must deal with a set of characteristics according to specific social educational settings, with the intentions of generating positive implications to learners as well as to the society (El-Sabagh, 2021). Therefore, in words of Kusurkar et al. (2023), it is imperative that strategies and actions in the classroom are properly designed and developed.

In words of Privette (2023), the process of learning English is related to the kind of competences students increase regarding knowledge about countries that use this language to communicate as a first language. Hence, developing language skills not only depends on the set of elements teachers implement in their classes, but also on how these tools work efficiently (Blasi et al., 2022). For instance, if all didactics strategies are not focused on real communication facts, the percentage of language learning success will probably have a low rank (Ayeni et al., 2024). English learning process means to know even more than grammar, syntax or punctuation; having a cosmopolitan awareness is fundamental to recognize how and why pragmatic speech is performed (Liu et al., 2023). Consequently, teachers must offer students a sort of scenarios for them to live an analog learning-system experience.

Additionally, this article has reinforced a research named The importance of an appropriate English learning process and its influence in society, developed by The Language Laboratory of San Buenaventura’s University, Medellín campus. Likewise, this bibliographic paper seeks to expose the proper way to carry out teaching and learning processes of English and their influence in society, through the encompassing of certain concepts such as ‘learning process’, ‘English’ and ‘language skills’; equally, it was added two complementary concepts (‘education’ and ‘teaching’), which supported the searching procedure in the databases, then making it even more effective by incorporating the previous words in the title, abstract and keywords section.

Methodology

According to the concepts in the previous descriptors, a series of questions were established as a foundation to accomplish these literary reviews; likewise, the construction and selection of these were the product of the conceptual (what-which) and procedural (how) meaning, both of first and second level with the purpose of analyzing the group processes from connotative and denotative detail of each concept. Subsequently, throughout the text it will be perceived how these questions are answered based on what was found in the review process.

During the process of searching the information needed to develop this bibliographic paper, there was established a certain criteria in order to choose the proper sources (Brualdi, 1996). All these articles were found in indexed journals from databases such as: SCImago Journal, Scopus, Scielo, SAGE Journals, Science Direct (Journals) and Ebsco; similarly, they were chosen because of their meaningful quality and impact. On the other hand, the topics that supported this literary review were discovered in indexed journals of Quartile Q1, Q2 and Q3, that is why it could be considered that these are content high standard, consistency and transparency. Moreover, the most of these articles had the appropriate methodology worked in the educational field (qualitative), insomuch as high quality texts are necessary to perform a complete literature review (Querol & Lerner, 2024). Similarly, the design for tracking the flow of information throughout the systematic review is presented in Figure 1.

In addition, one of the rejection criteria for searching the terms was that articles related to the words ‘e-learning’ or ‘technology’ should not be chosen, due to they delivered results focused more about the integration of technology in learning than the learning process itself. It is important to highlight that the theory selected for the construction of this article was found in Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, The United States, The United Arab Emirates, England, China, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Brazil, Lithuania, South Africa, Germany, Colombia, Chile, Turkey, Kosovo, Argentina, Morocco and Republic of Korea, which showed different perspectives about ‘learning process’, ‘English’ and ‘language skills’ based on the particularities of their social contexts. Additionally, the search strings were:

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (learning process) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (English))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (learning process) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (language skills))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (learning process) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (teaching))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (English) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (education))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY English) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (teaching))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (English) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (language skills))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (language skills) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (education))

• (TITLE-ABS-KEY (language skills) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (teaching))

According to what was previously listed, this article is going to be developed by answering the following questions:

1. Q1: Where does English learning process arise and what is the role of context in it?

2. Q2: How can English learning process be evidenced in real life situations and how is it perceived by society?

3. Q3: What is the need for English language in everyday life and what is the importance of integrating the four language skills in this learning procedure?

4. Q4: Why is the implementation of didactic tools important in the English learning and how can teachers promote motivation to favor this experience?

Results and Discussion

In this section, some authors —in a proper way— determine a set of declarations in relation with studies regarding to English teaching and learning process. These theories are shown through the following questions:

Q1: Where does English learning process arise and what is the role of context in it?

Firstly, it is necessary to emphasize that every learning process has a cognitive outset and the intention itself has a parallel response; as a consequence, the human brain functions similarly when something new is learned. Several studies have indicated that learning makes modifications in the brain connections take place (Isaza & Vallejo, 2022). Different types of reactions in the temporal lobe are found, particularly in the areas of Broca and Wernicke, hence synapse can be perceived as a conclusion of a teaching-learning experience.

