Universidad de Costa Rica
Sede Rodrigo Facio
Facultad de Letras
Escuela de Lenguas Modernas
Using the Task-Based Approach and Authentic Videos to Improve Listening
and Speaking in a Group of Intermediate EFL Learners at the UCR
Conversation English Program
Memoria de Práctica Dirigida para
Optar por el grado de Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa
Verónica Oguilve Araya
Carné A03039
2010
i
Tribunal Examinador
______________________
______________________
Dra. Gilda Pacheco Acuña
Presidente del Tribunal
Magistra Mayra Solís Hernández
Directora de la Práctica Dirigida
______________________
M.A. Xinia Rodríguez Ramírez
Lectora
______________________
Magister César Navas Brenes
Lector
______________________
Dr. Allen Quesada Pacheco
Lector
______________________
Verónica Oguilve Araya
Sustentante
ii
Dedicatoria
Dedico este trabajo a mi familia por su amor y apoyo incondicional a través de
toda mi vida y esta experiencia.
“La familia es la brújula que nos guía. Ellos son la inspiración para alcanzar
grandes alturas y nuestro consuelo cuando ocasionalmente flaqueamos”
-- Brad Henry
iii
Acknowledgements
It is a pleasure to thank the people who made this work possible.
I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Mayra Solís Hernández for her
invaluable assistance, support, and guidance. Her acts of kindness and
professionalism inspired me to do my best.
I am indebted to my friends Carolina Chan and Juan Carlos Bonilla who were
willing to lend me a hand despite their extremely busy schedules.
iv
Table of Contents
Tribunal Examinador ................................................................................................ ii
Dedicatoria ................................................................................................................. iii
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iv
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... v
Resumen ................................................................................................................. vii
Abstract ................................................................................................................. viii
CHAPTER I ................................................................................................................ 1
Background and Justification .................................................................................. 1
General Objective .................................................................................................... 4
Specific Objectives ................................................................................................... 4
Chapter II ................................................................................................................... 5
Review of Literature ................................................................................................. 5
Chapter III ................................................................................................................ 16
Context of the Study ............................................................................................... 16
Participants ............................................................................................................ 16
Instruments and Procedures .................................................................................. 18
Procedures ............................................................................................................. 19
Chapter IV ................................................................................................................ 23
Results .................................................................................................................... 23
Chapter V.................................................................................................................. 43
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 43
Recommendation .................................................................................................... 45
References ................................................................................................................. 46
Appendices ................................................................................................................ 51
Appendix A ............................................................................................................. 53
Appendix B ............................................................................................................. 55
Appendix C ............................................................................................................. 56
Appendix D ............................................................................................................. 57
Appendix E ............................................................................................................. 58
Appendix F ............................................................................................................. 59
Appendix G ............................................................................................................. 60
v
Appendix H ............................................................................................................. 62
Appendix I .............................................................................................................. 63
vi
Resumen
Para el docente de inglés como lengua extranjera es frecuente enfrentar el dilema de
la correcta integración de la comprensión auditiva y de la expresión oral en el
proceso de aprendizaje en sus aulas ya que tradicionalmente en los enfoques usados
se tiende a separar las macro-destrezas. Esto obstaculiza la interacción oral en las
situaciones de la vida real de los y las estudiantes. Con el fin de establecer una
conexión entre la comprensión auditiva y la expresión oral se realizó el presente
estudio donde se utilizaron materiales auténticos dentro del Enfoque de Tareas para
simular escenarios reales. Con este objetivo se escogió un grupo de 16 estudiantes de
nivel intermedio bajo de los Cursos de Conversación Inglesa de la Universidad de
Costa Rica para impartirles un curso donde se utilizaran videos auténticos y se
llevaran a cabo tareas de la vida real relacionadas con estos videos. Para la
recolección de información se utilizaron encuestas, grabaciones de video/audio y un
cuestionario. Por la implementación del Enfoque de Tareas usando videos auténticos
como tarea modelo, fue claro que los estudiantes de nivel intermedio reprodujeron
poco vocabulario y expresiones del video en la tarea, pero mejoraron en fluidez en el
idioma debido a que se estableció un contexto, un propósito y un público meta, los
cuales son elementos esenciales en la comunicación real.
vii
Abstract
English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers normally cope with the
dilemma of the appropriate integration of listening and speaking skills in the
process of teaching English because of the segregated skill methodology in
the traditional approaches. This lack of integration hinders students’ oral
communication performance in real situations. Therefore, this research study
proposes the use the Task-Based Approach supplemented by authentic videos
in the pre-task phase to establish a connection between these two skills. A
group of sixteen students from the University of Costa Rica English
Conversation Program were chosen as the subjects of this study. Three datacollection instruments were used: surveys, recorded observations, and a
questionnaire. After the implementation of the methodology used, the results
clearly suggest that these lower intermediate students were able to reproduce
a limited number of words and formulaic sequences. However, they improved
their fluency since three key elements in oral communication were included
in the process: a context, a purpose and an audience.
viii
CHAPTER I
Many English teaching methods have been implemented through time with the
ultimate purpose of facilitating the language learning process. Aspects such as teaching goals,
teaching techniques as well as students’ and teachers’ roles have changed to meet the needs of
a specific time period. For example, Larsen-Freeman (2000) states that the GrammarTranslation method was first used merely to help students read and appreciate foreign
language literature. For this purpose, the teacher was the authority, students relied on the
comparison of the first language (L1) and second language (L2), and vocabulary and grammar
were central in the learning process. Later on, the Audio-Lingual method emerged as an oralbased approach to teaching with the purpose of promoting communication. Learning a
language was said to be a process of habit formation through shaping and reinforcement.
Grammar was built-in by models provided by the teacher, and students were supposed to learn
to communicate through imitation and repetition (Larsen-Freeman, 2000, p. 45).
Background and Justification
Currently, students must meet the needs of a globalized world; this circumstance
implies learning and being able to speak English proficiently to facilitate communication in
different areas. In fact, according to Ryan (2006) “one of the defining features of globalization
is its capacity to overcome obstacles of time and distance. . . globalization could not happen
without its own language, and that language is unquestionably English” (p. 28). English has
evolved into a linguistic hegemony that requires students to use it as a whole for academic,
labor and social purposes. Therefore, students should master not only reading and writing but
1
also listening and speaking. These new communicative needs are met through the use of
communicative approaches to teaching such as the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
and Task-Based Approach (TBA) which emphasize the use of the language in a contextualized
and meaningful manner. In addition, these approaches integrate the four skills to promote
effective communication because people usually develop these skills interwoven. It is
uncommon to acquire a macro skill in isolation in real life. Using a language, even if it is an
L1, implies a strong and unavoidable connection between skills.
Even though teachers around the world often make a great effort to incorporate the four
skills in the EFL classroom, there is still a tendency to include them separately and to use only
pedagogical input, which refers to exercises especially created or adapted for classroom use
which do not mirror authentic language use. Su (2007) says that “the traditional approach to
teaching English as a second or foreign language in Taiwan has been to teach reading, writing,
speaking and listening—the four language skills—separately” (p. 28). This situation has also
been present in my experience as an EFL teacher in the Conversation Program at the
University of Costa Rica since the traditional approaches of teaching in which the four skills
are taught in isolation have shaped my teaching style. Moreover, the textbooks that I have
used have been created using these approaches which lack the integration of skills in a realistic
manner, even less when it comes to listening and speaking. In this program, for example, I
have used textbooks that are rooted in traditional teaching methods. Even though they seem to
include the four skills in an integrated form, they fail in integrating them naturally. To
illustrate this, in Skyline 3, which is the textbook used for level 5 lower intermediate students
(see appendix A for the course’s program), the activities are focused on listening
comprehension only and real-life speaking is not encouraged. In fact, in this video activity
2
book students are required just to recall facts about what they have just watched but no
exercises lead to real communication, information exchange or negotiation of meaning, among
other real-life tasks (see Appendix B). A typical exercise in this textbook which shows that
there is no integration of skills is to watch the video and complete some items. This type of
exercise asks the students to read phrases, mark the ones they discern from the video and
finally, check their answers with other classmates. This activity can be done successfully
without speaking. Evidently, this type of exercise does not reflect the use of the language for
its ultimate goal, which is communication. Furuta (2002) states that “language [in this type of
class] is taught as an ‘entity’ quite divorced from communication and practical use” (p. 6). In
addition, most of the videos are scripted and rehearsed which makes them look unreal and
uninteresting. Therefore, I have tried to compensate for this deficiency by looking for different
authentic materials for listening and providing students with extra opportunities for speaking
in a more real context.
However, I usually hear students from my class say that they still have difficulties
transferring knowledge acquired in class to real-life interactions. Some of my students have
stated that whenever they interact with English speakers, they are able to understand almost
everything, but they are unable to respond and interact actively. This situation does not happen
exclusively to my students; in fact, Qiumei (n.d.) states that EFL Chinese students who
currently study in Australia report that they have difficulties with listening comprehension,
maintaining a conversation and expressing themselves, even though they have already passed
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language
Testing System (IELTS), which are used to assess student language proficiency at an
advanced level (p. 3). These cases illustrate that the lack of exposure to authentic listening and
3
speaking tasks in the EFL class hinders oral interactions in real-life situations. Consequently,
the purpose of this research study was to use authentic listening materials within the TaskBased Approach to create a connection between listening and speaking in a real-life manner.
Therefore, the objectives of this study are the following:
General Objective
To implement authentic listening materials within the Task-Based Approach to enhance
real communication in an intermediate EFL course.
Specific Objectives
1. To determine the strategies that the students used while listening and speaking at the
beginning and at the end of the course.
2. To verify if the students used formulaic sequences (collocations, idiomatic expressions
and fillers) present in the listening activities to complete a speaking task.
3. To compare the performance of the students in a speaking task at the beginning of the
course to their performance at the end of the course.
This research aimed at determining if the Task-Based Approach, supplemented by the
use of authentic listening materials, helped intermediate students transfer information from a
video to a speaking task. Hopefully, students would improve their oral performance due to the
use of lexical sequences and imitation of patterns of communication used in a specific
speaking genre. However, the results did not confirm this claim as expected, but students
improved in other major areas, which contributed to more effective learning.
4
Chapter II
Review of Literature
Based on the fact that the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are used
in an integrated form in the real world, attempts to achieve this integration have been made in
the EFL classroom lately (Furuta, 2002; Almarza, 2000; Oxford, 2001). Indeed, Furuta (2002)
says that many linguists state that learning a second language should be similar to learning the
first language in terms of the connection of the four skills (p. 11). In a recent study,
Matsumoto and O'Donnell (2008) recommend using videos together with explicit instruction
to bridge the gap between listening and speaking. This initiative responds to the assumption
that “although a great deal of language can be learned implicitly, simply through exposure,
using that method alone is slow and inefficient” (Ellis, as cited in Matsumoto & O'Donnell,
2008, p. 3). To address the relationship between listening and speaking, these authors have
established the following set of procedures. First, the teachers give a general introduction to
the videos before showing them, discuss them, and offer students exercises to confirm
comprehension. Soon after, students create oral presentations related to the videos they have
seen. Matsumoto and O'Donnell draw a major conclusion from putting these procedures into
practice:
Limiting students to reviewing one clip repeatedly seeking perfect
comprehension will not be profitable for language learning in the long run.
Rather than concentrate too long on one clip, it is better to expose the
students to many clips, even full movies. Repeated exposure to language
made understandable in a variety of situations is the best way for students to
acquire that language (Matsumoto & O'Donnell, 2008, p. 13).
5
In other words, videos engage students in real listening activities and create a listening
purpose that motivates them. However, it is a fact that these traditional listeningcomprehension activities in which the student is asked to fully understand the content of just
one video limits his/her exposure to different language input about the same subject matter. In
real life, listening has a central role in English-speaking settings; in fact, “through the normal
course of the day, listening is used nearly twice as much as speaking and four to five times as
much as reading and writing” (Rivers, as cited in Van Duzer, 1997, p. 3). Consequently, these
activities are not useful for training students to cope with listening experiences outside the
classroom. Richards and Rodgers (2001) state that “language learning is believed to depend on
immersing students not merely in 'comprehensible input' but in tasks that require them to
negotiate meaning and engage in naturalistic and meaningful communication” (p. 223).
Although Matsumoto and O'Donnell’s study seemed to integrate listening and speaking to
prepare students for real communication, there was no correspondence between what the
students listened to in the videos and what they performed in the production stage. In fact, the
link between the video and the task was not authentic and meaningful since it was based on
creating a written summary of the plot and then reporting it without using their notes. The
strategy of meaning negotiation was not exploited at all, and this is a crucial component for
language use as suggested above by Richards and Rodgers (2001).
Learning strategies are defined as “specific actions taken by the learner to make
learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, and more transferable to new
situations” (Oxford, as cited in Richards, 1995). The strategies that students use for listening
and speaking are critical in second language acquisition because they determine student ability
to overcome problems in oral communication. Following this line of thought, Nakatani (2006)
6
states that “given that EFL learners frequently face language difficulties during their
