Using Authentic Materials

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

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Using Authentic Materials

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 its use in

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its own community. Nunan (1989, as cited in Adams, 1995) refers to authentic materials as
any material that has not been specifically produced for the purpose of language teaching.
Little et al (1988, as cited in Guariento & Morley, 2001) define authentic materials as those
that have been produced to fulfill some social purpose in the language community in which
they were produced. Bacon and Finnemann (1990) define authentic materials as texts
produced by native speakers for non-pedagogical purposes. This paper will adopt Bacon and
Finnemanns definition because their definition specifies the producers of the text as native
speakers, whereas the others do not.
2.2. The Impact of Authentic Materials on FL Teaching:
Although the use of authentic materials in the classroom has become common practice
during the last 20 years, the issue of authenticity in FL teaching has been one of the most
debatable aspects in the field. However, the need for and usefulness of authentic materials
have been increasingly acknowledged. Empirical studies have confirmed positive results
obtained by learners who have opportunities to interact with and utilize authentic texts.
For example, several studies show that oral language development is improved when
the practice incorporates authentic materials (Bacon & Finneman, 1990; Miller, 2005; Otte,
2006; Thanajaro, 2000). In addition, several studies find that authentic materials can increase
reading development by introducing students to new vocabulary and expressions (Bacon &
Finneman, 1990; Berardo, 2006). Harmer (1991) believes that, despite many textbooks use
of non-authentic materials to practice specific language points, only authentic materials will
genuinely improve listening and reading skills. Furthermore, Allen et al. (1988, as cited in
Baird, 2004) maintain that the strategies students develop in comprehending authentic texts
can help them develop writing proficiency in the target language.

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Incorporating authentic materials in teaching a FL offers more than linguistic

advantages. Scholars argue for the motivating power of authentic materials. McNeil (1994)
and Kilickaya (2004) indicate that the use of authentic texts is now considered to be one way
for increasing students motivation for learning since they give the learner the feeling that he
or she is learning the real languagethe target language as it is used by the community that
speaks it. Empirical studies (Bacon & Finnemanns, 1990; Otte, 2006; Thanajaro, 2000) have
confirmed that students motivation and self-satisfaction increased after exposure to
authentic aural texts. In addition, Kim (2000) argues that authentic materials make a major
contribution to overcoming certain cultural barriers to language learning.
On the other hand, some scholars do not see the value of using authentic materials.
Clark (1983) claims that media do not affect learning under any conditions; thus, the
question of authentic versus non-authentic makes no difference (as cited in Miller, 2005).
Kilickaya (2004) further points out that authentic texts are random in respect to vocabulary,
structures, functions, content, and length; thereby causing a burden for the teacher. Teachers
face challenges regarding access to authentic materials, the expense of purchasing them, and
the time required to find an appropriate authentic text and design suitable pedagogical tasks
(McNeil, 1994; Miller, 2005). Such issues often make it impractical for instructors to
integrate authentic materials into the curriculum successfully.
Furthermore, authentic input has long been perceived as too difficult for students to
understand. Martinez (2002) mentions that authentic materials may be too culturally biased
and difficult to understand outside the language community. Learners may experience
extreme frustration when confronted by an authentic text, especially lower level students, as
found by McNeil (1994). Schmidt (1994) argues that authentic discourse may panic learners

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who find themselves faced with the speed of delivery coupled with a mixture of known and
unknown vocabulary and structures; instead, he prefers using simplified texts that have
communicative value rather than using authentic input. However, Guariento and Morley
(2001) assert that such difficulties can be overcome by designing tasks that require only
partial comprehension.
In conclusion, the benefits that authentic materials bring to the FL classroom greatly
outweigh the challenges. In addition, it is possible to overcome the challenges through task
design. Thus, integrating authentic materials will merit the extra time and effort required of
FL teachers.
2.3. When should Authentic Materials be Introduced?
The issue of when to introduce authentic materials has been surrounded by controversy
in the field of language teaching. On the one hand, researchers such as Kilickaya (2004) and
Kim (2000) claim that authentic materials can be used with intermediate and advanced
students only. These researchers believe that the use of authentic materials at lower levels
causes students to feel frustrated and de-motivated since students at these levels lack many
lexical items and structures used in the target language. According to Guariento and Morley
(2001), At lower levels, however, even with quite simple tasksthe use of authentic texts
may not only prevent the learners from responding in meaningful ways but can also lead
them to feel frustrated, confused, and, more importantly, demotivated (p. 347). Kim (2000)
further argues that authentic language may not expose students to comprehensible input at
the earliest stages of acquisition.
However, others claim that exposure to authentic materials should start in the earliest
stages of language learning (McNeil, 1994; Miller, 2005), asserting that an early exposure to