Additionally, it can be perceived how learning arises as part of a biological system, which means that it goes hand in hand with human being’s growing. Hence, “learning is not a stimulus-response paradigm but a process that needs one’s self-direction and the formation of knowledge structure through reflection and abstraction” (Jampel et al., 2018, p. 138). According to that, it is important to highlight the role of the teachers as guides in the emergence of learning, because they must make students be aware about the importance of their knowledge acquisition and development, taking into account that “the innate and empirical epistemological conceptions of learning coexisted in the teachers’ social representations” (Vargas & Portilho, 2018, p. 353). According to that, English teachers recognize different learning styles and every student’s feature that intervenes during the learning dynamic. As a result, teachers design strategies in order to achieve a suitable learning development in a foreign language, one of them is the so-called cooperative learning:

This implies that the effectiveness of cooperative learning in English as a foreign language needs to be more thoroughly investigated with learners of different ages, particularly students in elementary schools, by taking a closer look at the procedures of cooperative learning. (Choi & Mantik, 2017, p. 176)

Cooperative learning implies intrinsically scaffolding, since during that cognitive process two or more learners share their knowledge. “For example, it is possible that all reported age-related changes in cognitive flexibility are due to specific skill-learning scaffolded by formal learning experiences. Alternately, it is plausible that specific experiences interact with other developmental processes and informal learning” (Legare et al., 2018, p. 11). Regarding the role of context in learners, it is crucial to relate this with the idea of a neutral accepting environment that sets the tone for learning to begin (Morgan et al., 2022). Consequently, it is imperative to analyze the current social conditions that permeate English learning process. Related to what is mentioned previously, Grigoryan (2018) claims:

This is obvious that the description and understanding of the learning has changed significantly over time and is still in its transformational modern stage, which needs exploration and investigation about the pros and cons of innovative changes in the field of English as a foreign language paperless classroom. (p. 2)

This assumption evidences the way in which the evolution of the world has influenced the perception of how language learning must be carried out. “Nowadays, with the fast-changing technologies, self-directed and lifelong learning has become increasingly important in our society” (Yang & Tsai, 2017, p. 136). Equally, every learning process has to start from the recognition of the current context features due to they are always present in the students’ performance and attitudes. According to Lelis et al. (2018), this situation demonstrates that “practice with high contextual interference demands more from cognitive processes that positively affect learning” (p. 2). As previously established, nowadays English teachers have the challenge to take advantage of external situations and conditions; for instance, they bring social issues to the classroom in order for students to analyze and connect real life with their language learning, so learners can create meaningful moments with a pragmatic sense, which in words of Nazarenko and Kolesnik (2018) “another way to achieve the ongoing learning activity is to promote the conviction regarding the need in ongoing environmental self-education and self-improvement, as well as to raise environmental awareness and improve environmental culture” (p. 74). These authors highlight the importance of fostering a personal commitment to lifelong learning as a key strategy for improving environmental education. Thus, by bearing in mind the internalization of values, such as environmental self-education and self-improvement, the role of individual agency in promoting environmental awareness and culture is imperatively needed. This perspective is linked to contemporary educational paradigms that refer to the development of autonomous and reflective learners capable of adapting to complex ecological challenges. Moreover, this idea is supported by Lai et al., (2022), who establish that learners need to have experiences in versatile learning contexts with appropriate didactic materials for them to explore new forms of learning. For instance, in a primary school in Sweden, students participated in a Green Classroom initiative where they designed recycling projects, demonstrating how hands-on environmental activities foster deeper engagement and responsibility (Vesterinen & Ratinen, 2024).

Although making learners feel comfortable in the classroom —by decorating the space and providing all needed materials to develop class activities— is a current advance in education, it cannot be denied that cultural differences play a remarkable role during learning process. For example, in a comparative study between Japanese and American classrooms, researchers found that Japanese students placed greater emphasis on collective environmental responsibilities, whereas American students focused more on individual actions (Bruin et al., 2023). This highlights how cultural frameworks shape environmental learning approaches.

Although it must be admitted that some elements in the English language have outstanding impacts on students’ cultural identities (Gablasova et al., 2017), incorporating environmental case studies from diverse cultures can help overcome cultural gaps. Hence, when students analyze local and global environmental issues through a cross-cultural lens, they develop a more inclusive and critical understanding of sustainability (Brias et al., 2023).

Q2: How can English learning process be evidenced in real life situations and how is it perceived by society?

The following declaration is a clear evidence of English learning process in real situations that can be perceived through the senses.