communication in English, they have no choice but to use strategies to compensate for their
lack of proficiency” (p. 161). In this study, Nakatani (2006) explains the following strategies
for listening:
Negotiation for Meaning Strategies while Listening: When these learners have
listening problems in interaction, they use modified interaction to maintain
their conversational goal with speakers. They repeat what the speaker said or
make clarification requests in order to understand the speaker’s intentions.
Fluency-Oriented Strategies: These learners tend to pay attention to the
fluency of conversational flow. They focus on the speaker’s rhythm,
intonation, and pronunciation to capture his or her intentions, send
continuation signals, ask the speaker to give examples, and use circumlocution
to show how well they understand in order to continue smooth interaction.
Scanning Strategies: In order to get some hints about a speaker’s intentions,
these listeners, focus on specific points of speech and the first part of the
speaker’s utterance, in which important information is usually contained.
Getting the Gist: These learners pay attention to general information contained
in speech rather than to specific utterances which is useful for understanding
what their interlocutor is saying by activating their schemata of background
information
Less Active Listener Strategies: These students try to translate into their
native language little by little and depend heavily on familiar words.
(Nakatani, 2006, pp.156-157)
7
In the case of speaking, Nakatani (2006) describes social-affective strategies, fluencyoriented strategies, accuracy-oriented strategies, message reduction and alteration strategies,
message abandonment strategies, and the attempt to think in English. Nakatani (2006) explains
these factors:
Social-Affective Strategies: These learners try to control their own anxiety
and enjoy the process of oral communication; they are willing to encourage
themselves to use English and to risk making mistakes and behave socially in
such a way as to give a good impression and avoid silence during interaction.
Fluency-Oriented Strategies: These students pay attention to the rhythm,
intonation, pronunciation, and clarity of their speech to improve the listener’s
comprehension; also, they consider their speaking context and take their time
in order not to send inappropriate messages to their interlocutors.
Accuracy-Oriented Strategies: These learners pay attention to forms of their
speech and seek grammatical accuracy by self-correcting when they notice
their mistakes.
Message Reduction and Alteration Strategies: These learners avoid a
communication breakdown by reducing an original message, simplifying their
utterances, or using similar expressions that they can use confidently even
though they sometimes realize that the utterance is far from their
communication goal.
Message Abandonment Strategies: When these EFL learners face difficulties
executing their original verbal plan, they tend to give up their attempt to
8
communicate, leave the message unfinished, or seek help from others to
continue the conversation.
Attempt to Think in English: These learners show a tendency to think in
English, and they show a negative attitude toward thinking in their native
language and then constructing the English sentence. (Nakatani, 2006, pp.155156)
Determining the use of listening and speaking strategies helps teachers to
identify the weaknesses and strengths that students have when coping with
difficulties in the oral performance, which might reflect their difficulties in real-world
interactions. Regarding speaking proficiency, Willis (1996) states that in language
schools “students pass their examinations successfully, yet they cannot cope with a
conversation with a fluent speaker” (p. 4). He explains that this happens because
much of their exposure consists of written language at the sentence level, and they are
used to reading textbook exercises and carefully listening to scripted dialogues.
Moreover, the only real spoken interactions they have is instruction-focused teacher
talk. By using these types of input, teacher talk and carefully scripted dialogues,
students get a wrong notion of speaking as the construction of perfect sentences,
whereas what actually occurs in authentic communication is the opposite. In fact,
“textbook simplification might create less than ideal conditions since the language is
often altered; this can cause meaningful communication and important context to be
lost . . . . [Therefore,] stiff formal English language may not apply to a real-language
situation (Gower, as cited in Shu-Chin, 2009, p. 174). Native speakers usually
“abbreviate the message and produce incomplete sentences or clauses” to facilitate
9
the oral production (Bygate, 1987, p. 14). They also use speaking devices to smooth
the process of communication, which are not addressed by textbook exercises.
According to Bygate (1987) and Nakatani (2006), the use of formulaic expressions,
ellipsis, fillers and hesitation devices provide time for deciding what to say, how to
say it, actually stating the message and checking if the message was conveyed
appropriately. These formulaic sequences have been previously implemented within
the EFL curriculum to help students be more proficient when speaking. Boers,
Eyckmans, Kappel, Stengers, and Demecheleer (2006) used the Lexical Approach to
help students notice the formulaic sequences. They exposed two Belgium college
groups (experimental and control) to the same authentic language input (audio, video
and textual). According to Boers et al. (2006), the results of this study showed that
“the experimental students benefited from their enhanced awareness of L2 formulaic
sequences especially by turning it into a strategic advantage through taking in and
‘recycling’ word combinations to which they had only just been exposed” (p. 257).
Still, these authors recognize that there must be a shift from replicating what students
had just listened to into more active phrase learning in order to use the phrases in
other contexts. As for the control group who was instructed by focusing on individual
words and grammar patterns, their overall oral proficiency was not as good as the
experimental group.
An aspect that positively affects EFL learners’ proficiency in real contexts is
the use of authentic materials in the class. Exposing students to real language use in
the appropriate contexts is essential in EFL classrooms. Indeed, several authors
(Kilickaya, Martinez, Morrison, Peacock, Karpova, Katchen, Hwang, Kelly &
10
Vorland, Offner, as cited in Shu-Chin, 2009) have stated that using materials that
have not been manipulated for classroom use have many advantages. Authentic
materials provide exposure to real language, life-like scenarios and are related more
closely to students’ needs since they include a wide variety of text types and language
styles not easily found in traditional teaching materials. These authors also believe
that authentic materials have a positive effect on increasing students’ motivation and
make learning more enjoyable because they significantly enliven the ESL class,
expose students to cultural features, and generate a deeper understanding and interest
in the topic. Authentic materials are realistic, relevant, and trigger the process of
natural language acquisition. In other words, authentic materials provide a valuable
support and become a bridge between the classroom and the real world.
The importance of using authentic materials is that they provide a realistic model and
language input which show a real context for language use, a purpose and an audience. In
addition, Furuta (2002) states that second language teaching “should parallel first language
learning and use by focusing primarily on meaning, purpose and context of language use, not
on linguistic forms” (p. 11).
Regarding integration of skills, Oxford (2001) points out the direction in which
language-teaching experts have been moving in recent years, from the segregated-skill
approach to the integrated approach. Integrating skills is the major challenge in language
teaching, so approaches such as the Task-Based Approach are used to encourage people to use
language skills in normal communication (Willis, as cited in Córdoba & Navas, 2009). In fact,
in the Task-Based approach, a task which is “an activity in which a person engages in order to
11
attain an objective, and which necessitates the use of language,” (Van den Branden, 2006, p.
4) promotes a natural integration of skills to accomplish an objective.
Seven principles underlie this approach according to Nunan (2006):
Principle 1. Scaffolding: Lesson and materials should provide supporting
frameworks within which the learning takes place. At the beginning of the
learning process, learners should not be expected to produce language that has
not been introduced either explicitly or implicitly.
Principle 2. Task dependency: Within a lesson, one task should grow out of,
and build upon, the ones that have gone before.
Principle 3. Recycling: Recycling language maximizes opportunities for
learning and activates the ‘organic’ learning principle.
Principle
4. Active learning: Students learn best by actively using the
language they are learning.
Principle 5. Integration: Learners should be taught in ways that make clear
the relationships between linguistic form, communicative function and
semantic meaning.
Principle 6. Reproduction to creation: Learners should be encouraged to
move from reproductive to creative language use.
Principle 7. Reflection: Learners should be given opportunities to reflect on
what they have learned and how well they are doing (pp. 35-37).
In addition, Willis (1996) states that there are specific components of the Task-Based
Approach within the pre-task, task and post-task which are the following:
12
PRE-TASK PHASE: Introduction to the topic and task
Teacher explores the topic with the class, highlights useful words and phrases,
and helps learners understand task instructions and prepare for [it]. Learners
may hear [sic] a recording of others doing a similar task, or read part of a text
as lead in to a task.
TASK CYCLE
Task: Students do the task, in pairs or small groups. Teacher monitors from a
distance, encouraging all attempts at communication, not correcting. Since
this situation has a "private" feel, students feel free to experiment. Mistakes
don't matter.
Planning: Students prepare to report to the whole class (orally or in writing)
how they did the task, what they decided or discovered. Since the report stage
is public, students will naturally want to be accurate, so the teacher stands by
to give language advice.
Report: Some groups present their reports to the class, or exchange written
reports, and compare results. Teacher acts as a chairperson, and she/he then
comments on the content of the reports.
LANGUAGE FOCUS
Analysis: Students examine and then discuss specific features of the text or
transcript of the recording. They can enter new words, phrases and patterns in
vocabulary books.
Practice: Teacher conducts practice of new words, phrases, and patterns
occurring in the data, either during or after the Analysis. (Willis, 1996, p. 38)
13
Teachers have recently implemented the Task-Based Approach successfully to
integrate skills such as reading, writing and speaking by having the students carry out
objective-oriented activities. For example, in the pre-task stage, students use a reading that
serves as a model, setting a writing purpose, creating a context and making relevant language
input available. Then, they carry out a written task where their success is measured by the
achievement of the task. In order to complete the task effectively, students exchange
information orally, negotiate meaning and express opinions through using the target language
naturally. However, this integration of writing and speaking has been proven to happen when
they are given a text as the model, but in regard to listening, Boston (2008) reports that
“playing pre-task recordings may not result in low-level learners focusing on and employing
specific language features from the audio input, unless the teachers explicitly draw learner
attention to these features” (p. 72). In other words, Boston states that along with the TaskBased approach principles, there is no relationship between the listening activity and the
speaking task if language items have not been pointed out. Nevertheless, these conclusions
were drawn from a limited number of listening excerpts and tasks. The fact that the
participants were low-level learners may respond to the lack of autonomy to listen, assimilate
and use the language present in the listening activities.
The Task-Based Approach actually represents a practical means to accomplish
the integration of skills if used with the appropriate materials and procedures..Willis
(1996) states that following a Task-Based cycle, “teachers naturally foster combinations
of skills depending upon the task . . . [and] the skills form an integral part of the process
of achieving the task goals” (p. 25). The sequence starts with a pre-task stage where
students are exposed to a sample or topic-related material. Therefore, this phase
14
represents “an input which they will inevitably reshape via application of general
cognitive processing capabilities . . . [and thus] new form-function relationships in the
target language are perceived by the learner as a result” (Long & Crookes, as cited in
Van den Branden, 2006, p. 5). At this stage, students should acknowledge and adopt
formulaic sequences such as fillers, functions, collocations, idioms, and other devices.
Then, they go through the actual task, which is goal-directed, and most importantly, it is
focused on performance rather than on a pre-selected linguistic element.
The discussion above has emphasized that the integration of the four macro skills
has often been neglected by many teachers. One of the main causes for this issue is that
many instructors rely only on textbooks which do not present real-life tasks where
listening and speaking are integrated. Thus, this study intends to use the Task-Based
Approach to improve oral communication and the integration of these skills through the
use of authentic videos in the class.
15
Chapter III
Method
Context of the Study
This research study took place in a conversation course at the University of
Costa Rica (UCR) as part of the English as a foreign language (EFL) Conversation
Extension Program (see Appendix A for the course program and C for the chronogram).
The aim of this course is to foster oral communication (listening and speaking as central
to the curriculum). Since the main objective of this study deals with these two skills,
one of these conversation courses represented the most appropriate setting for this
project. In fact, in these courses, a strong emphasis is given to oral tasks and listening
exams; as a matter of fact, thirty percent of the total grade is assigned to the completion
of an impromptu final speaking task.
This program is sponsored by the Community Affairs Department of the ViceChancellor’s office at the University of Costa Rica; the primary objective of this
department is to fulfill some of the community needs. Therefore, cultural, academic and
social projects are created to satisfy the needs of the country. In this specific case, the
EFL Conversation Courses Program intends to prepare individuals to use English
efficiently to cope with the challenges of a globalized world.
Participants
This research study was carried out with a group of 16 intermediate students (8
males and 8 females). Three students hold a university degree in the field of
engineering, one in criminology, and the others are active students in a higher education
16
institution. Their reasons for participating in the program were for social, educational
and work-related purposes. For instance, some students enrolled in the program just for
the sake of learning another language and interacting with English speakers; others were
there because learning English is highly valued in the workforce.
All the students are intermediate learners according to the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Therefore, the expected general
linguistic characteristics of lower intermediate students (B1) are the following:
B1 plus: Has a sufficient range of language to describe unpredictable
situations, explain the main points in an idea or problem with reasonable
precision and express thoughts on abstract or cultural topics such as music and
films.
B1 minus: Has enough language to get by, with sufficient vocabulary to
express him/herself with some hesitation and circumlocutions on topics such
as family, hobbies and interests, work, travel and current events, but lexical
limitations cause repetition and even difficulty with formulation at times.
(Common European Framework, n. d, p 110.)
This category (B1) implies that the students’ language proficiency includes mastering
basic verb tenses, in addition to the continuous and perfect forms as well as varied vocabulary
to express their ideas clearly. However, within the lower intermediate level there are two
levels of expected performance. This division was highly marked in the performance of the
subjects of this research study. Although all of them were intermediate students, some of them
had difficulties with formulation in abstract topics and a lack of vocabulary.
17
Instruments and Procedures
Three data-collection instruments were used in this study from January 23rd to
April 24th which were three surveys (see appendices D, E, F), videotaping and
recording, and a questionnaire in Spanish to recall the strategies they use when learning
English (See appendix G).
The first survey was a self-assessment to find out what students had learned from
the videos and what they had had trouble with when watching different authentic videos
around the same topic. The second survey, which was applied in the middle of the
course, asked students to compare two videos that had different characteristics. The first
one, which was about palmistry (see appendix I, Lesson Plan 7, p. 93), had a single
speaker and written support at certain points. The second one, which was about an
earthquake in Chile (see appendix I, Lesson Plan 8, p. 95), had a strong visual input and
interactions. Finally, the third survey collected information about the use of vocabulary,
phrases in subsequent tasks and imitation of social interactions. Additionally, the
researcher took field notes, videotaped and recorded student performance in most
sessions. The aim was to determine if in the task, the students appropriately reproduced
formulaic sequences, vocabulary, and interaction patterns such as turn-taking which
were shown in the videos during the pre-task stage. In lesson 4, students watched a
video in the pre-task stage that presented job interviews. The purpose was to find out
which interviews were successful and which ones were unsuccessful based on the way
applicants dressed up, interacted, and how they answered the questions they were asked.