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such texts will help students develop useful strategies for more complex tasks later on. In an
examination of high school students studying German as a FL, Bernhardt and Berkemeyer
(1988, as cited in Otte, 2006) noted that all levels of students were able to manage using
authentic texts. Similarly, Allen et al (1988, as cited in Miller, 2005) studied1,500 high
school students in three different language levels using authentic materials. The researchers
found that all subjects were able to capture some meaning from all of the texts, even at the
beginning level. According to these studies, less proficient students can benefit from
authentic materials.
2.4. Selection of authentic materials:
Berardo (2006) provides three criteria for choosing authentic texts: suitability of
content, exploitability, and readability. Suitability of content indicates that the text should
interest the students as well as be appropriate to their needs and abilities. Bacon and
Finneman (1990) add that the texts should be culturally relevant to the experience of the
students. In this vein, Lee (1995) states that a careful and wise selection of materials
focused on learners is a must if we want a positive response from them (p.325).Meanwhile,
exploitability refers to how the text can be used to develop the students competence and
how the text can be exploited for teaching purposes. Finally, readability refers to the
language of the text, including the structural and lexical difficulty as well as the amount of
new vocabulary and grammatical forms.
Lee (1995) states that the text must be compatible with the course objectives i.e., it
can improve the language skills educators want the learners to practice. In addition, teachers
must consider the length of the text and their teaching approach. Further, a variety of text

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types must be selected, such as articles, advertisements, weather forecasts, interviews,

poems, radio talks, application forms, train timetables, and brochures.
2.5. Sources of Authentic Materials:
The sources of authentic materials (whether spoken or written) are infinite. The most
common sources are newspapers, magazines, TV, video, radio, literature, and the internet.
Although radio is easy to access, its aural texts are the most difficult for language learners to
comprehend. Miller (2003) claims that, In order to use radio programs with learners,
teachers need todecide on some global listening tasks for the learners (p. 16) due to the
fact that all non-verbal information is missing. Unlike radio, TV and video allow learners to
access paralinguistic features of the spoken text; as a result, TV and video may be easier for
the students to comprehend.
Yet it is the internet that is considered the most useful source (Berardo, 2006). While
printed materials date very quickly, the internet is continuously updated, is interactive, and
provides visual stimulation. It provides easy access to endless amounts of different types of
material (Berardo, 2006). Moreover, the internet can be the portal to other sources. For
example, teachers can obtain articles, audio clips, and videos from the internet. However,
despite the useful qualities of the internet, Miller (2003) indicates that a survey conducted
on The ESL Magazine website concerning the most used medium for obtaining authentic
listening materials for ESL/EFL instruction found the TV the most used one (see Appendix
A).
The literature indicates that researchers have investigated the impact of authentic
materials on language comprehension and performance at various levels. Some studies
provided insights about learners attitudes toward authentic input. In addition, pedagogical

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research sought to provide recommendations for material selection and sources. However, no
study has been conducted with the aim of eliciting teachers attitudes toward using authentic
materials in their classes. Because of the importance of the teachers role in providing
authentic input for the students, the present study attempts to address this issue.
3. The Study:
3.1. Purpose of the Study:
The central purpose of this study is to elicit the attitudes of English language teachers
at King Saud University toward using authentic materials in their classes. The study focuses
on receptive skills only (listening and reading). The researcher aims to provide answers to
the following questions:
1. What are the teachers attitudes toward using authentic materials in their language
classes?
2. Do they prefer to use authentic materials? Why, or why not?
3. In which classes would the teachers use such materials?
4. What is/are the appropriate level(s) for introducing such materials?
5. What are the sources that teachers would use to obtain authentic materials?
6. How would they select the materials?
7. Do they need training in dealing with such materials? If so, what type of training?
3.2. Methodology:
3.2.1. Participants:
Initially, twenty female English teachers working at King Saud University were asked to
participate. The participants were randomly selected without regard to their nationality,
teaching experience, or academic degree. Only fifteen agreed to participate; eight were Saudis

