MINISTRY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF
UZBEKISTAN
TASHKENT STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER
NIZAMI
FOREIGN LANGUAGES FACULTY
Xusanova Diana
The value of using authentic materials wherever possible
5111400-Foreign languages and literature (English)
305- A group
Scientific supervisor: ________ D.Subanova
“Recommended”
Head of the chair “Theory and
Methodology of Teaching English”
_____________ Z.R.Abdujabbarova
“_____”___________ 2023
Tashkent 2023
1
Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………..3
Chapter 1. Theoretical foundation of the using of authentic materials
1.1 The main features of the concept of authenticity……………………………….8
1.2 General characteristics of periodicals for children……………………………14
Chapter 2. Methods of using authentic materials in teaching a foreign language
2.1 The specifics of using authentic materials in the English lessons …….............30
2.2 Experience in using authentic material in ELT context……………………….34
Conclusion………………………………………………………………......
The list of used literature…………………………………………
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………
2
Introduction
The usage of English is highly important at this time because of the necessity
of utilizing English in everyday life, from school to business to technology. If the
learning approach is effective, the output of using English will also provide valuable
soft skills such as the ability to write, talk, listen, and read. Soft talents such as these
are highly valued in the workplace. As a result, this demonstrates how crucial the
usage of English is nowadays.
Nowadays in Uzbekistan reforms in every sphere are conducted. In the Decree
of the President of our country “On the Strategy of actions for further development
of the Republic of Uzbekistan” of February 7, 2017, a number of tasks have been
defined for the development of the social sphere, in particular, the sphere of
education and science.1
Teaching verbs is a difficult area. Many a study has proved that
contextualization has an important positive effect on the ability of the students to
decipher the correct meaning of a verb. In this article you will read some useful
approaches to the presentation of verbs through context to improve the students’
level of understanding.
The topicality of this research is due to the fact that the issues of usage authentic
materials in English language is studied insufficiently and require more attention
and methodological development.
The aim of the present research is the consideration of the relevance of using
different authentic materials in teaching English.
The general aims define the following objectives of the research:
 To explore theoretical foundation of the using of authentic materials.
 To describe the main features of the concept of authenticity.
 To research theoretical basis of authenticity in linguists.
 To describe characteristics of peiodicals.
1
Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on measures of further improving the
activities of secondary special, professional education institutions of March 14, 2017.
3
 To determine the conditions for the effective use of authentic materials in
teaching a foreign language.
The object of the given research is the usage of authentic materials in teaching
receptive skills during the English lessons.
The subject is the peculiarities of using authentic materials in different spheres of
human activities, especially during lessons and making free English atmosphere
which give opportunities for students to communicate freely.
The major methods used in the research process are: the method of linguistic
description and analysis, which let us create the theoretical basis of the present
course paper. The method of continuous selection was used to single the research
material out. The structural, formalization methods were used for working with the
results got in the research process. The research material of the work is the exercises
taken from different modern course books and manuals. The given material presents
a broad field for research. It also gives us an opportunity to rich the set goals of the
present research.
The sources of the research paper while investigating the given qualification work
are the works of well-known Methodists and the Internet web sites which are given
in the references that follows the conclusion.
The theoretical value of the research paper is the study of the relationship between
the use of authentic texts, the process of forming communicative competence in
teaching foreign language and avoiding difficulties in using authentic materials in
teaching receptive skills in the ELT.
The practical value of this work is that the suggested modern, authentic materials
and methods of teaching receptive skills can be used by teachers of foreign language
at all levels of education. Analysing activities can be applied into FL classes and
relevance of authentic materials can be used in teaching English.
The research paper consists of introduction, two chapters, conclusion, the list of
used literature and appendix.
4
Chapter 1. Theoretical foundation of the using of authentic materials
1.1 The concept of authenticity
With the spread of English as a world language, more textbooks and teachers are
needed all over the world. A key feature of texts, or discourse samples in general,
have long been said to be their authenticity.
The terms authenticity and authentic are often used to describe language samples
– both oral and written – that reflect the naturalness of form, and appropriateness of
cultural and situational context [Rogers & Medley, 1988.p.118]. The term authentic
materials may mean different things for different people; for some, materials
generated by native speakers and for native speakers are considered authentic
[Rogers & Medley, 1988.p.117]. Throughout the history of English language
teaching (ELT), authenticity is taken as being synonymous with genuineness,
realness, truthfulness, validity, reliability, undisputed credibility, and legitimacy of
materials or practices [Tatsuki, 2006.p.56]. It has also been a major feature
in syllabus design, task­based approaches, materials development and the main
focus of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the past [Bax, 2003.p.87].
The most familiar conception of “authenticity” comes to us mainly from
Heidegger’s Being and Time of 1927. The word we translate as ‘authenticity’ is
actually a neologism invented by Heidegger, the word Eigentlichkeit, which comes
from an ordinary term, eigentlich, meaning ‘really’ or ‘truly’, but is built on the
stem eigen, meaning ‘own’ or ‘proper’. So the word might be more literally
translated as ‘ownedness’, or ‘being owned’, or even ‘being one’s own’, implying
the idea of owning up to and owning what one is and does [for a stimulating recent
interpretation, see McManus 2019.p.16]. Nevertheless, the word ‘authenticity’ has
become closely associated with Heidegger as a result of early translations of Being
and Time into English, and was adopted by Sartre and Beauvoir as well as by
existentialist therapists and cultural theorists who followed them
[Heidegger,1997.p.46].