Then, in the task stage, students created their résumé and then took turns either being
applicants or interviewers in a role play where they interacted with at least 3 classmates
18
in different turns. Finally, in the post task, the language focus was on asking appropriate
questions related to job interviews. Therefore, students repeated the task, but this time
using preselected questions to ask and more complex vocabulary (see appendix I,
Lesson Plan 4, p. 80). During the course, an average of two videos, which ranged from 1
to 4 minutes, was used per session. In the pre-task stage, the videos were selected based
on the topics of the units or the language points that had to be studied in the course. In
the tasks, students carried out listing, ordering, comparing, problem-solving, sharing
experiences, and creative tasks in relation to the videos.
Finally, a questionnaire was used to determine the students’ strategies used when
listening and speaking. The same questionnaire was administered at the beginning and at
the end of the course (see appendix G). The purpose of this comparison was to find out
if there was a significant change in the use of strategies which would facilitate student
oral communication performance after using the Task-Based Approach to integrate
listening and speaking. This questionnaire was adapted from Nakatani (2006) who
identified the positive and negative strategies that enable students to integrate listening
and speaking for a successful oral performance.
Procedures
This research study adopted a qualitative approach in which the researcher “makes a
knowledge claim based primarily on constructivist perspective (the multiple meanings of
individual experience) with the intent of developing a theory or pattern” (Creswell, 2003, p.
18). In addition, the prolonged engagement and extensive observation, which is the key
element of qualitative research, was central to gaining in-depth understanding of a class (Fasse
19
& Kolodner, 2000, p. 193). This observation period provided revealing insight into opinions,
feelings as well as the strategies used for listening and speaking by a specific group of
students. To accomplish this, different instruments were used on an everyday basis to obtain a
firsthand complete picture of what happened in the classroom from the researcher’s and the
students’ points of view. The gathering of information took place in a natural setting in an
unobtrusive manner and there was involvement of the participants; therefore, knowledge was
enriched as the research study unfolded (Creswell, 2003). The strategies described in each
factor of the questionnaire applied at the beginning and at the end of the course are analyzed
and compared in the results section.
The student teacher was the researcher as well as the one in charge of collecting
information about the strategies and opinions of this intermediate group of EFL
students. This took place under the supervision of a professor from the University of
Costa Rica, who sometimes cooperated by collecting information.
The participants were observed when performing different learning activities and tasks
to determine if using authentic videos within the Task-Based Approach improved listening and
speaking. According to Ellis (2006), in the Task-Based Approach “options selected from the
‘pre-task’ or ‘post-task’ phases are non-obligatory but . . . they can serve a crucial role in
ensuring that the task performance is maximally effective for language development” (p. 20).
Therefore, the tasks used included the three stages: pre-task, task and post-task. In addition,
there was a variety of tasks such as listing, ordering, comparing, problem-solving and sharing
experiences which mirrored what the students would face in real-life English-speaking
settings. For that reason, in addition to the traditional activities carried out in class, this group
of students was exposed to genuine language input through videos and videocasts (digital
20
video), which were carefully selected to address the course contents for lower intermediate
students, B1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(CEFR). The following descriptions refer to the expected audio-visual reception
characteristics of lower intermediate students (B1):
B plus: Can understand a large part of many TV programmes on topics of
personal interest such as interviews, short lectures, and news reports when
delivery is relatively slow and clear.
B minus: Can follow many films in which visuals and action carry much of
the storyline, and which are delivered clearly in straight forward language.
Can catch the main points in TV programmes on familiar topics when delivery
is relatively slow and clear. (Common European Framework, n. d., 71)
Audio-visual resources were used in the classroom because they contained the
appropriate vocabulary and phrases for the genre. For example, for the lesson related to work
(see appendix I, Lesson Plan 4, p. 80), videos presenting interviews were selected to show the
level of formality, together with common lexical sequences to ask questions and express
abilities. Furthermore, students were expected to perceive the patterns of interaction in each
situation.
Students were also expected to assimilate the information in the pre-task stage
(the video) and reproduce it at the task stage creating a link between the two activities.
For instance, in the video Alternative Energy Sources (see appendix I, Lesson Plan 9, p.
98), students listened to the reasons why traditional energy sources are not viable and
the reasons why alternative sources are not practical either in order to create a
controversy. Then, in the task stage each student was given a specific energy type to
21
defend and were asked to think about reasons why other sources (different from the one
they were assigned) were not practical. In order to complete the task, in groups of four,
they had to discuss which source was the best for the future. Based on the Task-Based
Approach principles, the integration of listening and speaking should have occurred
given that the integration of other skills has been confirmed in previous studies after
using the same approach (Willis, 1996; Boston, 2008; Oxford, 2001; Fotos & Ellis,
1991).
22
Chapter IV
Results
The use of students’ strategies at the beginning and at the end of the course
In this research study videos were used in the pre-task stage, followed by related tasks
that would create a link between listening and speaking and improve oral communication. The
results indicate that after the implementation of the Task-Based Approach, supplemented by
the use of authentic videos in the pre-task stage, there were just a few overall changes in the
use of strategies while listening and speaking. This conclusion was drawn from comparing the
data obtained through the survey completed at the beginning and at the end of the course. In
the case of listening, five factors which encompassed related listening strategies were taken
into account:
1. Negotiation of Meaning Strategies 2. Fluency-Oriented Strategies 3. Scanning Strategies 4.
Getting the Gist 5. Less Active Listener Strategies (Nakatani, 2006, p. 156). Figure 1
compares the strategies for listening comprehension used by students at the beginning and at
the end of the course.
23
n: 9
Figure 1. Comparison of Student Strategies Used while Listening at the Beginning
and at the End of a Lower Intermediate EFL Course in the Conversation Program at
UCR (Practicum 2010). Factors: 1. Negotiation of Meaning Strategies 2. FluencyOriented Strategies 3. Scanning Strategies 4. Getting the Gist 5. Less Active Listener
Strategies.
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the
course
Factor 4, getting the gist, refers to the strategies students used for getting the speaker’s
main idea in spite of not understanding every single word. Paying attention to the general idea
is beneficial for English learners since the same strategy is used in their native language. In
fact, speakers do not pay attention to every word but to content words which carry meaning
when they speak in their L1. Table 1 shows that in item 13 of this factor, there were no
significant changes in how students reacted to the inability to understand every single detail,
which is something positive in language learning. In fact, people do not pay attention to every
single word when they participate in a conversation. They pay attention to content words even
in their L1.
24
Table 1
Student Responses to Questions About Strategies for Getting the Gist from Listening Passages
at the Beginning and at the End of an Intermediate EFL Conversation Course at the UCR,
2010
Always &
Almost Always
No Response
Never & Almost
Never
Always &
Almost Always
No Response
Items Regarding Student Strategies for Getting
the Gist
AFTER
Never & Almost
Never
BEFORE
7
2
0
6
2
1
2
7
0
2
7
0
4
5
0
5
4
0
13. I don’t mind if I can’t understand every
single detail.
14. I try to respond to the speaker even when I
don’t understand him/her perfectly.
15. I anticipate what the speaker is going to
say based on the context.
n:9
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the course.
However, in item 14, the students stated that they attempted to reply even though they
did not have a clear idea of what they had heard. This fact results in communication
breakdowns, reduction of turn taking, and eventually, negative effects on students’ selfconfidence and initiative. This interruption of the conversation flow due to their inability to
ask for clarification is negative in their learning process.
Factor 1, negotiation of meaning strategies, deals with how students ask for
clarifications “by daring to show their difficulties in comprehension and implying a need for
the speaker’s help” (Nakatani, 2006, p. 156) when they do not fully comprehend the message
that the speaker is trying to convey. Using a strategy enables students to continue with the
conversation flow. According to Nakatani (2006, p. 156), the opportunities of learning a new
25
language rely on how much students dare to show their difficulties in comprehension to
prevent misunderstandings.
Even though there was not a major change in factor 1 as a whole, there was a specific
change in item 2 in this category (asking the speaker to simplify the language for
understanding). Table 2 presents student responses to this item.
Table 2
Student Responses to Questions About Strategies for Negotiation of Meaning while Listening
at the Beginning and at the End of an Intermediate EFL Conversation Course at the UCR,
2010
Never & Almost
Never
Always & Almost
Always
No Response
AFTER
No Response
1. I ask for repetition when I can’t understand
what the speaker has said.
2. I ask the speaker to use easy words when I
have trouble comprehending something.
3. I ask the speaker to slow down when I can’t
understand what the speaker has said.
4. I make clear to the speaker what I haven’t
been able to understand.
1
8
0
2
7
0
6
3
0
4
5
0
2
7
0
3
6
0
1
8
0
2
7
0
Never & Almost
Never
Items Regarding Student Strategies for
Negotiation of Meaning while Listening
Always & Almost
Always
BEFORE
n:9
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the course
At the beginning, most students never asked the speaker for simplification of language.
This means that they used to play a passive role in listening when they were interacting with a
proficient English speaker. In fact, there might have been important amounts of information
they missed because of not daring to ask for simplification of language. However, at the end of
26
the course, students took risks and asked for clarifications when they were not able to
understand what the speaker said. This was evident in an informal interview with a student
who at the beginning of the course would claim that she did not understand what speakers
said; therefore, she barely participated in conversations. At the end of the course, she became
an active participant in conversations, class discussions and panels.
In the case of speaking, six factors were considered to determine strategies used by the
students when speaking to improve their oral communication. Figure 2 shows the strategies
that students used while speaking at the beginning and at the end of the course.
n: 9
Figure 2. Comparison of Student Strategies Used while Speaking at the Beginning
and at the End of a Lower Intermediate EFL Course in the Conversation Program at
UCR (Practicum 2010). Factors: 1. Social-Affective strategies 2. Fluency-oriented
Strategies 3. Accuracy-oriented Strategies 4. Message Reduction and Alteration
Strategies 5. Message abandonment Strategies 6. Thinking in English.
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the
course
27
Interestingly, there was a positive change in factor 1, which is related to social and
affective factors that have an influence on communication. It shows that students improved on
tolerating anxiety in speaking tasks. Table 3 shows this change.
Table 3
Student Responses to Questions About Strategies for coping with Social-Affective Factors
when Listening to Passages at the Beginning and at the End of an Intermediate EFL
Conversation Course at the UCR, 2010
No Response
Never &
Almost Never
Always &
Almost Always
No Response
1. I actively encourage myself to express what I
want to say.
2. I don’t mind taking risks even though I might
make mistakes.
3. I try to use expressions that I have heard.
Always &
Almost Always
Items Regarding Student Strategies for Coping
with Social-Affective Factors
AFTER
Never &
Almost Never
BEFORE
1
7
1
1
8
0
2
6
1
2
7
0
0
9
0
0
9
0
n:9
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the course
In items 1 and 2, students stated that they took more risks in order to convey a message
even though they made mistakes. According to Asato (2003) “language use provides great
opportunities for learners to communicate with their own language for real purposes through
experimenting and revising hypotheses” (p. 8). Therefore, making mistakes represents a
crucial part of learning a foreign language. Conversely, item 3 is related to taking risks by
using the authentic input as a source of vocabulary and phrases to include in their speech;
however, there was no change in this area. Mangubhai (2006) explains that “simply focusing on
28
meaning may not draw the attention of learners to the forms in which meanings are encoded”
(p.56). Thus, the exposure to videos does not ensure that every student at an intermediate
level will reproduce what they have listened to even when they have understood the message.
This fact has a close relation to factor 6 (attempt to think in English) since speakers must
assimilate and accommodate new language forms and expressions in order to adapt their
speech to the challenges presented in a conversation with an English speaker.
Factor 6, attempt to think in English evaluates students’ effort to think in the target
language. According to Nakatani (2006) it is useful for learners to think as much as possible in
the foreign language during actual communication since it requires a quick response to
interlocutors (p. 155). Table 4 shows how students responded to the attempt to think in
English.
Table 4
Student Responses to Questions About the Attempt to Think in English (Factor 6)
No Response
Never &
Almost Never
Always &
Almost Always
No Response
18. I think of what I want to say in my native
language first and then construct the English
sentence.
19. I think first of a sentence I already know in
English and then try to change it to fit the
situation.
Always &
Almost Always
Items Regarding the Attempt to Think in
English
AFTER
Never &
Almost Never
BEFORE
6
3
0
5
1
4
0
8
5
3
1
0
n:9
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the course
29
Item 18 shows that there are still some students that make use of translation to convey
a message which represents lowering the pace of the conversation and creating communication
breakdowns. On the other hand, item 19 reflects that even though they claim to know some
expressions in English they have studied or listened to, they are still unable to use them
meaningfully.
Factor 3, accuracy-oriented strategies, expresses students’ desire to speak English
accurately. In order to be proficient in the language students need not only fluency but also
accuracy to get the message through with minimal interference. Consequently, this factor
shows their capacity to notice grammar structures in real contexts and to reproduce them
appropriately. Table 5 reflects student strategies for accuracy.
Table 5
Student Responses to Questions About Accuracy-Oriented Strategies (Factor 3)
No Response
Never & Almost
Never
Always & Almost
Always
No Response
7. I pay attention to grammar and word order
during conversation.
8. I notice myself using an expression which
fits a rule that I have learned.
9. I correct myself when I notice that I have
made a mistake.
10. I try to talk like a native speaker.
Always & Almost
Always
Items Regarding Accuracy-Oriented Strategies
AFTER
Never & Almost
Never
BEFORE
2
7
0
0
8
0
2
7
0
3
6
0
1
8
0
3
6
0
5
4
0
4
4
1
n:9
Source: Questionnaire administered to students at the beginning and at the end of the course
30
Items 8 and 10 show that there is not an ultimate need to speak English perfectly. The
reason why this happens is that the interaction they have had in the language has been merely
with peers or with an English teacher. Indeed, the fact that the students have the same native
language, make similar mistakes and interact with a teacher (who is used to understanding
meaning in spite of the incorrect form) demonstrates that understanding happens regardless of
grammatical mistakes. Moreover, the challenges they are presented with in oral
communication with an English speaker outside the classroom are not common in the
classroom. Items 7 and 9 show that even though students notice their mistakes in grammar,
they do not monitor themselves. Therefore, dominance of fluency over accuracy is evident in
this area.
The use of video and related tasks
Each lesson followed the same pattern. First, the students watched a video which
served as a model and a source of visual and language input. Then they performed tasks
related to the video (see I, Lesson Plan 7, p. 93). For example, in lesson 7 students had to
identify the meaning of the handlines from a video about Palmistry. Then, they did a creative
task in which they had to read a classmate’s hand by using the information from the video as
well as their background knowledge on the subject. These tasks were recorded in order to
document student performance during the activities; this evidence was shown to students later
on to make them participate actively and have self and peer correction. The aim of this activity
was to promote reflection on their own learning process.
31
Moreover, the students were asked about the challenges they had to face and what they
had learned from these activities. In the case of videos, there were varied opinions. Table 6
shows these results.
Table 6
Student Opinions About What They Had Learned and What Had Become a Challenge When
Watching Authentic Videos
Videos
Activity
I learned









