Email this article 
Hide
Show all
The Use of EFL Authentic Materials: A Gender-Line University Teachers' Perspective
Abstract
The present study attempted to explore the role of authentic materials (henceforth AM) in the interaction of the Saudi EFL university classrooms with an emphasis placed on gender-based analysis of EFL university teachers' classroom practices. Moreover, it introduces the concepts of what define AM, and presents various perceptions of researchers, teachers on their usefulness. To examine this phenomenon, Saudi EFL teachers’ perceptions about the use of authentic materials were investigated to improve English language skills at Saudi EFL university classrooms. After employing a structured questionnaire, the results indicated that Saudi EFL university teachers authenticated the significance of AM for improving language skills of Saudi EFL university students. Also, the results reflected that Saudi EFL teachers showed their preferences for the use of balanced AM and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) textbooks. The findings elicited the meaningful implications for the use of AM especially for the Saudi EFL university students.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Adams, T. (1995). What Makes Materials Authentic? (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 391389).
Abed, G.T. (2003). Unfulfilled Promise: Why the Middle East and North Africa Region has Lagged in Growth and Globalization, Finance and Development. IMF/World Bank, Washington, D.C. pp. 10-17.
Al-Abedalhaq, F. & Samdi, O. (1996). Spread of English and westernization in Saudi Arabia. World Englishes, 15(3), 307-317.
Al-Mutawa, N., (1994). Factors influencing English language teaching and learning in the secondary schools of Kuwait. Educational Sciences, 1(2), 33-62.
Al-gorashi, A. K. (1988).The English communication needs of military cadets in Saudi Arabia as perceived by junior officers in the Saudi Army and air defense. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Indiana University.
AHarbi, M. (2005). ESP target situation needs analysis: The English language communicative needs as perceived by the health professionals in the Riyadh area. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Athens: The University of Georgia.
Almulhim, A. M. (2001). An English language needs assessment of Saudi college-of- technology students with respect to a number of business sectors in Saudi Arabia. Mississippi: The University of Mississippi.
Al-Seghayer, K. (2011). English Teaching in Saudi Arabia: Status, Issues, and Challenges. Hala Print Co. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Alatis, H. Altman, & Alatis, P. (Eds). The second language classroom: Directions for the 1980’s (pp. 131-148). New York: Oxford University Press.
Bacon, S., & Finneman, M. (1990). A study of attitudes, motives, and strategies of university foreign language students and their disposition to authentic oral and written input. The Modern Language Journal, 74(4), 459-473.
Breen, M. (1985). Authenticity in the language classroom. Applied Linguistics, 6, 60-70.
Berardo, S. (2006). The use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. The Reading Matrix, 6 (2), 60-69.
Bernhardt, E., & Berkemeyer, V. (1988). Authentic texts and the high school German learner. Teaching German, 21(1), 6-28.
Carney, C., & Franciulli, M. (1992). The Use of Authentic Reading Materials in the Business Language Classroom. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 373538).
Chaves, M. (1998). Learner’s perspectives on authenticity. IRAL, 36(4), 277-306.
Cohen, L. & Manion, L. (1985). Research Methods in Education. London: Croom Helm.
Crookes, G., & Schmidt, R. W. (1991). Motivation: Reopening the research agenda. Language Learning, 41, 469-512
Crossley, S., McCarthy, P., Louwerse, M., & McNamara, D. (2007). A linguistic analysis of simplified and authentic texts. The Modern Language Journal, 91 (1), 15-30.
Day, R.D., & Bamford, J. (1998). The cult of authenticity and the myth of simplification. In Extensive reading in the second language classroom (pp.53–63). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Day, R. (2008, October). Teaching Foreign Language Reading Fluency. Workshop presented at the 34th JALT International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning and Educational Materials Exhibition, Tokyo.
Duquette, G., Dunnett, S., & Papalia, A. (1987). The effect of authentic materials in acquiring a second language. Canadian Modern Language Review, 43(4), 479-492.
