64
Strengthening communication skills:
reading and writing through the
analysis of traditional Vallenato songs
with fth-grade students
Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
1
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
2
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
3
To reference this article / Cómo citar este artículo / Para
citar este artigo: Britto-Jiménez, G. K., Villalba-Contreras, V. E. y
Bovea-Ramos, Á. E. (2023). Strengthening communication skills:
Reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato
songs with fifth-grade students. Revista UNIMAR, 41(1), 64–81.
https://doi.org/10.31948/Rev.unimar/unimar41-1-art4
Reception date: January 23, 2022
Review date: May 19, 2022
Approval date: October 15, 2022
Abstract
The strengthening of communication skills allows us to function in daily life.
Therefore, the objective of this research was to strengthen reading and writing
skills, through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs, with fth-grade
students. Methodologically, the study was framed in the critical paradigm,
under the qualitative approach, with the pedagogical action research method,
energized in three phases: deconstruction, reconstruction, and evaluation of the
reconstructed practice. 33 students made up the work unit. The instruments
were: a questionnaire addressed to teachers and an observation log. The results
of the diagnosis evidenced the diculty of the students in the development
of the aforementioned skills. With the implementation of the workshops, they
expanded their vocabulary, expressing themselves with solid arguments and
writing pertinent summaries. This allows us to conclude that traditional Vallenato
songs strengthened communication skills; in addition, the students were able to
interpret the message that the composer embodied in the songs.
Keywords: communicative competence; reading; writing; popular song; ability.
1
Master in Pedagogy. Professor at Francisco Palau y Quer School. Email: brittogina4@gmail.com
2
Master in Pedagogy. Professor at Bello Horizonte Educational Institution Villa Yaneth campus. Email: vesthervillalba@gmail.com
3
Master in Education. Professor of the Technical Education Upar, Valledupar, Cesar. Email: albora1979@hotmail.es
An article resulting from the research entitled: ‘Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of
traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students’, developed from March 8, 2021, to September 30, 2021, in Valledupar municipality,
Cesar, Colombia
65
Fortalecimiento de las habilidades comunicativas: leer
y escribir, mediante el análisis de canciones vallenatas
tradicionales con estudiantes del grado quinto
Resumen
El fortalecimiento de las habilidades comunicativas permite desenvolverse
diariamente, por ello, el objetivo de esta investigación fue fortalecer las habilidades
comunicativas: leer y escribir, mediante el análisis de canciones vallenatas
tradicionales con estudiantes del grado quinto. Metodológicamente se enmarcó
en el paradigma crítico, bajo el enfoque cualitativo, con el método investigación
acción pedagógica, dinamizada en tres fases: deconstrucción, reconstrucción y
evaluación de la práctica reconstruida. La unidad de trabajo fue 33 estudiantes. Los
instrumentos utilizados fueron un cuestionario dirigido a docentes y una bitácora
de observación. Los resultados del diagnóstico evidenciaron la dicultad de los
estudiantes para el desarrollo de las habilidades comunicativas: leer y escribir.
Con la implementación de los talleres, los estudiantes ampliaron el vocabulario,
expresándose con argumentos sólidos y redactaron síntesis pertinentes. Se
concluyó que, las canciones vallenatas tradicionales fortalecieron las habilidades
comunicativas de los estudiantes, además, interpretaron el mensaje que el
compositor plasmó en las canciones.
Palabras clave: competencia comunicativa; lectura; escritura; canto popular;
habilidad.
Fortalecimento das habilidades de comunicação:
leitura e escrita por meio da análise de canções
tradicionais vallenatas com alunos da quinta série
Resumo
O fortalecimento das habilidades de comunicação permite funcionar na vida
diária; portanto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi fortalecer as habilidades de leitura
e escrita, por meio da análise de canções tradicionais vallenatas, com alunos da
quinta série. Metodologicamente, o estudo foi enquadrado no paradigma crítico,
sob a abordagem qualitativa, com o método de pesquisa-ação pedagógica,
dinamizado em três fases: desconstrução, reconstrução e avaliação da prática
reconstruída. A unidade de trabalho foi de 33 alunos. Os instrumentos foram: um
questionário dirigido aos professores e um diário de observação. Os resultados
do diagnóstico evidenciaram a diculdade dos alunos no desenvolvimento das
habilidades supracitadas. Com a implementação das ocinas, eles ampliaram
seu vocabulário, expressando-se com argumentos sólidos e escrevendo resumos
pertinentes. Isso permite concluir que as canções tradicionais vallenatas
fortaleceram as habilidades de comunicação; além disso, os alunos puderam
interpretar a mensagem que o compositor incorporou nas canções.
Palavras-chave: competência comunicativa; leitura; escrita; música popular;
habilidade.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
66
Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
1. Introduction
According to Pérez and La Cruz (2014):
Educating students in the formal learning of
the written language and signicantly favoring
the development of oral expression is one of
the tasks that teachers face throughout their
professional career [...], especially in the rst
grades of primary education. It is pertinent to
emphasize, as stated by González (2008), that
the acquisition of these practices is necessary,
being considered essential for the acquisition
of knowledge and the development of certain
skills in the various subjects of the curriculum.
In this regard, UNESCO (2005) asserts in
one of its reports: learning to read and write
is an essential means of mastering other
subjects and is one of the best instruments
for formulating forecasts of long-term learning
outcomes. Reading should be an important area
when it comes to focusing eorts on improving
the quality of basic education. (p. 2)
One of the main problems that arise in the
dierent educational contexts of the municipality
of Valledupar is the diculty in communication
skills: reading and writing. According to the
ICFES national report (Saber 3
rd
, 5
th
, and 9
th
2012-2017), in 2017, the results found in
the language area show the shortcomings of
students to achieve a global understanding of the
texts. This problem persists in the municipality,
and it is evident in the direct observations
made to the fth-grade students of the Bello
Horizonte Educational Institution, Villa Yaneth
de Valledupar, Cesar.
