| Sumario: |
This article proposes to promote the use of cartoon characters to motivate first-grade students
to Engage in the English language learning process. To do so, a qualitative research project
was conducted. The participants were six first-grade students of Porrosatí school, in Costa Rica.
In the study, cartoon characters were depicted as educational pictographic characters, images,
and visual aids purposely created to engage the pupils in the learning process. Their use aims
to appeal to learners’ imagination and creativity to foster a safe and welcoming learning
atmosphere that makes them feel motivated and engaged with the new language learning
process. As a result, pupils felt safe in a welcoming environment that fosters access to their
imagination and allowed them to develop meaningful cognitive connections, addressing the
target language learning process’s beginning challenges and enabling their active participation
in English language classes. Consequently, challenging aspects that negatively affect the
optimum development of the target language learning process such as fear of facing an
unknown language and foreign language anxiety can be overcome. In conclusion, promoting the use of cartoon characters is an effective teaching-learning technique to motivate first-grade
students to engage in the English language learning process.
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