5
In modern lingua didactics, this term has not yet been fixed, but it is often referred
to various methods and techniques of teaching a foreign language using authentic
texts or other materials. At the identical time, European lingua didactics claim that
the term authentic learning has been widely known since the late 90s of the XX
century. From the term itself, it is clear that they are talking about authenticity here
as a property, but as a method. Authenticity is understood as a method of teaching
that provides students with the opportunity to engage in various educational and
interpersonal interactions that are adequate to the conditions and circumstances of
real communication and have a clear meaning and meaning for the students
themselves [Azri,2014. p.10].
In the European methodical literature of the recent years, the problem of
authenticity is given great attention. Despite various interpretations, traditionally the
material that was not originally intended for educational purposes is called an
authentic one [Breen,1985.p.6]. However, there is no consensus on what material
should be recognized as an authentic from the methodological point of view, and the
discussion is still being held about the different types of authenticity.
For example, H. G. Widdowson considers authenticity not so much as a
property inherent in a speech product, but rather as a characteristic of the learning
process. He differentiates the concepts of «original» and «authentic». All cases of
using the language for non-educational purposes are considered to be original or
native ones. Authenticity is considered as a property of educational interaction
[Widdowsan.1990.p.77]. It is not enough therefore to bring into the class a clipping
from a foreign newspaper, it is necessary to make authentic the process of working
with it. Teaching children to perceive the work with the text not as an exercise, but
as an authentic communicative activity, the teacher stimulates the natural interaction
at the lesson. In other words, authenticity in the methodical plan is not something
brought from the outside in the form of a text intended by the author for native
speakers, and not for foreigners. Authenticity is created in the learning process,
during the interaction of learners with the text, with the teacher and with each other.
Thus, the traditional contrast between the language used at the lesson and the «real»
6
language is removed. «Educational» does not necessarily mean «unauthentic»; it all
depends on how the teaching material will be used.
E. M. Shulgina [Shulgina,2013.p.2] notes such characteristics of "authentic
education" as the relevance of educational tasks, compliance of tasks with the
interests of students, interdisciplinary nature, direct connection with the real world,
unlimited educational resources, evaluation of the activities of students by external
experts and other students, and not only by the teacher.
From the point of view of A. Maslow [Maslow,971. p.26], the founder of
humanistic psychology, the application of this approach in education should provide
for each student an educational environment and educational process, according to
his personal life manifestations, corresponding to age, gender and individual
characteristics, responsive and responsive to emerging personal needs.
According to M. Heidegger [Being and Time,1997.p.97], authenticity in
education ensures the formation of an authentic person who is able to fully realize
every moment of life and choose the way to live this life moment, taking
responsibility for the choice made.
L.V. Lier [Lier.L.V,1988.p.64 ] develops the system of conditions necessary
for an authentic educational process and distinguishes three types of authenticity:
authenticity of materials, pragmatic authenticity and personal authenticity.
Authenticity of materials does not exclude the use of texts specially created by
methodologists with an orientation toward language learners, but takes into account
the preservation of the properties of authentic text (such as connectivity, an
informative and emotional saturation, consideration of the needs and interests of the
intended reader, use of a native language, etc.), as well as the authenticity of the
using the teaching materials at the lesson.
Pragmatic authenticity includes the following aspects:
 the authenticity of the context in which the language is used, i.e. the adequacy
of certain language tools in a particular situation;
 authenticity of the goal, i.e. the expected result of speech interaction;
 the authenticity of this interaction.
7
The authenticity of interaction (or interactive authenticity) is not always
compatible with the authenticity of the goal, if the pedagogical aims are meant.
During the interaction with the students the teacher often reacts not to the content
side of the statements, but to the mistakes made and focuses on correcting them,
thereby violating the authenticity of the interaction. Some conventionality of the
educational interaction apparently is inevitable: it is explained by the peculiarities of
the school environment, where the educational goals are at the forefront, while in
authentic communication the goal is the process of natural communication itself.
However, the process of speech correction can also be carried out in the form of
informal communication, for example, a request, or support with a reformulation of
the student's thought in the correct form. It is also recommended to write down
learners' errors for subsequent correction.
As
for
the
personal
authenticity,
it
is
associated
with
the
individual characteristics of the learners. A person characterized by personal
authenticity, in the opinion of L.V. Lier, clearly understands what he is doing and
why, is aware of responsibility for his actions, is able to make choices, adjust his
behavior (including speech), depending on the situation [L.V.Lier,1988.p.115].
M.P. Breen distinguishes four types of authenticity: 1) the authenticity of
materials used in the learning process; 2) the authenticity of the perception of these
materials by learners; 3) authenticity of educational assignments; 4) the authenticity
of the social situation at the lesson [Breen,1985. p.62].
M.P. Breen gives the priority to the authenticity of materials. However, there is
no consensus on which text can be recognized as authentic from the methodical point
of view. Authenticity is a relative concept. This property is inherent not in the text
as such, but in the text in a specific context, which, in the opinion of M.P. Breen,
create three other types of authenticity [Breen,1985.p. 68].