Some words
New topics
Expressions
Pronunciation
Difference between British and American English
How to correct mistakes
To practice listening.
To match images with sentences.
To make some structures.
A challenge










Some words were difficult to understand; they were too
technical.
There was no body language.
British and American accent
Technical problems with the speakers
To listen carefully
More images are needed.
Captions are needed.
To understand slang
Word linking
Not to get lost
n:16
Source: Survey administered to students in the middle of the course
Since the videos were authentic (see appendix I), the expectation was that students
would have trouble with understanding because they were not used to watching television in
English nor videocasts. One of the most common problems that I noticed through my
32
observations was that they had trouble on keeping up with the talking pace of the speakers in
the video because there was a lot of word linking and unfamiliar vocabulary. Other difficulties
were understanding accents, slang and idioms. However, the students that were in a B plus
level were able to identify useful vocabulary and expressions as well as language structures
because of the connection of the visual input with the audio. They affirmed that they paid
attention to pronunciation and “fine-tuned” on listening, which was reflected in their oral
performance when they used words and phrases from the videos. This dichotomy of opinions
is normal because of the two levels of audio-visual reception at the lower intermediate level
according to the CEFR.
Students were also asked to orally express what they thought about the videos they had
seen up to the a certain point in the course. Table 7 describes students’ opinions about videos.
Table 7
Student Oral Responses About What They Had Learned and What Had Become a Challenge
When Watching Authentic Videos the Videos
Students’ opinions about the videos