Through some observations made to these
students on the communicative skills of reading
and writing, the diculty in expressing their
feelings and emotions was evidenced, since they
have a very limited vocabulary, given the little
reading habit. Little analysis is also observed,
and little ability to summarize, order, formulate
hypotheses, create, and issue opinions. Their
biggest obstacle is in textual production, among
other situations, which prevents them from
performing well when reading texts in all areas
of knowledge, which has multiple negative
consequences on their academic performance.
Something necessary in this institution is to
distort the paradigm that only the Spanish
Language teacher is in charge of guiding the
reading and writing processes, specically in
the rst grades (basic primary). After so many
attempts, proposals, and investigations, it is clear
that the responsibility for the student to acquire
the necessary skills to understand texts belongs
to all teachers, without determining a specic
area. This situation is notorious when a student
who has diculties in this process also presents
deciencies in all areas of knowledge, because
the language they use, whether oral or written,
must be interpreted by other students. This has
generated a change of conception in the face of
this situation, where all the actors in charge of
the training process have direct responsibilities
when addressing this diculty.
Taking into account the above and recognizing
the importance of improving these diculties, it
became necessary to propose a proposal that,
in a certain way, would help to strengthen the
communicative skills of reading and writing,
through the analysis of vallenato songs with
fth-grade students from the Villa Yaneth
headquarters of the Bello Horizonte Educational
Institution in Valledupar, Cesar.
For this reason, the following main question
was raised: How can the communicative skills
of reading and writing be strengthened through
the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs in
fth-grade students, morning shift, of the Bello
Horizonte Educational Institution, Villa Yaneth
campus, from Valledupar, Cesar?
To resolve this question, the following general
objective was proposed: Strengthen the
communicative skills of reading and writing
through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs
in fth-grade students. To make this objective
workable, the following specic objectives were
elaborated: 1) Diagnose weaknesses in the
communication skills of reading and writing in
students; 2) Design workshops to strengthen
the communication skills of reading and writing,
through the analysis of traditional Vallenato
songs; 3) Implement reading and writing
workshops through the analysis of traditional
Vallenato songs; 4) Evaluate the application
of reading and writing workshops through the
analysis of traditional Vallenato songs.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
67
Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
The research is justied because the
communicative skills of reading and writing are
the fundamental essence of the human being,
which sizes and redenes the reality of which it
is part and is committed to transforming. These
abilities must be considered, not as an accessory
element of school tasks, but as the cognitive
mechanism that propels the construction of
knowledge and its procedure within society.
In this context, the communicative skills of
reading and writing should be strengthened in
fth-grade students, through the analysis of
vallenato songs. This, more than an interest in
optimizing interpretive processes, is a challenge
that initially requires awareness of how essential
it is to work from one’s own, from one’s culture,
understanding that one becomes part of it and
that, in addition to allowing an identity rescue
facilitates improving reading comprehension
processes, which obviously can be easier if we
work with written texts that use typical terms
and realities of a known culture.
Reading and written production are relevant
to education, to the point that the greatest
eorts of the Ministry of National Education
and public and private educational entities
emphasize reection, discussion, and execution
of plans, projects, and programs leading to
reduce diculties in this area, and the Bello
Horizonte Educational Institution, Villa Yaneth
de Valledupar, Cesar, is no exception concerning
the problems outlined in the document.
Therefore, the contents of the vallenatos songs
are useful for fth-grade students, in the challenge
of articulating, improving, and promoting the
communicative skills of reading and writing,
focused on the relationship between the content
of the songs and the grammatical categories,
text structures, and reading comprehension. In
this way, it is possible to improve their capacity
for analysis, interpretation, and understanding,
to the point of allowing them to expand their
vocabulary and play a role in the context,
consistent with the demands of society.
In the social imaginary of this educational
community, cultural expressions such as
traditional Vallenato songs are necessary
because they permeate the communicative
heritage in a certain way. The ancestral traditions
appear in daily life and, from the memory of the
people, oral and written forms emerge as a vital
product that gives new meanings to the reality
of the classroom and the social environment of
the students.
Development and application of the project to
strengthen the communication skills of reading and
writing with fth-grade students are important for
Universidad Mariana because its team of teachers
contributes to promoting the processes of reading
comprehension, creating spaces for discussion,
reection, and production of reading and writing,
articulated to the contents of traditional Vallenato
songs that are part of the culture of the students
and, therefore, arouse their interest in their
contents.
Based on the above, it was pertinent to review
previous works that included the categories of
the study; thus, Guerra et al. (2019), whose
research was based on positivist thinking, with
a quantitative approach and quasi-experimental
design, showed that the pedagogical mediation
applied to the group under investigation made
it possible to reduce distracting elements in
classes, increase interest in learning, and
academic performance. These authors arm
that playful musical strategies oer important
changes in university learning.
The contribution of this study is related to the
importance of inserting music and, especially,
vallenato in the educational context, because it
represents a fundamental role in the student,
which allows fast, relaxed, and safe learning, due
to the inuence that exerts the cultural milieu
concerning music; therefore, it is denitive in
the desire to learn.
Durán’s study (2019) stands out nationally;
her objective was to build and apply a didactic
proposal based on songs, rounds, and games,
to stimulate the teaching-learning of social
sciences. Methodologically, the research was
framed in the qualitative paradigm and in the
research-action design. For the collection of
information, he used the techniques of direct
observation, the eld diary, non-structured
or open interviews, and closed-ended
questionnaires. The procedure was based on
ve stages; the sample consisted of 28 fth-
grade B students.