K.S. Krichevskaya [IYASH,1996.p.13] defines native literary, folklore,
graphic, musical works, objects of real reality, such as clothes, furniture, dishes
and their illustrative images as authentic ones.
8
K.S. Krichevskaya singles out the materials of everyday life into an
independent group: pragmatic materials (announcements, survey questionnaires,
signs, labels, menus and bills, maps, advertising brochures about tourism, leisure,
goods, work vacancies, etc.) which in terms of accessibility and household nature of
application seem to be quite significant for creating the illusion of familiarization
with the environment of native speakers and believes that their role is higher than
that of authentic texts from the textbook, although they may be inferior to them in
terms of volume.
We believe that the concept of «pragmatic materials» should also include audio
and audio-visual materials, such as informational radio and television programs,
news bulletins, weather forecasts, information announcements on the radio at
airports and train stations. The use of such materials is extremely important as they
represent the model of a modern foreign language and create the illusion of
participation in the daily life of the country, which serves as an additional incentive
for increasing the learners' motivation.
K.S. Krichevskaya gives the following classification of pragmatic materials,
depending on their use in certain areas:
1. Educational — professional sphere of communication;
2. Social-cultural environment of communication;
3. Everyday sphere of communication;
4. Commercial sphere of communication;
5. Family-household sphere of communication;
6. The sports - recreational sphere of communication [Krichevskaya,1996.p. 14].
E. S. Krichevskaya's classification is in many respects identical to the
definition of authentic materials given by G. I. Voronina [Voronina,1999.p.56]
which understands texts borrowed from the communicative practice of native
speakers as authentic.
She identified two types of authentic texts, represented by various genre forms:
1. functional texts of everyday use, performing instructive, explanatory, advertising
or warning function;
9
2. informative texts that perform an informational function and contain constantly
updated information.
Formulation of a universal definition of the «authenticity» concept is complicated
by the fact that it includes not only certain conditions, but also different types of
authenticity. In each specific communicative situation, the availability of one or
another type of authenticity may vary. If on the one hand, the educational process
can be carried out on the authentic material, that is, to teach a foreign language on
the basis of authentic materials from original sources and not intended for
educational purposes, on the other hand, the materials of such kind often represent
complexity and may not always correspond to the tasks set as well as the teaching
conditions. In this connection, from the point of view of E.V. Nosonovich and R.P.
Milrud, the optimal solution will be the use of authentic materials taking into account
all aspects of the authentic speech fragment and, at the same time, the
methodological requirements for it. These materials, designed to realize the stated
educational goals and being as close to natural samples as possible, in their opinion,
can be considered authentic ones [Nosonovich and Milrud,2008.p.14]. Such
authentic materials appear in the foreign language learning interaction environment
and correspond to the norms and tasks of the natural communication process, the
methodological
requirements
and
the
intellectual
level
.
Peacock
[Peacock,1997.p.76] has another definition of authentic materials which is “ the
materials that have been produced to fulfill some social purposes in language
community”.
G. Widdowson [1990.p.56], speaking about authenticity, draws attention to
the fact that not only the text or material must have authenticity, but also the
educational process itself. In this regard, he distinguishes between the concepts of
"authenticity" and "authentic". Authenticity is reflected in any use of language not
for educational purposes, and authenticity is a property of educational interaction.
Thus the material in a foreign language itself, taken from original sources, will not
give the learning process authenticity. The process of working with this material
10
must also be authentic. Students should perceive the work on the text not as an
exercise, but as a communicative activity.
Analyzing existing approaches to the definition of authenticity we should
enumerate the following ones:
 authenticity relates to the language produced by a real speaker/writer for a real
audience, conveying a real message [Hayes,2013.p.4];
 authenticity relates to the qualities bestowed on a text by the receiver, in that
it is not seen as something inherent in a text itself, but is imparted on it by the
reader/listener [Donovan,1999.p.9];
 authenticity relates to the interaction between students and teachers
[Delhahxe,2012.p.8];
 authenticity relates to the types of task chosen [Belaid,2015.p.43];
 authenticity relates to the social situation of the classroom [Breen,1985.p. 1619];
 authenticity relates to assessment [Hofman,1985.p. 20];
 authenticity relates to culture, and the ability to behave or think like a target
language group in order to be recognized and validated by them
[Maley,1986.p.102-111].
According to A. Gilmore ‘Authentic material is a stretch of real language,
produced by a real speaker or writer for a real audience and designed to convey
a real message of some sort [Gilmore, 2007.p.97-118].
1.2 General characteristics of periodicals for children
Periodicals report events—from daily news stories, for-sale notices, and
reviews of new novels to the proceedings of an academic conference—as or soon
after they happen. “Periodical” is a general term for any newspaper, magazine,
or journal that is published at regular intervals—once a day, once a week, once
a month, once a quarter, or even once a year. A periodical is anything that comes out
periodically. In periodicals new issues are released on a fixed schedule.