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while the rest came from different Arabic countries (1 Sudanese, 1 Lebanese, 2 Syrians, and 3
Egyptians). Six had studied abroad in countries where English is the native language. Their
experience in teaching English as a foreign languagenot necessarily at King Saud
Universityranged from two to twenty-five years.
3.2.2. Procedures and Instruments:
A survey questionnaire was employed in order to answer the questions of the study (see
Appendix B). The questionnaire, distributed to all twenty initially selected potential
participants, first defined authentic materials. The participants were then asked to indicate
their experience in teaching EFL. The questionnaire presented nine items in the form of
multiple-choice questions. Participants were allowed to choose more than one answer
according to their opinions. In addition, they were allowed to add their own comments
regarding any item.
The participants were given one day to complete the questionnaire. Participants returned
their answers to the secretary office, where the researcher came later and pick them up. All 15
participants who agreed to answer the questionnaire returned the surveys within the required
timetable, so no follow-up was required. Responses from the questionnaires were analyzed in
terms of frequency and converted into percentage to indicate the teachers attitudes toward
each issue accurately.
4. Results and Discussion:
As stated earlier, this study sought to determine English teachers attitudes toward using
authentic materials in the language classroom. To answer the questions of the study, a survey
questionnaire was completed by fifteen female English teachers working at King Saud
University. This questionnaire contained nine items aimed to determine answers to the stated

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research questions. Responses to the questionnaire were analyzed in terms of frequency and
percentage. The outcomes of the teachers responses to the questionnaire are provided in Table
1.
Table 1 Analysis of Teachers Responses to the Questionnaire
Questions

Answers

1. Would you prefer to use authentic Yes

materials in your classes?
No

Frequency Percentage
15
0

100
0

2. Why do not you prefer to use Time consuming

0
authentic materials?
Difficult for the students 0
Syllabus constraints
0

0
0
0

3. Why do you prefer to use Exposure to real language

authentic materials?
Motivate the students
Improve the students skills
Administration requirement

14
9
15
0

93.3
60
100
0

4. In which class(es) would you use Listening

such materials?
Reading

13
14

86.7
93.3

5. At which level(s) would you use Beginning levels

authentic materials?
Intermediate levels
Advanced Levels

6
14
14

40
93.3
93.3

6. What are the sources that you Newspapers and Magazines 13

would use to obtain authentic TV/ Video
15
materials?
Radio
5
Internet
14

86.7
100
33
93.3

7. What criteria of selection would Language level

you follow?
Length of the text
Students needs and interests
Course objectives.

14
6
10
14

93.3
40
66.7
93.3

8. Do you think you need training Yes

in dealing with such materials?
No

10
5

66.7
33.3

9. What type of training do you Selecting

the
materials 5
need?
Designing the activities
10

50
100

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As shown in Table 1, the analysis of the data indicated a general consensus among
English teachers at King Saud University concerning the beneficial effect of authentic
materials in teaching EFL. In their answers to the first item, all fifteen teachers indicated that
they prefer to use authentic materials in their language classes. Since all of the participants
prefer to use authentic materials, none of them answered item two regarding the reasons
behind not preferring to use such materials.
In the third item, all of the participants indicated that they want to provide authentic
materials to their students in order to develop students language skills. None indicated that
doing so is required by the administration. Thus, it appears that the administrative policy does
not encourage teachers to include authentic materials in the curriculum. However, it does not
provide any constraints for this issue either. The overwhelming majority (93.3 %) stated that
they would provide authentic input in order to expose students to the real language as it is
used in the community that speaks it. One of the teachers wrote:
Of course, I am with the use of authentic materials. Using this technique
connects the students to the real world, where the language is to be used. It
saves the student a possible shock when she first practices the language, and
in overwhelming by the difference between the classroom setting and the real
world.
Moreover, the analysis indicates that only 60% of respondents care about motivating the
students in learning the language by presenting such materials. One of the teachers indicated
I would provide anything that will improve the students knowledge, whether they are
motivated or not it does not matter.