Elhadi, A.E. (2008). Statistical Analyses for Educational graduated students. Uok, Khartoum, Sudan.
Fanselow, J., & Crymes, R. (1976). The authenticity of language data. In Explorations in applied Linguistics ― 96 ― No. 27 linguistics (pp.159–167). Retrieved September 14, 2006 from www.oup.com/pdf/elf/library=classics/AppLing-C12.pdf
Guariento, W., & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT Journal, 55 (4), 347 - 353.
Gulzar, M.A. & Abdulrahman A.A. (2014 a). Effects of Print Media: A Study of Reading Skills among University EFL Students. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(28),68-79.
Gulzar, M.A. & Abdulrahman A.A. (2014). Code Switching: Awareness Amongst Teachers and Students in Saudi Universities EFL Classrooms. English Language teaching, 6(2), 1-13.
Gulzar, M.A., Gulnaz, F, Ijaz, A, M (2014) Utility of Krashen’s Five Hypotheses in the Saudi Context of Foreign Language Acquisition/Learning. English Language Teaching, 7(8),134-138.
Gulzar, M.A. & Abdulrahman, A.A. (2013b). Intra-sentential Patterns of Code-mixing between Bilingual Male and Female Teachers: A Comparative Study. Volume 97 No 3, (2013), pp. 411-429, European Journal of Scientific Research.
Gulzar, M.A. & Abdulrahman. A.A. (2013). Effects of Teachers‟ Nonverbal Communication on the Learnability of the Adult Saudi EFL Learners: A Case Study. European Journal of Scientific Research, 96(4), 553-571.
http://www.europeanjournalofscientificresearch.com/ISSUES/EJSR_96_4.htm.
Hadley, A. (2001). Teaching language in context (3rd edition). Boston: Thomson Heinle.
Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching (3rd edition). London: Longman.
Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and Learning in the language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Herron, C., & Seay, I. (1991). The effect of authentic oral texts on student listening comprehension in the foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 24(6), 487-495.
Hirsh, D., & Nation, P. (1992). What vocabulary size is needed to read unsimplified texts for pleasure? Reading in a Foreign Language, 8(2), 689–696.
Lee, W. (1995). Authenticity revisited: text authenticity and learner authenticity. ELT Journal, 49(4), 323-328.
Maxim, H. (2002). A study into the feasibility and effects of reading extended authentic discourse in the beginning German language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 86(1), 20-35.
Miller, M. (2005). Improving aural comprehension skills in EFL, using authentic materials: an experiment with university students in Nigata, Japan. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Nostrand, H. (1989). Authentic texts and cultural authenticity: An editorial. The Modern Language Journal, 73(1), 49-52.
Otte, J. (2006). Real language to real people: a descriptive and exploratory case study of the outcomes of aural authentic texts on the listening comprehension of adult ESL students enrolled in an advanced ESL listening course. Dissertation Abstracts International, 67 (04), 1246B. (UMI No. 3212979)
Rogers, C., & Medley, F. (1988). Language with a purpose: Using authentic materials in the foreign language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 21, 467-478.
Stern, H. (1981). Communicative language teaching and learning: Toward a synthesis. In J.E. Alatis, H. B. Altman, & P. M. Alatis (Eds.), The Second Language Classroom: Directions for the 1980s (pp. 131-148). New York: Oxford University Press.
Thanajaro, M. (2000). Using authentic materials to develop listening comprehension in the English as a foreign language classroom. Unpublished doctorial dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
Ur, P. (1996). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge University Press.
Weyers, J. (1999). The effect of authentic video on communicative competence. The Modern Language Journal, 83(3), 339-349.
Weyers, J. (1999). The effect of authentic video on communicative competence. The Modern Language Journal, 83(3), 339-349.
Young, D. (1999). Linguistic simplification of SL reading material: Effective instructional practice? The Modern Language Journal, 38(3), 350-366.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.5n.2p.128
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2012-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD.
International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature
To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the journal emails into your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.