Whether the periodical in question is a newspaper aimed to keep the inhabitants
of a city informed about current events or an academic journal designed to keep
11
professionals in a discipline up-to-date on research in the field, periodicals speak
to particular audiences at a specific moment in time. Though their news does not
stay new for long, their lasting value to historians is in the thorough, idiosyncratic
way they give a picture of a particular moment.[Vance,1903.p.64 ]
According to Vance[1903,p.78], the origin of periodical literature dates far
back into the sixteenth century. The first publication appeared in Venice in the year
1531. Periodical literature was taken up in England in 1588. For twenty -five years,
only a single magazine was in circulation. The first children's magazine to make its
appearance was the “Lilliputian Magazine” , gotten out by T. Camano in 1783. None
of the earliest magazines intended for children alone, and the assignment of certain
periodicals for the use of this class of readers has been but a natural outgrowth in the
development of the science.
The first children's magazine published in America of which any mention is
made appeared as early as 1802 in Philadelphia, and was called, ”The Juvenile
Magazine”, printed by Benjamin and Jacob. Since that time many other periodicals
for children have appeared in the United States, as well as in other countries.[
Benjamin and Jacob, 1802.p.15 ]
Since that time there has been a continued increase in the number of children
periodicals, and a corresponding improvement in the better quality of subject matter
in reference to its special adaptation to children.
Mrs. Annette C. Billison[1886.p.98 ], children's librarian of the Minneapolis
Public library, says:- “ We think the children's periodicals generally speaking are
below the average of children's literature. Some hare no redeeming quality save their
illustrations, which, owing to the fact that the later have become a feature of the
modern standards, are often very good”.
The number of good children's periodicals is very small. Most of the libraries
do not take more than ten children's magazines. The feeling among the librarians as
expressed in their letter is that periodical literature for children at present should be
discouraged in favor of books.
12
Miss Anna C, Moore[ 1878.p.24 ], children's librarian at Piatt Institute Free
public library, says: -"We do not consider many of the children's magazines worth
the cost, and prefer to supply books in their place. The current numbers of the
children's magazines are very little read in our library, but the volumes are very
popular. Doubtless the circulation of current numbers would make them more
popular, but a question whether they are worth the circulation is presented”.
About the importance of periodicals, they might be the first documents that
come to mind when you think of secondary sources. Academic journals, which
publish articles by scholars in a given discipline, are often the best way to learn
about the latest research, especially in the sciences and social sciences.
Most academic journals publish new issues two, three, or four times a
year. University libraries usually subscribe to many academic journals, and you can
find their most recent issues in your library’s current periodicals reading room.
Gated, online databases provide the best way to search for scholarly
articles on specific topics. Libraries subscribe to these databases, which store
articles from thousands of different periodicals behind a virtual “gate.” In other
words, you cannot find these articles through a Google search on the free, public
Web.
Because periodicals are now available in many formats, there are many ways to
find them. If you are unsure about how to find a particular journal or magazine, ask
a librarian for help.
While many newspapers now make the latest news available on the public Web
for free, some specialized journals do not put any of their content online. Many old
newspapers, magazines, and journals can only be found in the library, where they
are kept on microfilm or in bound volumes. However, past issues of some journals
are available on the public Web or through gated, online databases.
Microfilm and microfiche are often kept in drawers labeled with call
numbers. Sometimes you must ask a librarian to retrieve them for you from an area
closed to library visitors.
13
Microfilm is a spool of film on which pages of text are stored in miniature
form. To read microfilm, you thread the film into a microfilm reader in the library,
which magnifies the images so that you can read them on a screen. Usually, you can
pay to print individual pages.
Microfiche works on the same principle as microfilm, except the pages of text
are kept on individual slides (“fiche”) instead of spools of film. To read
microfiche, you use a microfiche reader in the library, which makes the text legible
on a screen. You can also pay to print pages from microfiche.
Bound periodicals
Paper copies of some periodicals are kept in bound volumes in the library. These
bound volumes are usually labeled with title, date, and volume numbers. Before the
advent of microfilm and, later, the Internet, libraries bound the paper copies of
periodicals to which they subscribed and shelved the bound volumes in the stacks.
For example, libraries usually bound quarterly academic journals in volumes that
contain the four issues from a given year. In some cases, you can check these bound
volumes out, but in others you must use them in the library.
Searching the library catalog for periodicals
To find periodicals in the library—whether on microfilm, in bound volumes, or
in special collections—you must use the library’s catalog.
If you know the title of the newspaper, magazine, or journal you need, try
searching the library catalog by “journal title” or “periodical title” (rather than
by “title” or “keyword”).
If you want to find all the periodicals from a specific city or town, search for
the place’s name as a “subject heading” in the library’s catalog. Scan the subject
headings that result for subdivisions such as “—Periodicals” or “—Newspapers.”
Periodicals can contain almost anything. There are some general
characteristics of periodicals:

Periodicals often contain the earliest written records of important
events. They may be as close as you can get in time to the event you are studying.
14

Many periodical sources are written for regional or niche
audiences. Periodicals are especially good at recording important local information,
including details you will not find in national news sources.

Many periodicals include a lot of things that are not preserved
anywhere else. Some of these things weren’t considered worthy of being recorded
in a more lasting format at the time, but may be useful to you as a researcher.

