1 L Junia Ngoepe, University of Limpopo, South Africa.Determining whether L2 materials are authentic in source and purpose: the case for UL EAP lecturers L Junia Ngoepe, University of Limpopo, South Africa.
2 Presentation OverviewUL ESU EAP course background Authenticity in materials Teaching staff questionnaire findings Conclusion
3 UL ESU EAP Course BackgroundUniversity of Limpopo (UL) English Studies Unit (ESU) English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course consists of 2 modules taught in the 1st and 2nd semesters, respectively. All UL lecturers in the ESU teach the EAP course, given the number of students. One contact double period a week is allotted to each EAP group. The students sit for 2 tests and 1 exam in a semester.
4 Authenticity in MaterialsThe question of authenticity in language teaching is a complex one; it is determined by what learners do with a given text. Authenticity may be considered in terms of goals, materials, interaction, processes and tasks. Analysing texts is a crucial stage of needs analysis; the analysis may be for Target Situation Analysis (TSA) or for Present Situation Analysis (PSA).
5 Authenticity (Cont.) Authenticity of purpose is as important as genuineness of text. An authentic text is normally used in the student’s specialist subject area, written by specialists for specialists. On the other hand, owned authentic material (the individual learner uses or produces) is different material from the discipline.
6 Authenticity (Cont.) Ideally, materials at all levels should provide authentic input. Authentic texts are invaluable for learning about real and carrier content. These can form the basis of classroom materials.
7 Authenticity (Cont.) Activities in class should reflect what happens in real life. Materials in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) or English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at tertiary level can serve as a bridge between the classroom and the outside world. Thus, authentic materials are essential in EAP as they are intrinsically motivating for students.
8 UL ESU EAP Source & Purpose of MaterialEAP lecturers use different L2 materials across faculties at UL. Study focuses on EAP lecturers in the ESU. ‘Better Writing’ by Richard Harrison (2014) is the main source for ESU EAP. The purpose is that students should master academic skills of reading to understand their textbooks and reference books, and to write clear, logical and well-argued essays for assignments, tests and examinations.
9 Determining Authenticity in UL ESU EAP MaterialThe aim in this paper is to discuss authenticity in UL EAP L2 materials. Researcher developed a questionnaire on authentic L2 materials for EAP lecturers in ESU.
10 UL EAP Research ProjectIn a bid to establish whether EAP materials are authentic in source and purpose Ten (10) ESU EAP lecturing staff members were requested to respond to 13 questions in a questionnaire on authentic materials This study’s research findings mainly consist of staff’s biographical details and how they perceive the EAP course material, respectively.
11 Findings The staff’s biographical details are as follows:
12 Highest academic qualification
13 Teaching experience Teaching experience encapsulates any other teaching experience and university teaching experience. The staff’s course teaching experience ranges from 1 to 16 years, averaging 8 years. The staff’s university teaching experience ranges from 1 to 41 years, averaging 10 years. The total number of students is shared equally among lecturers.
14 Q.1 The course’s pedagogic corpus is made up of authentic texts
15 Q.2 Pedagogic corpus is manageableLecturers in concurrence: 78% Texts are specially designed for ESL learners and therefore within their language capabilities. The words are sufficient, perhaps sometimes too easy for the students, especially brighter or more proficient ones. Content not complex; it encompasses the basics of the English language such as parts of speech (word classes) and dictionary exercises. The prescribed textbook is very good as it has questions after every chapter to test students’ understanding of what has been taught. One can easily understand the exercises used in the prescribed book. The language used in the prescribed book is easy to understand.
16 Q.2 (Cont.) Lecturers not concurring: 22%Responses are made up of an equal number of lecturers who did not concur and those that did not give an explanation. Material is not always culturally relevant and is not genuinely linguistically applicable to present circumstances (11%) No explanation No explanation (11%)
17 Q. 3 Reading texts are authentic in source and purpose
18 Q. 4 Listening texts are authentic in source and purpose Lecturers
19 Q.5 Activities in class reflect what happens in real lifeIn concurrence: 67% Not in concurrence: 33% The 67% ‘Yes’ responses are made up of 22% who did not give examples for their responses and 45% mainly responded as follows: Exercises in writing letters of application for entrance into the university. Examples in the workbook are connected to real life issues. No examples but most of the activities are related and reflect what is happening in real life.