Results show that the students actively
appropriated the knowledge since they showed
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
68
Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
pleasure in carrying out the activities. Regarding
the conclusions, songs, rounds, and games,
they stimulated the teaching and learning of the
social sciences, because, in their daily activities,
they are taught that learning is easy and fun
and that qualities such as creativity, desire, and
interest to participate, respect for others, attend
to and comply with rules, be valued by the
group, act with more security and communicate
better; that is to say, to express their thought
without obstacles.
This research contributed to the present study
regarding the need to use didactic strategies
that motivate the teaching-learning process
and the importance of inserting music for
the development of communication skills in
students.
On the other hand, in the international scope,
the study by Sangama (2019) stands out and set
out to understand the importance of developing
children’s communication skills from an early
age, so that they can assertively express their
ideas, thoughts, emotions, and, that they can
start a conversation in any circumstance and
context of their life. The methodology was
a qualitative documentary type. The study
concluded that socialization, through coexistence
and play, contributes to the acquisition and full
development of communication skills, since,
through exchanges with their peers and with
adults, children acquire new linguistic resources
to the repertoire of the various responses of
others, assimilating cognitive structures over
the patterns of values, norms, and meanings
recognized in their context.
This study contributed to the research, key
elements to highlight the importance of
developing communication skills in students
since they allow them to rearrange their
cognitive structures to understand more;
likewise, it develops autonomous learning to
be able to function with assertive language and
eective communication.
Regarding the theories developed in the study,
the ability was addressed. According to Portillo-
Torres (2017), the ability is understood as:
A combination of knowledge of materials and
processes with manual skills is required to
carry out a productive activity. That is, the
ability represents an individual property,
a physical and mental ability to perform a
task in the work process [...]. Skill can only
be demonstrated in performance (by doing
something), while knowledge can be gained
through more abstract means, such as
conversation. Therefore, the skill is identied
as practical or technical knowledge, the ability
to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical
context. This way of understanding ability is
close to the concept of competence. (p. 119)
For communication, according to Kaplún (as
cited in Niño, 2012), if one delves into the level
of interpersonal communication between two
people, there are two ways of understanding:
the rst, if it occurs from the transmission of
information of one person to another through
a medium, in this case, we speak of one-
way communication, which occurs exclusively
from the perspective of the rst interlocutor;
therefore, the most correct form of speech is
the monologue. The most appropriate verb to
dene this rst conception is to communicate.
The second, a little more generic, occurs with
two-way communication, where reciprocity is
shown between the participants, which is why
the idea of dialogue appears, in which case the
action is called communication.
Regarding communication skills, Monsalve et
al., 2009 argue that,
These refer to the competence that a person
has to express their ideas, feelings, needs,
dreams, and desires through oral and written
language. Also, the ability to understand the
messages they receive through these codes.
This didactic proposal is specically oriented
toward the development of the following
communication skills: speaking, listening,
reading, and writing. (p.193)
In this line of thought, according to Cassany et
al. (2008, as cited in Monsalve et al., 2009):
Every user of a language must master these
skills to communicate eectively in the various
situations of daily life. Therefore, the school
must develop methodological and didactic
proposals to develop and enhance them from
a communicative approach.
A language is a social act that contributes
to shaping the cognitive structure of human
beings, and this, in turn, through its schemes
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
and functions, inuences communication,
which is the result of the relationships that the
individual establishes with the environment
conguring itself in this way in a socially
mediated process. Hence, communicative
competence is congured as a complex act that
implies a set of linguistic and sociolinguistic
processes, which the human being must put
into play to produce or understand speeches
according to dierent situations and contexts,
and to the degree of complexity according to
the situation. (p. 193)
For Fernández et al. (2006), communication
skills refer to:
The levels of competencies and skills that
individuals acquire by systematizing certain
actions through the experiences and education
they obtain throughout their lives, allow
them to perform and regulate communicative
activity. (p. 2)
Therefore, it can be armed that communication
skills are fostered through the communicative
approach; so, it is necessary to look for activities
that resemble the type of competencies that
the student will have to develop in their life
outside the classroom, which will be carried out
among groups of students under the supervision
of the teacher, in which the student has the
possibility of using the language in class, in
a real way and interact depending on their
possibilities and abilities to exchange. In this
exchange, their vocabulary or grammar will
be implemented, in addition to the necessary
strategies for communication, not only when
listening or reading, but also when speaking or
writing, integrating the four fundamental skills
of the language: speaking, listening, reading,
and writing; this interaction helps make
communication more competent.
As a communicative skill, reading is the result of
the interaction between a structure, the text, an
action, and the reader’s response. According to
Greimas and Courtes (as cited in Sánchez, 2003),
the act of reading or constructing the meaning
of a text implies establishing a relationship
between linguistic signs and their objects
through a set of interpretants; the meaning is in
reaching the semiotic process of interpretation.
Thus, constructing the meaning of a text is,
constructing the object of the discourse; then,
construction of the reader, due to their previous
experience of the signs and their combination,
will acquire a certain competence to interpret
their reading.
Writing, as a communicative skill, runs into a
lack of understanding that, in the pedagogical
discourse, is related to writing, the semiotic
function of language. It is in the school where
the problems with lack of abstraction, analysis,
and synthesis originate. From the semiotic
perspective, writing is, according to Peirce (as
cited in Murillo & Valle, 2015),
a constructive characteristic of the signs that
leads to the construction of meanings and
senses; this is how such an activity requires the
subject to evaluate and review the knowledge
acquired, forcing him to question ideas and
seek other voices. Writing is essentially the
morality of fame. (p. 12)
These characteristics give rise to a semiotic
process, linked to writing in its relationship
between expression and content, which is
reected in the discourse staged: why do I write,
who do I write for, alluding to positions. Barthes
(as cited in Murillo & Valle, 2015) notes that it is
necessary to protect, monitor, censor, and cross
out nonsense, suciencies (or insuciencies),
hesitations, and ignorance.
For Greimas and Courtes (as cited in Cely &
Duque, 2009) writing is understood as: “the
manifestation of a natural language with the
help of a signier, whose substance is of a
visual and graphic (or pictographic) nature” (p.