Periodical sources can contain mistakes. Standards of journalism
have changed over time, and not all stories are thoroughly fact-checked. Remember
that periodical sources are not necessarily one-hundred percent reliable.

Not all periodicals are written purely to inform or report the facts. Many
other motives shape the way that writers tell stories in periodicals as in other sources.
Books, periodicals, newspapers and magazines all are written for different layers
of people. Some of them are suitable for older generation while others for for
children. Children periodicals in general, are easy to read, fairly brief in length,
and may include illustrations or photographs. Magazines don’t necessarily follow a
specific format or structure in writing the articles. Its attractive appearance, eyecatching cover pictures, and illustrations on quality paper make it more appealing to
the reading public. Magazines also contain many colorful and impressive
advertisements.
You ever repeat something over and over in your head to help remember it?
That's exactly what's going on in children's literature and stories which are given in
periodicals: authors repeat things so they stick with the kids. Earworms turn into
knowledge eventually. So children's stories are full of repeated events, incidents,
numbers, days—you name it. And of course, it's all wrapped up in a bunch of pretty
pictures and a fun story.
Children's literature, stories or periodicals aren't just written to entertain kids—
it's written to teach them. People who do bad things are often punished in children's
literature. Kids will definitely avoid doing wrong after they see how the witch and
her daughter are punished in "Brother and Sister," a fairytale from the Grimm’s
Fairytales.
15
One of the most important characteristics is illustration. Illustrations help keep
kids' attention and stimulate their imagination. Oh, and they help them understand
the stories. Before kids can read, illustrations dramatize and reinforce the story that's
being told so they can follow along even if they don't understand the words their
parents are babbling out loud. In fact, some children's books are only pictures—after
all, they're worth a thousand words.
This 1897 edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is full of
illustrations that bring the story to life.
Notice how things always end with "happily ever after" in children's books? That
optimistic perspective is a big part of what we consider to be children's literature.
When we grow up, we may realize that life doesn't always end happily.
In
children's literature, people fly. They grow into giants. They talk to animals. They
cast spells and transform into magical beings.
This emphasis on the fantastic, of course, reflects the imagination of children.
After all, when we're little, we live in a world of fantasy.
Kids are cute and all, but they're not quite keyed into all the abstract ideas and
emotions that we adults are privy to. And that's why children's books, magazines or
periodicals are full of action: kids are much more able to understand actions
(someone fell! someone yelled! someone ate a piece of cake!) than emotions and
thoughts (someone…feels something very specific and hard to define?)
Whatever
emotions we find in children's literature tend to be quite basic (and the younger the
audience for a book, the more basic these emotions will be): we're talking sadness,
fear, anger, happiness…not existential angst.
16
Chapter 2. Methods of using authentic materials in teaching a foreign
language
2.1 The specifics of using authentic materials in the English lessons
Using authentic materials in the class can be a useful tool to motivate pupils
and make them feel comfortable using the foreign language. Authentic materials, if
used properly in authentic learning environments, can have lots of uses in foreign
language teaching though they are not specifically designed to teach a foreign
language. For this reason, foreign language teachers should act as a guide for the
students to interact with the authentic materials in constructivist learning
environments. In addition, learning environments in which authentic materials are
used should be organized when training prospective foreign language teachers to set
an example for the teachers of the future to use authentic materials in their own
classrooms. In that way, prospective teachers will have a chance to see and
experience, themselves, the advantages of these materials and points to consider
when using them.
Studies by a number of authors, like Voronina G.I., Krichevskaya[1996.p.1]
K.S., Nosovich[2008.p.91] E.V., Milrud O.P[2012,p.23] they say that working with
various types of authentic materials contributes to the increase in communicativecognitive motivation, forms linguistic-cultural and intercultural competence, has a
positive effect on students' personal-emotional state, provides the possibility of
simultaneous access to language and culture. In recent years, much attention has
been paid to the problem of authenticity in the methodology of teaching a foreign
language. As I mentioned above translated from English, "authentic" means
"natural." This term is most often used to describe texts and other materials used in
the lesson. However, the problem of authentic materials used in teaching foreign
languages causes a lot of controversy.
