Esl Authentic Materials for Teaching

Au

Eng. 528

Language Teaching Materials

Term Paper

Using Authentic Materials in the Foreign Language Classroom: Teachers’ Perspectives in Saudi Arabia

Written by:

Enas Al.Musallam

First semester 2006/2007

There is significant difference in opinions regarding the presence of authentic materials in the FL classroom. Views range from strong caution to encouragement. This paper intends to provide a deeper understanding of foreign language teachers’ attitudes toward using authentic materials, focusing on both reading and listening skills. Fifteen female teachers working at King Saud University completed a survey questionnaire for the purpose of this study. The questionnaire was analyzed in terms of frequency and percentage. The results indicate that all of the female English teachers —whether of the Saudi nationality or not— have a positive attitude toward presenting authentic materials in the classroom. Recommendations for future research are provided.

1. Introduction:

The relentless push since the mid 1970s toward communicative approaches to language teaching has brought along with it a need to develop students’ skills for the real world. Teachers, therefore, must stimulate this world in the classroom. One way of doing so is to incorporate the use of authentic materials. Scholars argue that the use of authentic materials helps to bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and students’ capacity to participate in real-world events. In other words, incorporating authentic materials helps students acquire an effective communicative competence in the target language. The present study was designed to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward using authentic materials in the FL classroom.

2. Literature Review:

2.1. Definition of Authentic Materials:

The term authentic materials has been defined in different ways throughout the literature. What is common in these definitions is the exposure to real language and...