The Effect Of Using Authentic Materials On School Students' Listening Comprehension And Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

Objectives of the study: This study investigated the effect of using authentic materials on tenth-grade school students' listening comprehension and vocabulary learning.

Methodology: The participants of the study were two tenth-grade sections chosen randomly from a secondary school in Kuwait City. One tenth-grade section was assigned randomly to the experimental group and one to the control group. The students of the control group were taught using non-authentic listening comprehension, while the experimental group students were taught using authentic listening comprehension materials. A pre-posttest of listening and another test of vocabulary were designed based on the analysis of the listening and vocabulary activities in the student's textbook. The validity and reliability of the two tests were established before applying them to the participants.

Results of the Study: The results of the study revealed statistically significant differences between the control group and the experimental group in both the listening comprehension test and the vocabulary learning test in favor of the experimental students. Authentic materials had greater significant effects than non-authentic materials in improving tenth-grade students’ listening comprehension and vocabulary building. Moreover, using authentic materials resulted in a high rate of knowledge retention.

Conclusion: The study concluded that authentic materials are useful and effective in improving students' listening comprehension, vocabulary building, and learning. Based on the results of the study, it was recommended that the use of authentic materials in English language textbooks should be increased.