17
So Krichevskaya K.S. refers to authentic materials authentic literary,
folklore, pictorial, musical works, objects of reality, such as clothes, furniture, dishes
and their illustrative images. Materials of everyday life in an independent group:
pragmatic materials (ads, questionnaires, signs, labels, menus and bills, maps,
advertising brochures on tourism, recreation, goods, work vacancies, etc.), which are
accessible and every day the applications appear to be quite significant for creating
the illusion of familiarizing the native speakers with the habitat and their role an
order of magnitude higher than the authentic textbook texts, although they may be
inferior in volume. The concept of “authentic materials” also includes audio- and
audiovisual materials, such as informational radio- and television programs, news
reports, weather forecasts, informational announcements by radio at airports and
railway stations. The use of such materials seems to us extremely important, as they
are an example of a modern foreign language and create the illusion of participation
in the daily life of the country of the language being studied, which serves as an
additional incentive to increase student motivation. Authentic materials can belong
to different areas depending on their use: 1) Educational and professional
communication. 2) Socio-cultural communication environment. 3) Household
communication. 4) Commercial and commercial communication. 5) Family
household communication. 6) Sports and fitness communication. The informational
teaching function of authentic materials is expressed in the fact that they create a
speech pattern (pronunciation, intonation, lexical and grammatical), recreate the
conditions of natural speech communication, displaying any spatial and temporal
situations, both real and imaginary in any sequence, transmit information about the
country of the language being studied, which makes it possible to more clearly
present the situation described in the text. The organizing and controlling function
is manifested in the fact that authentic materials provide "Presence effect" or
"participation effect" to stimulate speech activity, contain an enormous motivational
power. The integrative function is expressed in the fact that authentic materials can
serve as a bundle between the parts of the lesson and contribute to streamlining and
systematization of the training stages. Illustrative visual function is manifested in
18
the fact that authentic materials are a synthesis of all types of visualization (visual,
auditory, motor, mixed, language, situational-model, subject, figurative, etc.), serve
as a means of distant immersion in the natural environment at all stages learning,
thereby partially compensating for its absence. The developmental function is more
expressed in enhancing students' cognitive activity, increasing the role of the
independence factor, developing personality traits such as observation, imagination,
attention, thinking, language memory, development of skills in all types of speech
activity, creative activity of students, which is characterized by knowledge transfer
and skills in a new situation. The educational-heuristic function is realized in
nurturing a sense of respect for the people and culture of the country of the language
being studied, the awareness of anyone unusual, alien, stereotypes arising from the
perception of another culture, the urge to compare the characteristics of the culture
of the country of the studied language and native culture.
The requirements of effective teaching can be heavily connected to geniu
materials. Klikcaya[2004.p.78] define authentic materials as exposure to real
language and use in its own community. Authentic materials are presumed as the
weighle instrument for acquisition knowledge in class. Teachers should use genuine
real materials in order to make his ir her teaching courses to be more effective in
giving important knowledge to learners.
Authentic materials can include grammar books, textbooks and other teaching
materials according to teachers prospective. For example, the ability to use
grammar accurately is important for English learner so that he or she can
communicate in both oral and written way. Texts that they are to write and speak
must be on correct grammar. When they convey the message in foreign language or
in English should be accurate. As well as the message should be understood by
listeners. In teaching process especially grammar textbooks and other published
materials play a huge role. If this materials are used repeatedly the learner can be
demotivated while studying process. To deal with this problem, a teacher can
provide a supplementary materials such as textbooks and other authentic materials
19
to boost interesting grammar. In other words authentic materials transform learning
process.
Morley and Guariento [2001.p.55] claim that the aim of usage of authentic
materials is to proper learners to real life or social life. In other words authentic
materials hugely closes language the gap between classroom. Similarly, Spelleri
[2002.p.90] supports this analysis she thinks that the language which is used in
textbooks are acceptable in a classroom atmosphere whereas requirement of real life.
For example English is different and this difference has not yet closed any textbooks.
Owing to a learner has to cope with the language of brochures office works,
application forms and others. Authentic materials usually describe meaningful and
real language communication. Especially for English language classroom can
facilitate acquisition of knowledge is easier and more interesting.
I believe that learners, who learn English as a foreign language, need to have
access to different materials in order to exploit the language in a natural way. This
can be reached introducing authentic materials in the classroom. As there is rare
opportunity to use the language outside , the classroom is the only place that learners
can practice English. In reality, students learn English but they cannot use the
language, as there is a certain difference between bookish and natural English.
According to Tomlinson [2011.p.35] exposure to authentic texts may help students
to achieve valuable input. Additionally, Swaffar, Arens and Byrnes [1991.p.69]
point out that considering authentic texts as a basis for reading, writing and speaking
is a new shift in language teaching. Wallace [1992.p.145] defines authentic texts as
real-life texts, not written for pedagogic purposes. These are texts which provide
students with opportunity to get to know the real life materials and learn authentic
use of language. According to McGrath [2002.p.98], authenticity is considered to be
essential in learning environment, because learners feel the taste of outside world
life and also they practice real life activities in safe language learning environment.
Authentic materials may stimulate students, especially adult students to
produce communicative utterances which they will be able to use in real world, as
Nuttal [1996.p.172] describes “authentic texts can be motivating because they are
20
proof that the language is used for real-life purposes by real people”. Additionally,
authentic materials provide students with valuable input and allow them to receive
various things that suit to their interlanguage system [Gilmore, 2007.97-118]. Using
authentic materials can be very motivating and stimulating in language learning
process, even though there are some issues like difficult vocabulary, too many
complex sentence structures or some materials can be specific only to the certain
culture [Berardo, 2006.p.87]. However, exploiting authentic materials for learning
purposes is not welcomed by Widdowson [1998.p.54] and he argues against using
them in the classroom, as there is no real context to authenticate the language.
Therefore, it is essential to select appropriate authentic reading or listening texts
while designing materials, they should be rich and varied in content [Tomlinson,
2011.p.32], satisfy learners’ needs, relevant to learners’ level and syllabus, culturally
appropriate, easily exploitable and readable [McGrath, 2002.p.90, Nuttal,
1996.p.41].