121). In this sense, writing is the pragmatic-
somatic process of graphic production that a
subject, using various instruments, carries out
on a matter in a specic social and individual
situation, during a determined time, the result
of which is a sequence of graphic inscriptions.
For Segura (2016) the written expression
represents:
The highest level of linguistic learning, since
it integrates experiences and learning related
to all linguistic skills (listening, speaking,
and reading) and puts into operation all
the dimensions of the linguistic system
(phonological, morph-syntactic, lexical-
semantics, and pragmatics). Writing is a
complex skill that requires the writer to have
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
the knowledge, basic skills, strategies, and
the ability to coordinate multiple processes.
(para. 6)
For this reason, Vallenata music in particular,
and “musical sounds in the world [in general]
become a motivating factor that permeates joy,
given the value of euphonies in the mind of
those who listen to it, provoking emotions that
allow cognitive interrelationships, increasing
sensitivity” (Guerra et al., 2019, p. 63). Blacking
(as cited in Guerra et al., 2019) considers:
The destiny of music is to involve people in
their own experiences and in their cultural
references. This consideration suggests that
music can generate an impact in the process of
arguing and interpreting their manifestations
or that of society, which facilitates a learning
process. (p. 63)
Thiermann (n.d.) expresses that,
As a musical genre, Vallenato has allowed the
recognition and preservation of the local oral
tradition by serving as a historical reference
for the region and a source of remembrance
of customs, places, and characters associated
with the Colombian Caribbean. In the
community, traditional songs have taken
root as an important source of memory and
identity construction, generating cultural
and social ties. From there also derives the
importance of training processes and cultural
entrepreneurship, which represents the
livelihood of local musicians and luthiers.
(para. 1)
2. Methodology
Current research is framed within the critical
or socio-critical paradigm, which requires,
on the part of the researcher, a constant
“reection-action, implying the researcher’s
commitment from practice to assume change
and liberation from oppressions that generate
social transformation. This implies a process of
participation and collaboration based on critical
self-reection in action” (Ricoy, 2006, pp. 17-
18), placing itself then in a qualitative approach,
because, according to González (as cited in
Portilla et al., 2014), “it addresses the real as a
cultural process, from a subjective perspective,
with which it tries to understand and interpret
all human actions, experiences, and feelings, to
create ways of being in the world of life” (p. 91)
The chosen method was action-research,
following the explanation of Vargas (2009):
The Pedagogical Action Research method
assumes practice as an object of study in
itself, an object of analysis, reection, and
intervention, with ethical and professional
responsibility. It is important to develop
processes of this nature because they favor
the rigorous analysis of what has been
produced and involve a bibliographic search to
extract from a theory, the applicable aspects
of the problem situation in a contextual
reality. Choosing the scenario that serves as a
source of information and observation is key
to the application of models, strategies, and
instruments to be used in the guiding practice
and in the area of interest, to improve the
quality of care that, as professionals, they
provide to populations in their dierent
environments. (p. 164)
Following the guidelines of Restrepo (2002),
the method is structured in three phases:
deconstruction through diagnosis and planning of
activities; reconstruction through the application
of actions and systematization of the practice;
and, evaluation of the practice (see Figure 1).
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
71
Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
Figure 1
Graphic representation of the methodological design
Source: adapted from Restrepo (2002)
The work unit consisted of 33 fth-grade students
-15 boys and 18 girls- ranging between 9 and
11 years old, by the type of selected sampling
(non-probabilistic) of the intentional type and
for convenience.
In this direction, the information collection
strategies were designed according to the
stages of pedagogical action research. For the
rst phase of diagnosis, a questionnaire was
used and it was applied to teachers to know the
student’s reality. For the second phase of the
investigation, the observation technique was
used because, according to Díaz (2010), the
researcher gets in personal contact with the fact
or phenomenon that he/she tries to investigate
and, later, orders it using systematization.
Martínez (2007) refers that the observation
“are the written records of what is observed
to produce quality descriptions” (p. 74). The
instrument through which the descriptions of
the application of the strategies were made was
the observation log. Barrios et al. (2012) dene
it as follows:
Form of communication with the student in
which he/she is involved as an active part of
his/her training process; it is easy to manage,
complements face-to-face activities, favors
teacher-student interaction, and provides
support for evaluation and feedback activities.
(p. 405)
For the third phase, Evaluation of the practice,
a written test was used as an instrument,
containing a vallenato song so that the students
could analyze its content and freely express their
ideas, thereby demonstrating the development
of communication skills.
3. Results
This section collects the results of the intervention
process carried out on the students, starting
with the diagnosis, which demonstrated the
presence of weaknesses in the communication
skills of reading and writing. Said diagnosis was
a questionnaire addressed to the teachers of the
institution (see Table 1), where the highest score
was 67.51%, located in the Never criterion;
20.94% was for the Sometimes criterion and
11.85% was Always. A relationship with the
study problem was observed, highlighting that
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
the students presented diculties in the development of communication skills, especially in reading
and writing; therefore, they had weaknesses to express their ideas, feelings, needs, dreams, and
desires, through oral and written language. In the same way, they showed diculties to produce
or understand speeches according to dierent situations and contexts and, with the degree of
complexity, in line with the situation.
Table 1
The questionnaire addressed to the students
N. Students Criteria
Items Always Sometimes Never
1 They make a brief summary of the study topics at the end 6,06 9,09 84,85
2 They basically translate content found in unusual language 3,03 18,18 78,79
3
They problematize the learning contents to generate
concrete actions
6,06 12,12 81,82
4
They deconstruct and construct knowledge through the
exchange of ideas in the classroom context
0 12,12 87,88
5
They develop topics with detail and accuracy, through
analytical and explanatory procedures, as scenarios for
understanding
6,06 21,21 72,73
6
They assess prior knowledge by asking essential questions
orally
12,12 30,30 57,58
7
They graph the contents of a topic using a metaphor or
story
6,06 15,15 78,79
8 They recap the central ideas about a topic 15,15 21,21 63,64
9
They illustrate complex topics through diagrams, concept
maps, or mind maps
18,19 21,21 60,60
10
They connect theoretical approaches with situations of
concrete facts of the real world
39,39 45,46 15,15
11
They establish connections between the abstract and the
concrete through visual and/or audiovisual.