In the video “Workaholism” the man spoke fast, so the words were difficult to
understand.
We are not used to listening to authentic videos.
The videos were difficult.
It was difficult to understand because of the accent.
Sometimes it is good to watch a video, but about an interesting topic. You pay
more attention.
Workaholism is an illness; we do not know a lot of vocabulary.
Diana’s video (news) was easier because the video had more images about the
topic.
Maybe if the teacher puts captions, it would be easier.
Megan Fox video was easy. The vocabulary was familiar.
n:16
Source: A survey answered by the students and a digital recording
33
Students mentioned three videos: 1. Workaholism by Dr. Gary Solomon, 2. Megan Fox
Screen Test, and 3. The Princess of Wales has died, which were chosen according to the topics
discussed in the course. The first video was a mini lecture about compulsive disorders,
primarily workaholism. The second video, which was used in the second quiz, was about a
famous Hollywood actress who talks about how her life was when she was a child. Finally, the
third video presents two ongoing news reports of Diana’s traffic accident from the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the other from the National Broadcasting Corporation
(NBC). Three aspects can be pointed out from the discussions: students take advantage from
videos that have familiar topics and vocabulary, and more images that support the spoken
word. On the other hand, some students suggested using captions to facilitate understanding
which demonstrates that either they are not true intermediate students or that they are not
using the appropriate listening starategies for listening. Getting the gist, focusing on key
words, making predictions based on the context are some strategies that would help them cope
with authentic listening tasks.
Two sample videos were shown in the middle of the course to find out if there was a
major change in their opinions regarding understanding. Table 8 presents students’ opinions
about these videos.
34
Table 8
Students’ Opinions About What They Had Learned in the Videos Chile's Slow Response to
Quake and How to Read Hands
Videos