2.2 Experience in using authentic material in EFL context
The importance of materials in language teaching and learning has been
extensively acknowledged [McGrath, 2013.p.38]. Teaching materials are a key
instrument in most language courses. Language teaching throughout the world
today could not be more successful without the extensive use of commercial
materials [Richards, 2001.p.70].
As I mentioned above authentic materials are among the most important tools
a teacher can and must use in class in order to make his/her teaching go smoothly
and be effective in transmitting the necessary knowledge to all students. A number
of studies point out that the use of authentic materials is regarded a useful means to
motivate learners, arouse their interest and expose them to the real language they
will face in the real world
The use of authentic materials in EFL classes is not new, because teachers started
using them in the 1970s as a result of the spread of the Communicative Language
Teaching Approach. Martinez [2002.p.98] defines authentic materials as the
21
materials which are prepared for native speakers and not designed to be used for
teaching purposes. Nowadays, preparing students for real life situations is of utmost
concern for English language teachers, especially in EFL classes.
Since last year I have been working at the school. In my first year of EFL
teaching, I wasn’t aware of the advantages of using authentic materials in the
classroom.
Like many teachers, I was emotionally attached to the dreaded grammatical
syllabus and turning pages in course books. I mostly taught lower level learners early
on in my career. However, there was such a range of authentic materials I could have
brought to the table. For instance, I could have exploited songs, posters, flyers,
menus and video and audio advertising. Planning the odd class around such authentic
materials would have broken up the monotony of using course books and boosted
my students’ motivation levels.
In general, authentic materials which I have been using during my lessons are
audio, print and video materials that have not been designed for deliberate use in the
English language classroom. Authentic materials may fall into two main categories
– print and auditory.
Let’s check out some examples of authentic materials from each category:
22
What is authentic discourse?
In his 2011 paper, “I prefer Not Text”: Developing Japanese Learners’
Communicative Competence with Authentic Materials, Alex Gilmore picks out a
definition of authentic discourse that Keith Morrow made back in 1977:
“a stretch of real language, produced by a real speaker or writer for a real
audience and designed to convey a real message of some sort”
Hence, stretches of “real language”, for instance, from political speeches and
audio advertising, are wholly detached from the contrived discourse often found in
course books. The purpose of an authentic text is to communicate information. In
contrast, “imaginary” texts and dialogues found in textbooks tend to illustrate and
expose specific language points.
The problems with course books and contrived discourse in EFL classrooms
During my practice, I was oblivious to the wide-ranging advantages of using
authentic materials with students .Unfortunately, I couldn’t tear myself away from
the course books and contrived discourse. That’s right. I was afraid to step out of
my comfort zone. I now know that writers come up with this contrived discourse to
23
illustrate specific points in linearly designed structural syllabuses. Hence, authors’
intuitions produce misleading models of the target language.
Take a look at these two contrived auditory samples from the fourth edition of New
Headway Upper Intermediate [2014]. I’ll make some comments underneath them.
Sample 1

I don’t even have to listen to the recordings to know that the intonation used by
A and B is shamefully artificial. There’s too much politeness and formality

An abundance of exclamation marks smacks of artificiality and contrivance

A and B have known each other for a few seconds yet they speak to each other
as if they’re lifelong friends. Look at the use of the personal pronoun you and
the part joke, part direct command, “You can complain if you want.”
The follow up exercise (see below) suggests that the exercise has an agenda – for
students to recognize word stress. The authors don’t intend to convey a real
meaning.
24
25
Sample 2
The repetition of “Luciana” is very unnatural

Anna introduces Henry to Luciana in such a long-winded and overly polite
fashion

Shortened utterances and sentences; fewer clauses
Simplification in coursebooks
Browse a range of ELT coursebooks and you will notice the traditional strategy
they use – simplification. Writers simplify input by making syntactic and
morphological adjustments in speaking and writing. These changes include fewer
26
clauses, adherence to canonical word order (SVO – subject-verb-object) and
shortened sentences/utterances.
Regarding phonology, native speakers tend to address non-native speakers
unnaturally in coursebook dialogues. For instance, they tend to use more careful
articulation, slower speech rate, less contractions and artificial stress and pauses to
emphasise key words.
Mishan [2005.p.23] makes the point that, by ‘simplifying’ and shortening texts,
coursebook writers may banish elements vital to comprehension. Put simply,
coursebook writers impoverish learners’ input! My biggest concern is that
simplification sends the erroneous message that ‘every word in a text is significant’.
[Young, 1999.p.361, in Mishan, 2005.p.24].
Coursebooks avoid non-standard spoken forms
Coursebook writers tend to stick blindly to a structural syllabus that’s been around
for decades. One example to back up my assertion is the almost pointless teaching
of passives.
Look at the examples below, from New Headway Upper Intermediate [2014] once
again:
Passive tense aspects are not common in spoken English. Frankly, I’m not sure
I’ve ever uttered a sentence that contains a future perfect passive or past perfect
27
passive. So, why don’t coursebooks teach the get passive, which IS common in
informal spoken English?
Here are some example sentences with the get passive:
1. Jane finally got promoted after several years of hard work (‘get promoted’ =
extremely common)
2. Unfortunately, my fruit trees got damaged in the wind yesterday
3. They had only known each other for a few months when they got married in New
York City last month
4. My father got sacked last week
5. Our car got stolen last night
All in all, I believe that the get passive should be treated lexically, rather than
grammatically. Indeed, phrases like get promoted play a lexical-communicative role
in communication – not a grammatical role.