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These results suggest that teachers have positive attitudes toward using authentic
materials in FL classes. They believe that such materials improve students skills and expose
them to the real language. These findings are consistent with previous studies that
demonstrated the positive effects of authentic input in improving students reading and
listening skills (Harmer, 1991; Miller, 2005; Thanajaro, 2000). The current results also
demonstrate that the teachers do not consider the motivating power of authentic materials in
determining whether to incorporate them into the classroom. This finding contradicts several
studies that found that authentic input increases students motivation (Bacon & Finneman,
1990; Otte, 2006; Thanajaro, 2000).
The analysis of participants responses to item four (in which classes would they use
such materials?) found that 93.3 % would use authentic materials in reading classes, whereas
86.7% would use them in listening classes. Although small, this difference could be due to the
fact that teachers may lack the technical support needed to provide aural input. The female
English department has only one listening lab and one computer lab. Thus, the labs may not
be available during teachers classes.
In regards to when to introduce authentic materials into the classroom, almost all of the
participants (93.3 %) believe that authentic materials can be used at the intermediate and
advanced levels, while only 60 % suggest using these materials with beginners. One of the
teachers stated that Beginners can not handle such materials because they lack many lexical
items and structures of the FL. Clearly the teachers indicate some disagreement concerning
this issue. This finding is consistent with the literature which shows that the suitable level for
presenting authentic materials is one of the most debated aspects in the field. According to
Guariento and Morley (2001), The question nowis not whether authentic texts should be

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used, but when and how they should be introduced (p. 348).Moreover, one of the teachers in
the current research stated:
I am with the use of authentic materials in the Saudi context, actually in any
context in the world. But we have to take some points into consideration, such
as the students level. Therefore, I believe that such materials must be
integrated gradually in order not to cause a shock for the students.
This view is consistent with Schmidts (1994) suggestion that sequencing authentic materials
according to the occurrence of high frequency lexis or structure and by scale of need is
required.
Item six asked about the sources teachers use to obtain authentic materials; all of the
participants indicated that they would use TV/video as a primary source for authentic
materials. In addition, 93.3 % would use the internet, approximately 86.7% would use
newspapers and magazines, and only 33% may use the radio. An analysis of these results
reveals that the TV/video is the most commonly potential used source for obtaining authentic
materials. The internet comes second, newspapers and magazines third, and radio last. This
finding is consistent with Millers (2003) survey at the ESL Magazine site (See Appendix A).
Regarding the selection criteria participants would follow (item seven), 93.3% indicated
that the texts language level and the objectives of the course would be the primary guidelines
for material selection. One teacher wrote I would go beyond course objectives, even
compromise the secondary ones that can be learnt in other courses. Further, 66.6% of the
participants would consider the students needs and interests, whereas only 40% would think
about the length of the text. Another teacher added that she would expose students to different
varieties and styles of the language as well as different types of texts. These findings are

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consistent with Berardos (2006) and Lees (1995) proposed criteria for selecting authentic
materials.
An analysis of the participants responses to item eight (regarding training) revealed that
66.7% indicated that they felt they needed training in using such materials to some extent,
while only 33.3 % claimed they need no training. The researcher found that responses to this
item were not affected by the length of teaching experience. One teacher with 20 years of
experience stated Any training that would help developing my teaching skills I would be
more than glad.
Those who indicated that they need training were asked (in item nine) to specify what
type of training they needed. Of the ten teachers who responded to this item, all claimed that
they need training in designing the activities. Only 50% indicated that they need training in
selecting the materials. One possible explanation for this finding is that designing the
appropriate tasks is more challenging than selecting the appropriate text.
5. Conclusion:
This study explored the attitudes of teachers toward using authentic materials in the FL
classroom in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted at King Saud University in Riyadh. The
results reveal that all of the teachers indicated positive attitudes toward providing authentic
input in their classes, regardless of their nationality, teaching experience, and academic
degree. The reasons for such an attitude are to improve students skills and expose them to the
real language. In addition, teachers indicated that they would tend to use more authentic
materials in reading rather than listening classes. Furthermore, the results indicate that the
internet and TV would be the most used sources for obtaining authentic materials.