The students experienced using English for real world purposes such as doing research in English, discovering colloquial English words and phrases while texting on WhatsApp, making background readings from various materials, writing paragraphs or essays on their topics, compiling information and resources, engaging group discussions, and benefiting from multimedia. (Avci & Adiguzel, 2017, p. 52)

Furthermore, another investigation revealed that international students need proper language skills to communicate inside and outside the classroom for academic activities and casual interactions (Nam et al., 2023). Casual activities provide students a real experience while learning, then adjusting the classroom itself or another scenario to simulate real experiences is an extra bonus for learners as a pedagogical space, the simulation room is a location for learning by doing (Clarke et al., 2023). These findings show the importance for the students to mainly realize about the benefits of learning English, such as language and communicative skills are of vital importance in view of socialization and interpersonal relations throughout the preschool period, during which social communications and interactions occur more often (Yoleri & Adıgüzel, 2025). Thus, Pérez et al. (2023) determine that learning a language and using it is about achieving meanings in context rather than studying about the language as a system. That is why providing meaning in context is a matter of giving students all what they need in order to learn English properly (Martinović & Burić, 2021). Regarding this, the assertion underscores a communicative and contextualized approach to language learning, shifting the focus from abstract grammatical rules to the practical use of language for meaning-making, hence it is also imperative to offer students contextualized learning experiences to support effective English acquisition. Together, these perspectives advocate for pedagogical practices that prioritize authentic communication and situational relevance, fostering deeper engagement and more meaningful language development (Susilawati, 2024).

English is considered a global language that allows communication worldwide (for business, technology, hobbies, education and so on) (Asotska, 2021). This idea is directly supported by Masek et al. (2021), who state that the English language is considered a Lingua Franca because it has a cultural, scientific and economical domain upon other countries. Furthermore, Oceguera (2022) refers to the labor field as he establishes that “while focusing on improving English language skills of workers is an important initiative to improve the human capital of foreign workers, it also has significant limitations” (p. 2). On the other hand, Pérez et al. (2023) point out that in this sense, language education, particularly in English because of its significance as a language of international communication, is seen as empowering and instrumental to development. After analyzing these points of view, it is perceivable that governments and official organizations around the world are so interested in people to learn this language, mainly following economic as well as social interests and, in words of Choi & Mantik (2017), “this implies that proficiency in English is crucial for the welfare of individuals as well as for national development” (p. 175). Moreover, an example of this phenomenon could be appreciated in Colombia, taking into account that in an effort to become more competitive in the global market, Colombia, as many other Latin American countries, has declared English the dominant foreign language to be taught in schools and universities across the country (Bettney, 2023). This situation also evidences the ranking of the government power in the globe, when referring that English language has become in a “tool” that people tend to use only for specific purposes (Molle & Wilfrid, 2021).

Additionally, English is seen as an open door that let people achieve better human conditions. According to Barrionuevo et al. (2021), English is a well-known language that offers connection to other people whose native language is not English itself. This language is the common way to communicate with people in the most of the countries. As a consequence, it is evident that “in the age of globalization, characterized by the English language gaining a high level of international significance which enabled it to become the lingua franca, the potential of the ELT pedagogy for restructuring existent power relationships cannot be overestimated” (Bouchaib et al., 2018, p. 89). On the contrary, in several Latin American countries there are some negative social perceptions about people who speak English but have a different accent, due to they come from different cultures. In words of Terai et al. (2021), all elements that have to do with pronunciation and style of English language are attached to questionable evaluation process. For example, in some Chilean classrooms, a research has shown that students, when speaking English with indigenous Mapudungun accents, often face unconscious bias from teachers, who perceive their pronunciation as “less correct” despite their grammatical accuracy (Pérez et al., 2024). This situation is also exposed and analyzed by authors like Cao et al. (2022), who state that although many positive results are pragmatic, people cannot deny that English is a globalization icon that offers connection but also limits integration among individuals who do not domain this language efficiently. A striking example comes from Brazilian universities, where international students from African Portuguese-speaking countries reported feeling excluded in group discussions when their English accents differed from local norms (Tavares, 2024).

Currently, the importance of cultural language awareness in Colombia may not be as relevant as in many European countries, because there seem to be an undervalued conception about identities respects. This feature is essential for an optimal language learning process, since skills to deal with daily life are not only related to behavior.

Q3: What is the need for English language in everyday life and what is the importance of integrating the four language skills in this learning procedure?