Conclusion
The authenticity of the materials is an essential element of authentic education.
By authentic materials, we mean materials created by native speakers for both native
speakers and learners, looking and sounding authentic, presented in text, video,
audio, and illustrations.
Authentic materials enable learners to interact with the real language and
content rather than the form. Learners feel that they are learning a target language as
it is used outside the classroom. Considering this, it may not be wrong to say that at
any level authentic materials should be used to complete the gap between the
competency and performance of the language learners, which is a common problem
among the nonnative speakers. This requires the language patterns being put into
practice in real life situations. Since learning about a culture is not accepting it and
28
the role of the culture in the materials is just to create learner interest towards the
target language, there should be a variety of culture in the materials, not a specific
one.
These materials can be used both in classes and for the practice of oral speech,
both for classroom work and for homework and independent work of students, given
the openness of access to them, the possibility of organizing and participating in
online discussions, as well as the existence of many other forms of control tasks.
Distributing authentic materials in class might cause students to believe they
are being treated as ‘native speakers’. Therefore, their confidence levels rise and
their overall learning experience is enhanced.
Low level learners can approach genres such as the television news bulletin with
confidence. Learners should be familiar with the presentation and format of the news
bulletin, mostly owing to its use of visual images. Instructors should teach low level
learners how to recognise proper nouns (people and places) and ‘international’
words (e.g. airport, terrorism). Moreover, teachers should encourage learners to
contribute their own knowledge about items in the news
The use of authentic materials attracts interest to the subject, contributes to the
development of all types of speech activity in the lesson, students express their
opinion, discuss what they see, and discuss on one topic or another. In addition, they
get acquainted with the peculiarities of the country of the studied language, listen to
the speech of native speakers.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that correctly chosen authentic
materials not only prepare students to use the language outside of the classroom
through integrated skills, but also it promotes critical and creative thinking skills
which are essential for real life.
29
The list of used literature
1. Resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on measures of
further improving the activities of secondary special, professional education
institutions of March 14, 2017.
2. Presidential degree dated May 19, 2021 № PQ – 5117 “On putting the system
of popularizing foreign learning in Uzbekistan to a new level.
3. Azri R. H. A., Al – Rashdi, M.H. The Effect Of Using Authentic Materials.
4. In Teaching. International Journal Of Scientific & Technology Research
Volume 3, Issue 10, October 2014.
5. Bim – Bad B. M. Pedagogical encyclopedic dictionary. - M., 2002.
6. Benjamin and Jacobs. Periodicals for children: Literature / Benjamin. - M.,
1802.p.15.
7. Belaid A. M., Murray, L. Using Authentic Materials in the Foreign Language
Classrooms: Teacher Attitudes and Perceptions in Libyan Universities.
International Journal of Learning & Development ISSN 2164-4063 2015, Vol.
5, No. 3.
8. Bigelow.
The
organization
of
educational
process:
Teaching
languages1999.p.206
9. 10.Breen M. P. Bax. Authenticity in the Classroom / M.P. Breen // Applied
Linguistics. 1985. No. 6/1.
10.Delhaxhe A. (ed.). Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe 2012
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. EACEA, Eurydice,
Eurostat. - Brussels: Eurydice, 2012. -- 174 p. - ISBN 978-92-9201- 273-1.
11.Donovan M., Bransford J., Pellegrino J. How people learn: Bridging research
and practice / M. Donovan, J. Bransford, J., J. Pellegrino. Washington DC:
National Academy Press. 1999.
12.Efremova T. F. New dictionary of the Russian language. Interpretative / T.F.
Efremova. Vii. M.: Russian language. 2000.
13.Heidegger M. Being and Time: trans. V.V. Bibikhin. M., 1997.
14.Hayes A. Cambridge Checkpoints VCE English Units 3 and 4. 2013.
30
15.Hofmann H. Zur Integration von literarischen Texten in einem kommunikativen
Sprachunterricht. In: Authentische Texte im DU / H. Hofmann. München:
Hueber Verlag. 1985.
16.Haley Concreate abstaraction/ Haley, 2009. No. 09.
17.Halperin. Media text, its features and types //2000. No. 139.
18.Krichevskaya K. S. Pragmatic materials to introduce students with the culture
and habitat of the inhabitants of the country of the studied language // IYASH.
1996.
19.34. Shulgina E. M. Authenticity as one of the methodological conditions
formation of foreign language communicative competence of students by means
of web-quest technology // Language and culture. 2013. No. 2.
20.35. Tatsuki Soars L. New Headway. Pre-Intermediate. Oxford University Press.
2006.p.56.
21.36. Tomlinson B., Musuhara H. Developing cultural awareness. MET, 13 (1),
1-7 (2011).
22.37. L. English for Science and Technology. A Discourse Approach. / L.
Trimble. NY: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
23.http://www.asia-u.ac.jp/english/cele/articles/MatsutaAuthentic_Mat.htm
24.47.moluch,ru
Appendix
31
Activity Put the verbs in brackets into the correct future form:
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33