18,18 24,24 57,38
Total 11,85 20,94 67,51
To respond to the objective referring to designing workshops to strengthen the communicative
skills of reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs, in the rst instance,
the results of the diagnosis were observed; secondly, the experts were called upon to guide the
process of planning the workshops. According to Cassany et al. (2008), communication skills are
important in all events of daily life and need to be strengthened; for this reason, the school must
develop methodological and didactic proposals to promote them from a communicative approach.
The workshops were designed based on this postulate.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
Figure 2
Workshops to strengthen communication skills in reading and writing
Source: this research
For the development of the objective related to
implementing reading and writing workshops
through the analysis of traditional Vallenato
songs, seven workshops were carried out,
beginning with a conversation about them;
for example, La gota fría, carried out virtually
through the Meet platform, to identify the
previous knowledge of the students regarding
the subject. The opening was made with the
video of a Vallenato song sent by the mother of a
student, in which her son played the accordion.
Subsequently, the following question was posed:
What are the Vallenato songs that you listen to
the most? The answers were varied: La casa
en el aire by Rafael Escalona, La gota fría by
Emilianito Zuleta, Nació mi poesía by Fernando
Dangond, El pedazo de acordeón by Gilberto
Alejandro Durán, Matilde Lina by Leandro Díaz,
among others. Some argued that they are
studying percussion at COMFACESAR and the
rst Vallenato songs they were taught were the
traditional ones, which is why they know them
and like to sing.
It should be noted that, for the study, students
needed to know the songs they wanted to sing;
this would make it easier to analyze and answer
the dierent questions aimed at strengthening
the communicative skills of reading and writing
because knowledge of the letter would be a
motivating factor to learn and participate in the
development of the project. It is also relevant
to express that one of the weaknesses in the
execution of the rst workshop was the scarce
vocabulary that the students had to express their
opinions on the subject; but, despite this, their
motivation and participation were achieved;
therefore, the development of the workshop
was pleasant and simple, in an atmosphere of
spontaneity and trust.
Given these experiences and, taking into account
the results of the rst workshop, the researchers
recognized that to overcome the barrier of low
vocabulary, it was necessary to oer students
in each socialization of the workshops, an
environment of trust, emphasizing the unknown
words, helping them to decode each term
according to the context and its meaning so that
they become familiar with the words and use
them appropriately.
In the second workshop, the subject of reading
comprehension was worked on; its eld of action
was to identify the author’s communicative
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
intention from the reading of the vallenato
song El Verano, by the composer Leandro Díaz.
They listened to the song and read the lyrics
on a television screen at the same time. The
workshop took place in an atmosphere of joy
and constant motivation.
Despite the motivation and sense of
responsibility of the students to respond to the
dierent activities that were proposed during
the workshop, it was possible to appreciate their
diculty in understanding the lyrics of the song,
a situation that led the researchers to reect on
the fact that they had to overcome the shyness
of children so that they could share their opinions
with their classmates. Faced with the lack of
knowledge of some words, the researchers
proposed to continue motivating them so that
they would gain self-condence and constantly
use the dictionary.
In the third meeting, the workshop ‘Structure
of a poem’ was developed, whose eld of action
was to interpret the ideas and feelings expressed
in the poetic texts. The workshop was set with
the song Nació mi poesía by Fernando Dangond
Castro. Printed material with the lyrics of the
song was distributed so that the students had the
opportunity to read it while listening to it. Then,
a brief biography of the author was projected on
the television screen, so that the students could
learn about his life and work.
The song aroused the curiosity of the students,
who spontaneously requested to know more
about the history of Valledupar: what it was like
before, and how the people dressed, among
other details. The achievements of the workshop
were: the promotion of reading through the lyrics
of the song and the author’s biography, writing
when analyzing and responding to the message
that the song left them, and the structure of
the poem when responding to the number of
stanzas and verses, rhyme, and literary gures.
It should be noted that, with each workshop,
the motivation of the students increased, which
made it possible to strengthen reading and
writing through the lyrics of the songs, as well
as the knowledge of the roots of their Vallenato
culture. Despite the interest shown by the
students, weaknesses were evident in writing
and spelling, which allowed the reection of the
teachers to present new ideas to correct this
weakness and strengthen, through reading and
writing workshops, the communication skills of
reading and writing.
In the fourth meeting, the ‘Grammatical
Categories’ workshop was held, for which the
song Matilde Lina by the composer Leandro Díaz
was used. Its eld of action was to identify nouns
and adjectives in poetic texts; it was set with
Vallenato music instruments, and the video of
the song with its respective lyrics was projected
on the television so that students could read it to
the rhythm of the music. Then, the biography of
the author was projected, to learn a little about
his life and his musical works. In addition, the
lyrics of the song were read aloud; the students
had to identify the nouns and adjectives present
in the poetic text, to reinforce the classes of
nouns and words that assign qualities. Afterward,
they were asked to read again and answer the
exercises that followed.
One of the most relevant aspects of the workshop
was the motivation of the students when they
were informed that another workshop was
going to be held with the lyrics of the traditional
Vallenato songs, which caught their attention
and interest, showing the assertiveness of the
strategy and generating the desire to acquire new
knowledge in a dierent way than the traditional
one. The cooperative work inside the institution
was evident with the collaboration of the
coordinator of the Villa Yaneth headquarters and
the co-workers, helping with the technological
and didactic tools, the decorative elements
alluding to the music of the Valledupar culture,
and the help to organize the classroom.