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The teachers disagreed on the suitable level of students for presenting such materials.
Most of the teachers believe that the language level of the text and the course objectives are
the guiding criteria for selecting appropriate texts. Ultimately, however, most participants
indicated a need for additional training in using authentic materials, particularly in designing
appropriate tasks. The results of this study could be viewed as a starting point for further
exploration into the use of authentic materials in FL teaching.
6. Limitations and Recommendations:
Several limitations of the present study point to ideas for future research on attitudes
toward using authentic materials. First, the small size of the sample population (N=15) sheds
doubt on the validity of the results. A replication study with a greater number of subjects is
needed in order to obtain reliable and generalizable results. Second, the study deals with
teachers at the college level. The same study may be conducted with English teachers at
schools rather than college, whether elementary, intermediate, or secondary schools. Third,
the study focused on female teachers attitudes. Hence, future research should elicit male
teachers attitudes as well as Saudi learners attitudes toward authentic input. Finally,
additional aspects of authenticity should be explored such as teachers opinions about how
authentic materials can develop productive skills or how to plan instruction that incorporates
such materials effectively.

References

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Adams, T. (1995). What Makes Materials Authentic? (ERIC Document Reproduction Service
No. ED 391389).
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.
Modern Language Journal, 74(4), 459-73.
Baird, K., & Redmond, M, (Eds.). (2004). The use of authentic materials in the K-12 french
program. Winston-Salem, NC: Wake Forest University, Department of Education.
Berardo, S. (2006). The use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. The Reading
Matrix, 6 (2), 60-69.
Guariento, W., & Morley, J. (2001). Text and task authenticity in the EFL classroom. ELT
Journal, 55 (4), 347 - 353.
Harmer, J. (1991). The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman.
Kilickaya. F. (2004). Authentic materials and cultural content in EFL classrooms. The Internet
TESL

Journal,

10

(7).

Retrieved

November

1,

2006

from

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kilickaya-AutenticMaterial.html
Kim, D. (2000). A qualitative approach to the authenticity in the foreign language classroom:
a study of university students learning English in Korea. Texas Papers in Foreign
Language Education, 5 (1), 189-205.
Lee, W. (1995). Authenticity revisited: text authenticity and learner authenticity. ELT Journal,
49 (4), 323-328.
Martinez, A. (2002). Authentic materials: An overview. Karen's Linguistic Issues.
Retrieved

October

25,

2006

from

http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/authenticmaterials.html

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McNeill, A. (1994). What Makes Authentic Materials Different? The Case of English
Language Materials for Educational Television. Papers presented at the Annual
International Language in Education Conference, Hong Kong.
Miller, L. (2003). Developing listening skills with authentic materials. ESL Magazine, 6 (1),
16-19.
Miller, M. (2005). Improving aural comprehension skills in EFL, using authentic materials:
an experiment with university students in Nigata, Japan. Unpublished masters thesis,
University of Surrey, Australia.
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,
218B. (UMI No. 3212979)
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.
Schmidt, T. (1994). Authenticity in ESL: a study of requests. Unpublished masters thesis,
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

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Appendices

ESL Magazines Online Poll

Appendix A
A survey at the ESL Magazine Site

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What medium do you use most

often to obtain authentic
listening material for ESL/EFL
instruction?
35%
11%
14%
31%
9%

TV
radio
films
Internet
other

Adopted from Miller (2003).

Appendix B
The Questionnaire
Name: .
Years of teaching English:

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Authentic materials are texts produced by native speakers for non-teaching purposes. These
materials reflect the real world language. Such materials include TV commercials, films,
news items, weather forecasts, radio talks, interviews, articles, train timetables,
advertisements, brochures, and application forms.
1. Would you prefer to use authentic materials in your classes?
. Yes

.. No

If your answer is Yes, move to item no. 3.

2. Why do not you prefer to use authentic materials?
time consuming (in terms of selection and preparation)
difficult for the students to comprehend.
due to syllabus constraints.
Others..
.
3. Why do you prefer to use authentic materials?
. expose students to real language.
. motivate the students.
. improve the students skills.
. administration requirement.

..
4. In which class(es) would you use them?
Listening

. Reading

5. At which level(s) would you use authentic materials?

beginning levels

intermediate levels

advanced levels

6. What are the sources that you would use to obtain authentic materials?
Newspapers and Magazines

TV/ Video

Radio

Internet

7. What criteria of selection would you follow?

.. language level. (vocabulary & grammar)

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length of the text.

students needs and interests.
.. course objectives.
Others ..
.
8. Do you think you need training in using such materials?
..Yes

. No

9. If so, what type of training do you need?

. selecting the materials.
.. designing the activities.
Others
..
Comments:

Thanks.

Enas I. Al-Musallam