20 Q.5 (Cont.) Examples given for the ‘No’ responses are as follows:Not really, but to some extent there is an attempt to connect with real life situations. Activities are mostly characterized by abstract concepts which are much more challenging to relate to real life experiences. Some of the questions are too easy for university students and most of them are not practical questions to students.
21 Q.6 Teaching material serve as bridge between classroom & outside worldIn concurrence : 67% Not in Concurrence: 11% Possibly: 11% No response: 11%
22 Q.7 Students are exposed to authentic materialsResponses % In concurrence 67 Not in concurrence 22 Possibly 11
23 Q.8 Non-authentic texts are used in the earlier stages of language learningIn concurrence: 44% Not in concurrence: 44% No response: 12%
24 Q.9 Students are allowed to bring owned authentic materials to class
25 Q. 9 (Cont.) ‘Yes’ rationaleFor students to practise language from other sources or materials. Students are encouraged to bring their dictionaries to the classroom. Prescribed books and reference materials such as dictionaries and thesauruses make it easy for them to learn.
26 Q.9 (Cont.) ‘No’ rationaleTextbooks are prescribed ahead of time, i.e. before lectures commence. They are not native speakers; they cannot bring authentic material. This arrangement cannot be easily implemented in a large classroom. If the lecturer-student ratio was small this could be done easily. Conditional Would agree if it contributes to language learning in a specific context.
27 Q. 10 Materials provide authentic cultural information about target cultureResponses In concurrence: 11% Not in concurrence: 89% Substantiation ‘Yes’ without substantiation: 11% ‘No’ without substantiation: 22% ‘No’ with substantiation: 67%
28 Q. 10 (Cont.) ‘No’ responses with substantiation (67%) are as follows:Most of the prescribed texts contain images and language exercises which portray the western culture. Not really, although there is some exposure in some exercises. Most of the materials reveal a foreign culture. Materials do not present any pertinent English cultural references. They are not geared towards providing English cultural literacy to the students. The material focuses more on language learning rather than culture. Book content portray European/Western culture.
29 Q. 11 The materials relate more closely to learners’ needsQ. 11 The materials relate more closely to learners’ needs. If yes, explain how
30 Q. 11 (Cont.) The 56% in concurrence gave the following explanations:The content explains and exposes learners to current English. Texts used are not authentic but are aimed at L2 learners. They also serve to broaden general knowledge. In general, the material seems to address areas students have problems with in their writing. Materials are designed to cater for the students’ academic needs such as academic writing, to criticize and analyze texts, and to synthesize and evaluate ideas.
31 Q.12 Using authentic materials is burdensomeResponses In concurrence: 22% Not in concurrence: 67% No answer: 11% Explanations Those in concurrence explained that It is constraining in some ways. It is effortful as it involves considerable mental energy.
32 Q.13 Any comment on authentic materialsTwenty two percent (22%) did not comment. The remaining 78% of the lecturers commented as follows: Authentic material must be current and close to the real experiences of both the learners and lecturers. Materials become authentic also if the learners are offered the opportunity to provide the their own examples of language use and application in the exercises and assignment.
33 Q. 13 (Cont.) Respondent did not really understand the term “authentic materials". Authentic material should be included in the lesson plans especially in ESP classes The use of authentic materials could be education practitioners’ one of the most effective ways of developing critical and innovative teaching strategies. The materials do not demotivate students from the learning process since they are related to their everyday experiences. Authentic materials are vitally important in developing learners’ communicative competence. The materials do not merely focus on grammatical explanations and memorization of phrases, but on sociolinguistic, discourse and strategic competence (which is indeed the crux of what language is about).
34 Q. 13 (Cont.) The material used in the classroom should make students aware of the differences between learning and practical use of language. Most of the material used in the classroom encourages route learning as they (material) are theoretical. Material should be easy for learners to understand and apply what they have learnt in a classroom and in a real life situation. A practical grammar usage book (reference document/material) must be prescribed to supplement the prescribed text book.
35 Conclusion Since some UL ESU lecturers concur that EAP materials are authentic in source and purpose, there is room for improvement of the course in terms of planning, staff training, selecting and using authentic L2 materials appropriately.
36 References Dudley-Evans, T. & St. John, M. J Developments in English for Specific Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Jordan, R. R English for Academic Purposes: A Guide and Resource Book for Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tomlinson, B. (ed) Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
37 Acknowledgements Department of Languages, in English Studies UnitEAP Students The University of Limpopo