Fundamentally, English must be taught in order learners to be competent in language usage for real situations, specifically from a pragmatic perspective. This is supported by Sánchez et al. (2017), who state that “the purpose of teaching English as a second language (L2) is to provide learners with the necessary skills to carry out an adequate communication” (p. 36). Moreover, a study developed by Arias (2023) revealed that English learning sessions are necessary to reinforce a self-sufficient attitude to understand and produce a second language. This shows how developing English looks for learners a useful method to get meaningful experiences for their lives, instead of just memorizing a language without any real use.

Likewise, it is imperative to mention that the four language skills must be carried out in an articulated way to avoid unfinished processes in student’s language development; hence, the implementation of contemporary strategies that articulate the four skills has the potential to offer positive results on students’ performance. In words of Quintero et al. (2020), the development of language abilities is a significant feature when success in school is needed. Additionally —in order to demonstrate the benefits of implementing activities that allow working on the four language skills—, Arias (2017) confirms that “listening and reading short stories in the foreign language engaged students in developing their language skills. Thus, they practiced reading, listening, writing, and speaking simultaneously, which is a strength in language acquisition because it simulates real-life communication” (p. 116). This author highlights the pedagogical value of integrating all four language skills —listening, reading, writing and speaking— through the use of short stories in foreign language classrooms, by engaging students in several activities that mirror real-life communication, this is an approach that supports more holistic language development. Moreover, this simultaneous practice fosters not only linguistic competence but also the communicative fluency that is necessary for authentic language use, by reinforcing the importance of designing tasks that reflect the interconnected nature of language skills in real-world contexts (Manirakiza et al., 2024). All in all, developing the four language skills is essential to carry out a proper language learning process. These are abilities that almost all humans being have because they all born with them, although it does not mean that their development is basic. Every language user must work on them to properly communicate with each other and context here is fundamental for a pragmatic usage as well as an efficient information exchange in terms of interaction. In words of Kentmen et al. (2023), students frequently face difficulties in understanding and using language accurately within specific contexts, therefore it is necessary to focus teaching to enhance these communicative abilities. This highlights how essential context-based learning is for building the pragmatic skills required for successful communication.

Reading, writing, speaking and listening are essential axes to improve communication acts in specific situations; as a consequence, all teaching programs focused on English language should be making stress on them in order to reach ideal levels through relating them in real conversational scenarios. It seems simple and common enough to observe two or more people interacting by using oral language, but this operation involves many learning circuits in several parts of the brain that allows comprehend and produce language; as a result, “the method of English language teaching has been considerably changed due to the entry of technology. Technology offers a lot of benefits as making teaching interesting and more productive in terms of advancements” (Gilakjani, 2017, p. 95).

Producing language needs a consolidate interconnection among many areas in the brain, yet these ones have independent responses regarding the corresponding stimuli. Accordingly, for the benefit of an efficient English language development, it is imperative to encourage learners to use that language in situations that emulate real life, so they can distinguish not only the sounds when pronouncing expressions, but also realize when using specific vocabulary in particular contexts:

New teaching methods involve students’ active participation in the task performance so as to help them learn English through thinking, discussing, communicating and cooperating and others to learn and use English. They follow the principle of “learning by doing”, lets students communicate with target language in real context, completes the task of learning goals, constructs target language system in their own experience and forms a comprehensive language using ability. (Wang, 2018, p. 185)

When English language is evaluated, it is ordinary that one communicative skill is more developed than the other ones; similarly, sometimes it is common that —because of many reasons— one specific communicative skill is less improved. For instance, in Japanese high schools, students often demonstrate strong reading comprehension but struggle with spontaneous speaking due to exam-focused curricula that prioritize grammar-translation methods (Kubota & Takeda, 2021). This phenomenon is visible when students do not have the chance of living language as a real fact; moreover, since teachers or instructors emphasize more on the ones that are easier to work, depending on their facilities. A study in Spanish elementary schools revealed that 78% of English classes focused predominantly on vocabulary memorization, leaving little time for authentic listening practice (Durán et al., 2022).

Q4: Why is the implementation of didactic tools important in the English learning and how can teachers promote motivation to favor this experience?

First, before referring about didactic tools, it is necessary to emphasize on aspects about didactic itself. Gulbinskienė et al. (2017) establish that “students have to acquire the basics of autonomous studies which are relevant to their needs and develop learning strategy and tactics of any language, along with their own auto-didactics in picking up metacognitive skills in the learning process” (p. 178). Then, it is fundamental to have a wide variation of didactic tools, bearing in mind all different learning styles that students have; similarly, it is also crucial to take advantages of their strengths. Related to what is mentioned previously, Sejdiu (2017) brings proper examples of didactic tools: “digital stories could be useful in developing children’s listening skills as they tend to be visual and interactive. This interactivity may facilitate learning as the children are actively involved in decoding and understanding the stories” (p. 64). Moreover, Ekeh (2023) claims that teachers also said that collaborative learning through listening was important to engaging children’s imagination and creativity in all settings. Thus, these tools support English learning process by fostering motivation on students and facilitating language development.