Chile's Slow Response to Quake
How to Read Hands
I learned
I learned
The pronunciation of some words
New vocabulary
How to explain something in short
sentences.
Different problems and solutions
To pay attention and understand what
they say.





A challenge




Some vocabulary was difficult.
Sometimes I do not understand.
They speak fast.
I understood a little.
It was an interesting video.
New vocabulary
To read and listen at the same time in
English.
Information about the lines of the
palm
I tried to understand how to listen
A challenge





I did not understand some words.
I do not understand anything about it.
Communication is very fast.
The video was fast and slow
sometimes.
To understand all the lines in the palm
n:16
Source: Survey administered to students in the middle of the course
The videos presented were Chile's Slow Response to Quake and How to Read Hands.
The topics of both videos were appealing to students, and there was an average speaking pace;
nevertheless, the difference between them was that there was some written support in the
Palmistry video. Even so, students still stated that both videos were not easy to understand.
35
They said that the vocabulary was difficult, the speaking pace was fast and that they had
comprehension difficulties.
Students were given a survey at the end of the course to gather their opinions about the
use of formulaic sequences taken from the videos in the subsequent tasks. Some students had
trouble with this transfer, which is shown in Table 9.
36
Table 9
Students’ Opinions About the Words and Phrases Used in the Videos to be Possibly
Reproduced in Subsequent Tasks
When you watched the videos, were you able to use words and phrases that you heard in
them and use them in the speaking activities done in class? Explain your answer.
Yes







I learned technical words related to
energy sources.
It was a little difficult to understand
everything, but I was able to extract
useful words.
The videos were very good because I
could listen to phrases that used to
confuse me but not anymore. I use
them in other exercises.
I could correct my vocabulary and
adapted my sentences to the ones I
heard.
The vocabulary of the course was
increased by the vocabulary in the
videos; it worked as a supplement.
I learned to use various phrases.
Sometimes the videos are even better
than the class because classes are
usually limited by grammar teaching.
In the videos, I can see real situations.
No





I learned new vocabulary, but it was a
little complicated to understand what
was said in the videos. More exposure
to the videos is needed.
It was difficult to understand the
videos and the few words I understood
were very basic.
Technical audio problems had an
influence on this matter.
I did not understand anything because
people spoke fast.
They spoke fast so I could not get
phrases to keep on using them.
However, I could learn some other
things such as pronunciation and
understanding words in context.
n:16
Source: Survey administered to students almost at the end of the course
Many students agreed that those videos were very useful. They stated that they were
better than traditional classes because the focus was not only on grammar but on language
presented in context through real situations. They said that their vocabulary had increased in
terms of technical words that were valuable for specific topics in the units. Most importantly,
they said that they had learned different phrases that in linguistic terms can be best described
37
as formulaic sequences (collocations and idiomatic expressions). In fact, some students paid
attention to not only form but also meaning and used the phrases in real contexts.
The video recordings are evidence for the use of formulaic sequences by the students in
different tasks. Table 10 illustrates this claim by presenting some examples of words and
phrases used by the students from four videos.
Table 10
Expressions taken from videos in the pre-tasks and used by students in the subsequent tasks
Video
Expressions used by students
NBC News Bulletin - Princess Diana's
Death
High speed / car crash / injuries / tunnel /
The Princess of Wales has died.
chauffer / flashes / apparently / pursued /
BBC World
massive trauma
Interview Do’s and Don'ts
Suit / résumé / firm handshake /
100 series sedan / cardiac arrest /
moderate / makeup / appearance /
inappropriate / chew
Chile's Slow Response to Quake
broken bridges and roads / supplies /
government
Indeed, students were expected to use words and phrases in all the tasks after they
watched each video. For example, in the first lesson, students watched two ongoing news
reports about Lady D’s accident and took notes (see appendix I, Lesson Plan 1, p. 64). Then,
38
in groups, they emulated an ongoing news report about the accident and used some
expressions from the original video.
In addition to being a source of verbal information, videos provided patterns of
interaction and behavior such as turn-taking, establishing eye contact, gestures among other
behaviors in different situations. The students were asked if the videos had been a good model
to follow in different communication acts. However, the results shown in table 11 indicate that
most of the students did not understand the question and did not fully answer it.
Table 11
Students’ Opinions about the Reproduction of Behaviors Seen in the Videos
Were the videos useful as a model to act in real-life situations? Explain your answer.
Yes






Just in the pronunciation.
The video “Microsoft’s vision of the
future”, and some other videos were
useful because those are interesting and
updated topics; therefore, they catch our
interest.
To correct some mistakes and adapt new
structures.
A good example was the “Interview
do’s and don’ts” because I learned the
things I should never do in an interview.
The video about the interviews showed
me the guidelines in a job interview.
The solar energy video was useful
because I am currently working with
systems of that type. Another video that
was helpful was the “Workaholics
meeting” in the blog because I learned
vocabulary related to meetings and
different work situations.
No






I did not understand anything so I got
distracted.
They were monologues.
I understood just a little.
In real life, people act in different ways,
so we can learn only from our
experiences.
They do not modify the way I act in
certain circumstances.
I did not find any useful behavior to
imitate or something that caught my
attention.
n:16
Source: Survey administered almost at the end of the course
39
Some students said that by watching the videos, they had not learned any type of
behavior that they could imitate. They emphasized that people’s behavior is a very personal
matter whereas others recognized the importance of verbal and nonverbal communication for
some tasks. Other students stated that watching the videos in which do’s and don’ts for having
successful interviews showed them how to behave in a job interview. For example, in the
videos, applicants in a job interview were not only tested on their skills but also on body
language such as gestures and eye contact. In addition, the patterns of interaction and turntaking were observable. The interviewers had a more active role and asked direct questions
while applicants responded with short and concise answers. The students also learned key
aspects of real communication outside the classroom such as spontaneity, body language, the
need of varied vocabulary and circumlocution.
In regard to objective number two of this study, two speaking tasks were compared by
using two criteria to determine any changes in student performance: students’ opinions and
the researcher’s point of view. At the beginning of the course, in groups, the students were
asked to respond to the following question regarding Lady D’s sons: Who would you choose
William or Harry? (see I, Lesson Plan 1, p.65). At the end of the course, in groups, the
students were asked to create a technological artifact and present it to their classmates (see
appendix I, Lesson Plan 10, p. 101). In addition, student opinions about these two speaking
tasks were collected. Table 12 shows a summary about how students felt at the two tasks at the
beginning of the course and at the end of the course.
40
Table 12
Comparison of students’ opinions about a Speaking Task at the Beginning and at the End of
an Intermediate EFL Conversation Course at the UCR, 2010
Speaking Tasks
At the end of the course
At the beginning of the course
Student opinions








Lack of vocabulary to participate
Lack of grammar structures
Good for pronunciation
Afraid of talking in front of the class
Hard to explain our opinions
Little time to prepare for the discussion
Not knowing the topic beforehand
Difficult topic
Student opinions













