Abstract:

Training in a second language is a fundamental tool for the socioeconomic development of both each person and the country. This position in Colombia gave way to the National Policy on Bilingualism (MEN, 2015) which main purpose is to improve the quality of teaching English as a foreign language.

Due to this, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have implemented strategies that consolidate this policy within their Institutional Development Plans, this is the case of the Minuto de Dios University Corporation - UNIMINUTO and the English academic route proposed for degrees in distance modality, which seeks to respond to the second language training needs of its students.

Therefore, this research aimed to determine the narratives of the students from the degree in distance childhood education about the implementation of the training route in a second language during the year 2022 within the framework of the national bilingualism policy.

The research was qualitative because it analyzed the experiences of the national bilingualism policy from the perspective of the people who lived through this phenomenon (Denzi and Lincoln 2012). In addition, it accepts the hermeneutic phenomenological approach as an interpretive horizon (Pérez et al., 2019). The method was narrative and the research techniques were the semi-structured interview, the focus group and the documentary analysis; The data collection instruments were the interview guide questionnaire and the data organization and interpretation matrix. The information gathered was treated through the content analysis technique (Fernández, 2002).

The results first indicate that the bilingualism policy is unknown by the majority of students. They recognize that learning English is a requirement in the 21st century and identify English as a second language; second, learning English is present in their training as graduates, however, they express that they prefer face-to-face experiences to virtual ones. Finally, they recognize that they must continue studying English after finishing their undergraduate degree in order to comply with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Third and last, regarding the institutional impact, they identify that the route is important and improves their level.

Conclusions:
The students identify the importance of learning a second language, particularly English, because they recognize its value in both economic and social aspects. In addition, it is essential to review the structure of the route and its impact, since they understand the benefit of knowing English.

Finally, from the students' discourse, the foreign language in English is the one they visualize as the only language; completely ignoring other languages that belong to different ethnic cultures. This would imply assuming an inclusive bilingualism in the academic settings in Colombia.

Keywords:

English, bilingualism policy, second language, training.