On the other hand, to promote motivation on students, innovative tools can be integrated to lessons in order to get students’ reaction; therefore, Bouchaib et al. (2018) state that: “interestingly, the findings arrived at indicated that the successful students overwhelmingly were self-motivated to learn English and they learnt it from watching movies” (p. 93). These findings persuade English teachers to implement these audiovisual materials with the intention of having better results on students’ performance. Regarding tools, resources and didactic teaching methods, games are proposed as another useful element to engage students to learn a foreign language; in accordance with what is previously described, Jaramillo and Quintero (2021) claim that games are implemented throughout learning experiences due to the fact of providing effective extrinsic motivation. Consequently, the benefits of including motivational tools in English teaching and learning processes can be described by Mendieta and Garcés (2022) when declaring that learning has to be an adaptive and motivational dynamic that encourages students to learn through their beliefs. Challenges are quite important along language learning proceedings, therefore providing educational risks inside the classroom as well as difficulties are other ways to help learners get their academic achievements.

Regarding motivation, especially extrinsic motivation, students are liable to behave in a specific manner to get a “reward”. For instance, that reward can be well-defined in a positive feedback (either in oral or written way), a good grade or an optimistic comment done by the teacher, tutor, instructor, etcetera. Thus, this kind of motivation must be emphasized for learners increase their own intrinsic motivation afterwards.

Extrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that student will not get any pleasure from learning on or completing a task. It just means that the pleasure they anticipate from some external reward will continue to be a motivator even when the task to be done holds little or no interest. (Fachraini, 2017, p. 48)

On the other hand, constantly providing extrinsic motivation does not guarantee excellent learning results, because that behavior done by teachers and students is not a logical representation of how life is. A study in South Korean middle schools found that students who received excessive praise for minimal effort showed lower resilience when facing difficult tasks (Min & Chon, 2021). Hence, motivation itself is just a tool; teachers must know how to use it to provide students opportunities to be successful academically as well as personally. For example, Australian primary teachers who implemented growth mindset journals reported students developed more intrinsic motivation by reflecting on their learning processes rather than just outcomes (Savvides & Bond, 2021). In addition, learners have to try challenges that permit them to analyze how to process failures and achievements:

Extrinsic motivation does not keep students motivated for long time but it may help them do a specific job and get a reward. Intrinsically motivated students take challenges and do their work with interest. They have commitment with their own selves to achieve high scores and learn more. (Buzdar et al., 2017, p. 79)

When learners have the possibility to develop English language for a personal interest —specifically to achieve goals on their own— then they will possibly have a better learning process and opportunities to succeed professionally, in contrast to those who are always depending of a reward given by teachers and external compensations.

Conclusions

English teachers must be aware and reflect about their pedagogical practices, as well as ask themselves if they are integrating all facts that help develop a proper English teaching- process, one of them is the importance of recognizing the perception that society has about all features that surrounded English learning.

As a result of government decisions, English language has aspects that are mainly described and determined in order to improve economic and social conditions of citizens, mainly in Latin America and countries with less global power.

For English teachers, it is imperative to identify students’ context and integrate its particularities —such as students’ likes, habits, perceptions, family values, among others— into the lessons for developing meaningful learning and achieving the communicative competence.

Semantic changes are visible inside nowadays society and teachers in charge of accompanying students’ learning are expected to educate accurately when it comes to language usage and communication itself. Hence, all topics selected to bring inside the classroom have to be according to the learners’ reality.

References

Notes

^* Research paper

Financing This study was supported by San Buenaventura University and it is the result of an inquiry named The importance of an appropriate English learning process and its influence in society, performed during the months of February and November 2022.

Conflict of Interest Statement This manuscript does not represent any conflict of interest with San Buenaventura University, the journal and the publishing entity.

Author notes

^a Correspondence author. E-mail: bairon.jaramillo@uted.us

Additional information

How to cite: Valencia, B. J., Castaño Barreneche, L., & Quintero Arrubla, S. R. (2025). Recreating Reality Allows People to Move Towards Understanding: A Systematic Review about English Language Learning. Signo y Pensamiento, 44. https://doi.org//10.11144/Javeriana.syp44.rrap

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