As an achievement of the day, the enthusiasm of
the students to participate in the workshop stands
out, by reading and analyzing the lyrics of the
song, which allowed them to write a good concept
to dene the theme, nd the nouns, adjectives,
describe people and infer the importance for
the author of some elements mentioned in the
song. In the same way, the value of empathy
between them was strengthened, to clarify the
doubts that were arising. Some of the limitations
were related to intermittent internet failures at
the educational institution, which delayed the
process on some occasions, a situation that was
resolved because some co-workers collaborated
by sharing their mobile phone data to continue
with the proposed activity.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
With the development of this workshop,
the researchers reected on their praxis,
understanding the importance of cooperation and
teamwork to implement innovative strategies
in the educational process and thus achieve
the eectiveness of pedagogical practice and
meaningful learning.
The fth meeting opened with the reading and
writing workshop for the song La casa en el
aire, whose eld of action was to identify the
ideas and feelings reected by its composer,
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martínez, from the
reading correspondent. For this, the room was
organized and decorated with representative
elements of Vallenato folklore and the objective
of the workshop was to socialize with the
students. Next, a brief biography of the author
was projected on television so that the students
could learn about his life and work.
In the development of this activity, there was a
delay in the application of the workshop, since
the television in the computer room did not work,
but it was resolved thanks to the collaboration
of classmates from the high school area, who
provided their equipment. As an outstanding
achievement, the strengthening of the reading
and writing of the students is appreciated,
through the analysis of the song La casa en el
aire and, the fact that they shared their concerns
with their classmates, to improve their answers.
The sixth meeting gave way to the reading
comprehension workshop through the song
‘Sentimental absence’; its eld of action was
to identify the message left by a poetic text.
For its execution, the hall was organized with
representative elements of Vallenato folklore;
the objective of the workshop was shared
with the students, and the biography of the
composer Rafael Enrique Manjarrez Mendoza
was projected; the students listened and read
his lyrics on the television. Then, the activity
was delivered and the respective guidelines were
given for them to read, analyze and respond to
appropriately.
This motivation allowed the children to be
attentive and ready to develop their activities.
In addition, through the development of the
workshop activities, they more easily identied
the messages of the texts at the moment of
making the respective analysis. Also, it was
evidenced that they strengthened their reading
and writing and managed to express values with
greater security.
It is necessary to point out that the day led to
the reection of the teachers, wondering why
some students still had shortcomings in terms
of the analysis of the Vallenato songs. This
question allowed a brainstorming about what to
do with them, concluding that it was necessary
to carry out parallel reading activities to solve
this diculty and make them level with the rest
of the group and end up analyzing the lyrics
of the traditional Vallenato songs without any
barrier that prevented the strengthening of their
communication skills of reading and writing.
The last meeting was the reading comprehension
workshop for the song Pedazo de acordeón,
whose eld of action was to understand poetic
texts through inference processes. For this, the
students were located keeping a distance; the
classroom was decorated with representative
elements of Vallenato folklore and the objective
was socialized. Then, the biography of the
composer Gilberto Alejandro Durán Díaz, better
known as Alejo Durán, was screened so that the
students could learn about his life and work.
In the end, children corrected their shortcomings
through socialization. The presentation of a
vallenato group made up of fth-grade students
who study music at the COMFACESAR School
of Arts, led to advances in reading and writing,
through the analysis of the lyrics of the songs,
since it allowed them to improve their skills in
all the areas of knowledge and their friendship
ties with classmates, while awakening in
them a sense of belonging to the elements of
Vallenato culture. Most of them strengthened
their communication skills to read and write
and increased their motivation and interest
in cooperating with their peers, which had an
impact on their personal and cognitive growth,
and their social values.
Although the workshops were relevant and
with them it was possible to strengthen
communication skills, there are still students
who present weaknesses when analyzing texts.
Given this reality, the researchers propose
to continue applying strategies to correct and
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
strengthen these skills, using especially the
traditional Vallenato songs, which were of great
interest to them.
The evaluation of the application of the reading
and writing workshops based on the analysis
of vallenato songs was developed through a
written test that contained the analysis of a
vallenato song so that students could analyze it
and shape their respective references. 90% of
them managed to capture their ideas correctly
and coherently, verifying the development of
communicative skills in reading and writing.
It can be armed that students not only
overcame shyness but also strengthened the ties
of friendship and cooperation to solve diculties.
Likewise, motivation and interest in reading and
writing were promoted. Students highlighted the
importance of using the dictionary to nd the
meaning of unknown words, thus strengthening
reading comprehension and the ability to write
texts with clear and pertinent arguments.
The use of traditional Vallenato songs allowed us
to identify the feelings of each of the composers,
learn about their life and then understand
the meaning of their writings, beginning to
strengthen the communication skills of reading
and writing, conrming that music is important
to capture the interest and desire to learn from
students, as well as the fact of valuing their
culture and strengthening their cultural identity.
In addition, it was essential to detect the
weaknesses found in some students to correctly
carry out the activities assigned in the workshops,
which led to the reection of the researchers to
attend to the particularities of each one of them,
to level them, and thus guarantee their school
success.
4. Discussion
For Hernández et al. (2014), the results constitute
“the product of data analysis” (p. 343); therefore,
the researchers compared, contrasted, and
discussed the results and procedures, while
recognizing the weaknesses and limitations, the
strengths, and the contributions that the study
provided to the problematic situation, framing
the results within that context to, nally, draw
conclusions and oer recommendations based
on what was investigated.
Consequently, considering the results of the
systematization and analysis of the data, taking
the research question as its guiding principle,
an initial diagnosis was made, a review of the
literature and preliminary investigations around
the subject, to proceed to design and apply
workshops to strengthen communication skills
related to reading and writing through the
analysis of Vallenato songs.
In the rst place, within the phase of
deconstruction of the practice of the actions and
by the method of pedagogical action research,
the inquiry process was addressed through
a diagnosis made to the teachers, to know
the mastery of the fth-grade students of the
educational institution under study, with the
purpose of identifying the situations that denoted
the little development of the communicative
skills of reading and writing. This allowed
recognize the context in light of the theme and
make inferences that enabled the researchers to
direct the activities.
Results of the diagnosis conrmed what was
stated in the referred problem: the weakness of
students in the communicative skills of reading
and writing, causing problems when expressing
ideas orally and in writing, given the scarce
vocabulary and low academic performance; this
allowed the documentary investigation to carry
out planning to overcome the weaknesses found.
The results of the diagnosis were similar to
the previous study carried out by Guerra et
al. (2019), who conrmed that pedagogical
mediation made it possible to reduce distracting
elements in classes, increase interest in learning,
and increase academic performance. Equally,
there was a similarity with the study by Álvarez
et al. (2018), who recognize the importance of
teaching to read comprehensive texts, dierent
from those that have traditionally been used
in schools; in this case, authentic texts of the
Vallenato culture. In this way, the implementation
of the didactic strategy based on the use of
context elements allowed a better development
of the teaching and learning process. With
these similarities, it is pertinent to recommend
to teachers reinforce the communication skills
of reading and writing, to achieve signicant
learning in students.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
Continuing with the rst phase, the workshops
were planned to respond to how to use the
analysis of traditional Vallenato songs to
strengthen communication skills related to
reading and writing, thus fullling the objective
of implementing reading and writing workshops
through the analysis of traditional Vallenato
songs in fth-grade students, through the
approaches of cited authors.
For the fulllment of the objective, the opinion
of experts was used, to know their perceptions
on the subject matter. Clarke and Winch (2006,
as cited in Portillo-Torres, 2017) state that it is
necessary to develop in students, skills that can
only be “demonstrated in performance (doing
something), while knowledge can be obtained by
more abstract means, such as the conversation.
Therefore, this ability is identied as practical
or technical knowledge; the ability to apply
theoretical knowledge in a practical context”
(p. 119). These arguments allowed starting the
design of the workshops for students to learn by
doing, listening, reading, speaking, and writing.
The music, another element taken for the design
is, according to Díaz et al. (2014), an artistic
expression that “can be used as a pedagogical
resource that favors intellectual, motor, and
language development in boys and girls, through
the strengthening of cognitive processes such as
memory, attention, perception, and motivation”
(p. 102). For Caprav (2003, as cited in Díaz et al
.
,
2014), “music is not only an artistic expression
but also a pedagogical resource that can be used
to promote the development of people” (p. 103)
from childhood. The search to understand the
sound of the world is part of the human essence,
which shows music as a pedagogical resource that
promotes the integral development of human
beings (Díaz et al., 2014). These arguments of
the theoretical experts allow recommending to
the teachers, to clarify their ideas to propose
strategies that improve the reading and writing
processes of the students.
At the end of the planning of the workshops, the
second phase of the methodological process was
completed: the reconstruction of the practice,
asking what strategies should be implemented
to improve the reading and writing levels of
fth-grade students. To respond, the objective
of establishing reading and writing workshops
through the analysis of traditional Vallenato
songs was set.
This execution was carried out in seven
workshops: the rst was a conversation about
traditional Vallenato songs, such as La gota fría.
The results were great; students were motivated
and encouraged by listening to the song,
demonstrating their interest in learning, and
developing an environment of spontaneity and
trust, which is related to Blacking’s approaches
(as cited in Guerra et al., 2019), who considers
that music has as destiny, to involve people in
their own experiences and cultural references,
which suggests that it can generate an impact
in the process of arguing and interpreting their
manifestations or those of society, facilitating
the learning process.
The second workshop was reading comprehension
through the vallenato El verano. The results
showed that students understood the lyrics of
the song, by writing the response paragraph
and knowing new terms, to strengthen the
communicative skills of reading and writing,
which is in line with Galli et al. (2017), who
express:
Communication skills are understood as a
set of linguistic processes that are developed
during life, to participate eciently and
skillfully in all spheres of communication and
human society.
Speaking, listening, reading and writing
are language skills. From them, they develop
in culture and society, and through their
development, they become communicatively
competent. (p. 3)
Likewise, the results coincide with Rincón
(2018):
Vallenato is described as a genre that has
narrated in a poetic way, the stories of the
Colombian Caribbean and that is, in the words
of Santander Durán Escalona, in the heart
of the old minstrels. Created in contact with
the landscapes, with nature, the traditional
vallenato lives with all its might in the towns
of the Caribbean and constantly ghts to
expand its audience. (para. 1)
The third workshop was the structure of a poem
with the Vallenato song Nació mi poesía. Through
the lyrics of the song and the biography of the
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
author, students reinforced reading and writing,
by analyzing and responding to the message
that the song left them and, the structure of the
poem, by responding to the number of stanzas
and verses, the rhyme, and literary gures.
It should be noted that, while they developed
the workshops, the greater their motivation for
reading and writing, while they were getting to
know the roots of the Vallenato culture.
These results are related to the approaches
of Greimas and Courtes (as cited in Sánchez,
2003), who expressed that the act of reading
or constructing the meaning of a text, is to
establish a relationship between linguistic signs
and their objects using a set of interpretants;
the meaning is to reach the semiotic process of
interpretation. There is also a similarity with the
approaches of Segura (2016), who stated that
reading is essential in the development of human
communication skills and competencies; as an
intellectual achievement, it is an indispensable
collective good in any economic and social
context.
Similarly, the results are related to the
approaches of Ariza (2006):
The lyrics of the Vallenato songs constitute
a fundamental element to understanding the
ethical systems of an entire region that, from
the popular and the daily life, builds its poetic
imaginaries based on customs and value
systems [...] that, to a good extent, they are
interpreted by a cultural subject who speaks
on behalf of an entire community based on
mental categories. (p. 2)
The fourth workshop addressed the grammatical
categories through the song Matilde Lina, whose
results were focused on the enthusiasm of the
students when developing it, on reading and
analyzing the lyrics of the song, writing the
arguments of the theme, the facility to nd the
nouns, the adjectives to describe people and infer
the importance that the author gave to some of
the elements mentioned, and the mutual and
spontaneous empathy to clarify, among them,
the doubts that were arising.
These results are similar to the postulates of
Solé (2010):
Reading [...] implies a new attitude towards
knowledge, a new way of reading and
learning, in which the merely reproductive
or the strictly interpretative, give way to
an epistemic attitude in which the reader
rationally searches for a plausible meaning
for the text.
We can approach texts as dierent readers:
as the reproductive reader, who seeks to say
what the text says; or, like the critical reader,
able to interpret it and think about what it
understands. (p. 19)
The fth workshop was the reading and writing
with the song La casa en el aire, where the results
showed that students strengthened reading and
writing by analyzing it, as well as cooperative
work, by sharing their concerns on the subject,
to better write the answers.
These results are similar to what was stated by
Greimas and Courtes (as cited in Sánchez, 2003)
in that writing starts from the manifestation of
a natural language with the help of a signier,
whose substance is visual and graphic or
pictographic. In this sense, writing is the
pragmatic-somatic process of graphic production
that a subject, using various instruments, carries
out on a matter in a specic social and individual
situation, during a determined time, whose
result is a sequence of graphic inscriptions.
The sixth workshop dealt with reading
comprehension through the Vallenato song
Sentimental Absence. The results indicate that
the fth-grade students could more easily
identify the messages of the texts at the time
of making the respective analysis. It was also
evidenced that they strengthened their reading,
writing, their values and, they managed to
express themselves with greater condence.
These achievements are related to what Ong
(1999, as cited in Ocampo & De Castro, 2013)
stated:
Without writing, thought [...] would not have
weight and could not think how it does, not
only when it is busy writing, but even [...]
when it articulates its thoughts orally. More
than any other single intervention, writing
has transformed human consciousness. (p.
25)
The foregoing is also related to what Solé
(2010) expressed: “a reproductive reading will
have as its product, the oral recapitulation or
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Gina Katherine Britto Jiménez
Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
written paraphrase, more or less mimetic of the
text read (in response to literal questions, in
summary, or even in comment)” (p. 19).
The last workshop was related to reading
comprehension through the Vallenato song
Pedazo de acordeón. The results showed that,
in most of the students, it was possible to
strengthen the communication skills of reading
and writing, generate motivation and interest
them to cooperate with their classmates, a fact
that was relevant since it favored their personal
and cognitive growth.
These results are similar to the approach of
Segura (2016):
Reading is essential in the development
of human communication skills and
competencies. As an intellectual achievement,
it is an indispensable collective good in any
economic and social context. As a cognitive
function, it allows access to technological,
scientic, and information advances. It
gives the possibility to recreate and better
understand reality. Reading is, being able to
critically dialogue with the text, take a position
in front of it, and value it by integrating it into
one’s mental world. (para. 4)
Results are also related to the opinion of Ariza
(2006): “Vallenato music is framed within
regional Caribbean music that is based on orality”
(p. 3) and, with the approaches of Ong (1999, as
cited in Ocampo & De Castro, 2013), by stating
that, in writing, thoughts are articulated orally.
Taking into account all these processes and the
cognitive advances achieved through reading
and writing, it is expected that the fth-grade
students of the Bello Horizonte Educational
Institution, Villa Yaneth campus, can consolidate
their writing skills to achieve better performance
in all areas of knowledge. With the discussion of
these results, it is recommended to carry out, in
the teaching processes, reinforcement activities
to strengthen knowledge and develop oral and
written expression in them.
5. Conclusions
For the rst specic objective, a diagnosis was
made through a questionnaire, which conrmed
what was stated in the study problem, denoting
that the students had weak communication skills
in reading and writing, with a poor vocabulary.
Similarly, insecurity and shyness were observed,
which caused ineective learning and, therefore,
poor academic performance.
Given these weaknesses, the purpose of designing
workshops to strengthen the communication
skills of reading and writing through traditional
Vallenato songs was proposed. For this, it was
necessary to carry out a bibliographical review
and to know the behavior of the category in other
contexts, in addition to attending to the opinion
of the experts regarding the subject of study,
which allowed the elaboration of a proposal based
on reading and writing workshops, supported by
the traditional vallenatos, to solve the diculties
evidenced by the students.
With the elaborated design, we proceeded
to fulll this objective, whose strategy was
innovative, accessible, viable, and feasible. The
evidence shows the acquisition of new terms,
with which the students were able to enrich their
vocabulary, gain condence and security, argue
their ideas, and defend or refute any approach.
This indicates the eectiveness of the reading
and writing workshops through traditional
Vallenato songs.
Once the implementation of the aforementioned
workshops was completed, the objective of
evaluating their application was fullled; for
this, instruments such as the logbook and direct
observation of the students were used, resulting
in that they achieved greater reading and
writing uency, which provided them with better
writing of texts, conclusions or arguments; they
learned to work as a team, showing condence
and security. Therefore, it can be concluded that
the development of the activities was successful
and students strengthened their communication
skills related to reading and writing, fullling the
general objective of the article.
6. Conict of interest
The authors of this article declare not to have
any conict of interest regarding the work
presented.
Strengthening communication skills: reading and writing through the analysis of traditional Vallenato songs with fth-grade students
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Virginia Esther Villalba Contreras
Álvaro Enrique Bovea Ramos
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Contribution:
The authors participated in the preparation,
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