Good for speaking in real situations
Good for improvising
Different points of view
Body language and appropriate gestures
Good for pronunciation
How to be more spontaneous
To speak more
To correct mistakes
Students feel that
It’s free to say whatever.
You can be critical.
You can fight for your opinion.
You use the words to find a solution to the
problems.
We share experiences and ideas.
The panel discussion is better than the
videos.
n: 16
Source: A survey answered by the students and a digital recording
At the beginning of the course, students said that one of the problems they faced while
participating in a speaking task was anxiety. They had a strong desire to state their opinions,
but they lacked vocabulary, grammar structures and time to organize their thoughts to express
their ideas. At the end of the course, the students were more confident when speaking and had
41
more to say because the videos provided a real context and a purpose that help students
communicative meaningfully in subsequent tasks.
From the researcher’s observations, objective number two was partially achieved. In
the first task, they were hesitant, and their speech was choppy. The students used single word
utterances. However, in the final task, the students seemed so eager to speak that they did not
pay any attention to correct grammar use or pronunciation. Therefore, most students became
very fluent but the grammatical structures they used were inaccurate. Being fluent but
inaccurate stops the conversation flow since the listener has to guess what the speaker is trying
to say. Consequently, the teacher must work on the strategy of monitoring language use.
These results are congruent with Boston’s (2008) and Ellis’ (as cited in Matsumoto &
O'Donnell, 2008) findings that beginner students might not focus on the language features
used in a video unless the teacher explicitly draws attention to them. In this study, students at
B1 (lower intermediate level) were unable to intake relevant formulaic sequences from the
videos, and they just used familiar vocabulary. Ellis stated that a great deal of language can be
learned through exposure; however, it is a slow process.
42
Chapter V
Conclusions
In latest trends in education, there has been a shift from teacher-centered classrooms to
student-centered classroom. However, this is not reflected in the level of independence and
freedom students have to explore aspects of the language on their own in the classroom,
specifically in listening and speaking. Teachers still use traditional teaching methods because
they are timesaving and ensure that all the students will be familiar with target language items
that are part of the curriculum. Therefore, English listening and speaking in the classroom
differ greatly to real communication in the real world.
The students in this study stated that even though they were not able to understand
everything, they liked the methodology and would like to be exposed to more videos and
tasks. Additionally, students claimed that videos were motivating if the topic was updated, if it
dealt with topics of their interest and if it there was more interaction between the interlocutors.
The audio-visual input helped them gain knowledge on some vocabulary in context and
pronunciation; however, some faced difficulties in dealing with the speakers pace and accents.
The reason why this happened was that students had no previous training in watching real
videos and that some of them did not have the appropriate level for a lower intermediate
group. Some students stated that they were at the beginner level; therefore, they needed
accompanying written support in the videos such as subtitles. According to Boston (2008)
lower level students are not able to take words or phrases from real audio, but from written
input (p. 75). In the case of tasks, since they were adults, they felt an inner motivation to speak
when they were performing real tasks. In fact, real-life tasks provide a context, purpose, and
43
audience, which are commonly overlooked in many speaking exercises in class. Therefore,
these students lowered their affective filter because language became a means to an end,
which was expressing their opinion in different topics. On the other hand, even though fluency
was improved, there was the need of implementing peer and self-evaluation strategies to
promote accuracy.
Limitations
This research study was designed to test if lower intermediate students were able to
notice vocabulary and formulaic sequences from a video and use them in a subsequent task
without having the teacher tell them which expressions to use. This would have allowed them
to improve on both listening and speaking, which are the macro skills they have more
difficulties with. However, three aspects might have had an influence on the results: the
program of the curriculum of the course itself, time, and level of the students. With the aim of
assuring that this group of students mastered the same vocabulary, and grammar as the other
groups in at the same level; it was made clear by the coordination that the videos used had to
be directly related to the topics of the book used (Skylines 3, units 1-3 and 5-6). As a
consequence, there were videos such as “workaholism” that were not appealing to most
students. In addition, this was a 60-hour course divided into sessions of 4 hours per week.
Therefore, in order to keep up with the contents that had to be covered, an average of two
videos were shown per session. Ideally, students should have watched videos not only in class
time but also during the week, so they would have had more exposure to authentic videos.
Another issue was that according to the CEFR, a lot of students in this class were not lower
intermediate students. To prove this point, a student stated in a survey “I consider myself a
beginner, so I think the videos should have subtitles to relate the written words to the listening.
44
The methodology of the videos was very good even though I did not understand much. It
helped me to listen more carefully.”
Recommendation
In order to prepare students for a real use of the language inside and outside the
classroom, teachers should provide opportunities to gain access to real-world tasks regarding
listening and speaking. As you would expect, in this technological era, there are many tools in
the web to obtain these audio-visual input, which will allow students to interact with other
English speakers. Hence, all we have to do as facilitators of the learning process is to be
willing to fulfill students’ needs as they change throughout time.
From the students’ point of view, the use of the Task-Based Approach supplemented
by authentic videos was effective to a certain extent to fulfill oral communication needs of
lower intermediate EFL learners. The following is a summary of student recommendations
about the use of videos in class (see appendix H). The students believe that:










the videos are a great tool, but there should be a good quality audio system.
more exposure to the videos is needed and that the audiovisual component should be
used more frequently.
the videos should be previously loaded in the computer to save class time.
the videos should be based on everyday conversations or related to interesting topics
that catch people’s attention.
using videos helped them understand the topics studied in class more easily.
the videos presented a great variety of vocabulary and the correct pronunciation of
words in context.
the videos were interesting but subtitles were needed to understand the message.
using videos is good; however, it would be better to have more people interacting
instead of having single speakers in the videos.
the videos that the teacher used were difficult to understand because there was a lot of
unfamiliar vocabulary.
Although they do not understand all the words, the context helped them understand
some words.
45
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49
Youtube (n.d.). What are your pet peeves?!. Available from
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQcDI9hU-vg
50
Youtube (n.d.) How to read palms. Available from
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOYCSoFdnl0
Youtube (n.d.) Alternative energy sources. Available from
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17DPJHNVx2Q
51
Appendices
52
Appendix A
INGLES
NIVEL 5
PROGRAMA DEL CURSO
I.
Descripción
Este curso está dirigido a estudiantes con conocimientos del idioma inglés adquiridos
formalmente en clase. Está diseñado para capacitar al alumno en la comunicación oral. Las
actividades de escritura, lectura y escucha están integradas en los contenidos a desarrollar.
El curso consta de seis horas lectivas semanales de cincuenta minutos cada una en los
bimestrales (lunes y miércoles o martes y jueves), para un total de sesenta horas. Los
grupos de los trimestrales (viernes o sábados) reciben cuatro horas lectivas de cincuenta
minutos cada una hasta completar cincuenta y dos horas.
II.
Objetivo General
Comprender conversaciones y textos en inglés y expresarse apropiadamente de forma oral
(y escrita, en menor medida) a un nivel intermedio bajo.
III.
Objetivos específicos
Al finalizar el curso, el estudiante podrá:
1. desarrollar su capacidad para comprender y tomar parte en conversaciones,
presentaciones y discusiones en clase a un nivel intermedio bajo.
2. incorporar las funciones, expresiones, estructuras gramaticales y léxicas y
aspectos de pronunciación propios de un nivel intermedio bajo para conversar
de los diferentes temas estudiados en clase.
3. utilizar diferentes estrategias para el desarrollo de las cuatro macro destrezas
(hablar, leer, escuchar, escribir) y las micro destrezas (en especial vocabulario
y gramática).
4. apreciar y discutir las diferencias culturales existentes entre la cultura
costarricense y las culturas angloparlantes.
IV.
Contenidos
Los contenidos a desarrollar se encuentran comprendidos en cinco (1-2-3-5-6) de las
primeras 6 unidades del libro de texto Skyline 3.
Contenidos temáticos
1. historias de vida
2. antes y después, recuerdos
3. estilos de vida, trabajo
53
y descanso
8. el uso del dinero y la inflación
4. fuentes de energía
9. entretenimiento en casa y fuera de
5. predicción del futuro
ella
6. la lotería de la vida
10. historia del cine
7. nacido para comprar
Contenidos gramaticales
1. Pasado progresivo vs. Pasado simple
2. Uso de Used to…
3. Repaso de might, will y going to para hablar de planes
4. Repaso de comparativos y superlativos
5. Uso de will/won´t y going to en predicciones
6. El primer condicional
7. Complementación de verbos
8. Uso de because /so / so that / y to para hablar de razones y propósitos
9. Pronombres indefinidos
10. Cláusulas Relativas
V.
Metodología
Los estudiantes participarán en actividades individuales, en pares y en grupos que
promuevan la comunicación e interacción en la clase. Además se contará con el apoyo
audiovisual requerido para cada unidad. Se analizará el material de lectura y se asignará
ejercicios de escritura y de gramática de acuerdo con los contenidos que se estudien. Para
lograr el mejor desempeño, la participación, dedicación y compromiso del estudiante son
fundamentales en este curso.
VI.
Evaluación
a. Participación en clase y tareas (se tomará en cuenta asistencia):
b. Presentaciones orales: (3 mínimo espontáneas o preparadas)
c. Pruebas cortas (escritas, de escucha dictado, etc., 3 mínimo,
espontáneas o anunciadas)
25%
d. Examen final oral (tribunal con dos profesores)
e. Examen final de escucha
5%
30%
30%
10%
Nota importante: Los exámenes finales se realizarán en la última semana de clase con el
fin de que el profesor del curso atienda consultas y revise con sus estudiantes en período
lectivo dichas pruebas. El resultado final del curso debe ser entregado por el docente a los
estudiantes en el último día de lecciones de cada módulo. La oficina del Programa no
entregará resultados a ningún estudiante.
VII.
Bibliografía
Brewster, Simon, et.al. (2001). Skyline 3. Oxford, UK: Macmillan. (libro de texto, libro de
trabajo, CD opcional)
Materiales complementarios que el o la docente considere pertinentes y que serán costeados
por los estudiantes.
Se recomienda adquirir un buen diccionario bilingüe Español –Inglés y otro monolingüe InglésInglés.
54
Appendix B
Sample Teacher’s Notes from Skyline Video Book
55
Appendix C
Chronogram
“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in
which they can learn”. - Albert Einstein
Veronica Oguilve
January 23rd
veroguilveucr@gmail.com
Unit 1
http://conversalevel5.blogspot.com
Level 5
Units 1-3, 5-6
January 30th
February 6th
February 13th
February 20th
Unit 1 Oral presentation 5%
I am able to talk about:
□ past events
□ life stories
□ past habits
Unit 2
Unit 2 Oral presentation
5%
I am able to talk about:
□ lifestyles
□ work and free time
February 27th
March 6th
March 13th
Unit 3
1st Quiz 5%
Unit 3
Unit 3 Oral presentation
10%
I am able to talk about:
□ the future
□ conditions and results
□ advice
March 20th
March 27th
April 3rd
Unit 5
3rd Quiz 10%
Unit 5 Oral presentation
10%
I am able to talk about:
□ fortune
□ plans
□ shopping
□ inflation
Unit 6
April 10th
April 17th
April 24th
Unit 6
2nd Quiz 10%
Unit 6 Listening Exam
10%
Unit 6
I am able to talk about:
□ Entertainment
□ Places to visit
□ Likes and dislikes
Final Oral Exam 30%
Unit 1
Notes:
Spanish is not allowed in class.
The use of dictionary is mandatory (English definition and English-Spanish dictionaries)
5% in-class participation
56
Appendix D
Survey 1: Students’ responses about what they learned and what was
challenging when watching an authentic video
Date: January 30th
Videos: NBC and BBC news reports
The Playboy Prince
Unbelievable Story
Pet Peeves
Instructions: Recall the authentic videos you watched in the previous lessons. Write
down what you learned from them and what was challenging.
Activity
I learned
A challenge
Videos
57
Appendix E
Survey 2. Students’ Opinions about Two Video Samples
Date: March 6th and March 13th
Instructions: Think about the videos Chile’s Slow Response to Quake and How to
read hands. Write down what you learned from them and what was challenging
Videos
Chile's Slow Response to Quake
I learned
A challenge
How to read hands
I learned
A challenge
58
Appendix F
Survey 3. Students’ Opinions about Language and Behavior Emulation in
Subsequent Tasks
th
Date: April 13
Instructions: Think about the videos in the box and answer the questions
Videos
Interview Do’s and Don’ts
Freddy Mercury used to live here
¨I want to break free¨
Best cartoons of all times.
Microsoft’s vision of the future
¨Workaholism by Dr. Gary Solomon
How to read hands
Chile's Slow Response to Quake
Alternative Energy Sources
The future of technology
1. Cuando vio los videos pudo usted utilizar palabras o frases que escuchó en los
mismos en las actividades siguientes? Explique su respuesta.
2. Le sirvió algún video como modelo para actuar en situaciones de la vida real?
Explique su respuesta.
3. Escriba algunas recomendaciones sobre el uso de videos en clase.
59
Appendix G
Hoja de Cotejo # 1. Estudiante
Actitudes de los (as) estudiantes con respecto a la expresión oral
Instrucciones: Marque con una equis (X) la casilla que concuerde con su desempeño
en la expresión oral cuando conversa con un hablante de la lengua inglesa.
nunca casi
nunca
casi
siempre
siempre
Factor 1.
1. Trato activamente de expresar lo que quiero decir
2. Tomo riesgos aunque me equivoque
3. Trato de usar expresiones en inglés que he
escuchado.
Factor 2
4. Cambio la forma de decir las cosas para que me
entiendan
5. Cambio la forma de decir cosas de acuerdo al
contexto
6. Me tomo mi tiempo para expresar lo que quiero decir
Factor 3
7. Pongo atención a la gamática y orden de las palabras
durante la conversación
8. Noto que uso expresiones que calzan en una regla
que acabo de leer
9. Me corrijo cuando noto que he dicho algo mal
10. Trato de hablar como un nativo del inglés
Factor 4
11. Reduzco el mensaje y uso expresiones simples
12. Uso solo palabras que son familiares para mí
13. Reemplazo el mensaje original con uno más simple
porque me siento incapaz de expresar mi intención
inicial
Factor 5
14. No termino lo que estoy diciendo por la falta de
vocabulario
15. Le pido ayuda a otras personas cuando no puedo
comunicarme
16. Me doy por vencido(a) cuando no puedo comunicar
lo que quiero
17. Abandono lo que he planeado decir y solo digo
algunas palabras
Factor 6
18. Primero pienso lo que quiero decir en español y
después construyo la oración en inglés
19. Primero pieso en una oración que ya se en inglés y
trato de cambiarla para que encaje en la situación
Adaptado de Nakatani (2006)
60
Hoja de Cotejo # 2. Estudiante
Actitudes de los (as) estudiantes con respecto a la comprensión auditiva
Instrucciones: Marque con una equis (X) la casilla que concuerde con su desempeño
en la expresión oral cuando conversa con un hablante de la lengua inglesa.
nunca casi
nunca
casi
siempre
siempre
Factor 1.
1. Le pido a la otra persona que repita cuando no
entiendo
2. Le pido a la persona que simplifique el lenguage
cuando tengo dificultades para entender
3. Le pido a la persona que hable más despacio
cuando no puedo entender lo que me han dicho
4. Le hago saber a la persona cuando no he
entendido
Factor 2
5. Le pongo atención al ritmo y entonación del
hablante
6. Le pongo atención a la pronunciación del
hablante
7. Mando señales verbales y no verbales para
mostrar que entiendo el mensaje
8. Parafraseo lo que dijo la otra persona cuando no
estoy seguro de lo que quiso decir
Factor 3
9. Pongo atención a la primera parte de la oración
para predecir las intenciones
10. Pongo especial atención a las preguntas
11. Pongo atención al sujeto y al verbo cuando
escucho
12. Trato de captar la idea principal de lo que me
dicen
Factor 4
13. No me importa si no entiendo cada detalle
14. Trato de responder aunque no entienda todo lo
que me dicen
15. Anticipo lo que va a decir la otra persona
basado en el contexto
Factor 5
16. Trato de traducir poco a poco al español todo
lo que la otra persona ha dicho
17. Trato de entender cada palabra que la persona
dice
18. Me enfoco solo en las expresiones que me son
familiares
Adaptado de Nakatani (2006)
61
Appendix H
Students´ Recommendations about the Use of Videos in Class for Other Courses
Write some recommendations about the use of videos in class















The videos are a great tool, but there should be a good quality audio
system.
More exposure to the videos is needed.
To have the videos previously loaded in the computer to save time.
To provide a copy of the recordings of the presentations to the students
The videos should be based on everyday conversations or related to
interesting topics that catch people’s attention.
Not to use them a lot because we waste time setting up the equipment.
However, the idea is good because I was able to understand the topics
studied easily.
I do not have anything else to say; the videos were great; they helped me
to learn more.
I liked them a lot because of the great variety of vocabulary and
pronunciation. I believe the audiovisual component should be used more
frequently.
The videos we great as a visual and audio input. The only
recommendation is related to the equipment because the teacher had to act
as a technician, and this was unfair.
Technical maintenance of the equipment was needed for the presentation
of the videos.
The videos were interesting but subtitles are needed.
I consider myself a beginner, so I think the videos should have subtitles to
relate the written words to the listening. The methodology of the videos
was very good even though I did not understand much. It helped me to
listen more carefully.
Even though I answered negatively in the previous questions, I believe
that using videos is good. However, it would be better to have more
people interacting instead of having single speakers.
The videos should be easier to understand.
I like the videos even though I cannot understand everything they say.
The good thing is that I can understand the meaning of words from the
context, so I do not have recommendations.
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Appendix I
List of Videos Used in the Pre-Task Stage and Lesson Plans
Videos Compiled in the blog: videos4practicum2010.blogspot.com
 Lesson Plan 1. Jan 23rd
Queen - I want to break
NBC News Bulletin - Princess Diana's
Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hM
rY8jysdg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9B
EFfErJpU
Freddie Mercury Used To Live Here
The Princess of Wales has died.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZt2
JaVKEMI
BBC World
Best cartoons of all time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qce
AvsnFnIE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIup
w8J9l-4
The Playboy Prince
ABC NEWS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TD
iDofWInI
 Lesson Plan 2. Jan 30th
Unbelievable Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6
zuKiJQos
What Are YOUR Pet Peeves?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gy
QLyTcSKI
 Lesson Plan 3. Feb. 6th
Consuming Kids: The Commercialization
of Childhood (Trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mae
Xjey_FGA
 Lesson Plan 4. Feb 13th
Really bad job interview
 Lesson Plan 5. feb20th
Microsoft's Vision of the Future
(Parody)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0US
n7eufXps
 Lesson Plan 6. feb 27th
Workaholism by Dr. Gary Solomon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQc
DI9hU-vg
 Lesson Plan 7. March 6th
How to Read Palms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQU
BRP2Uyio
 Lesson Plan 8. March 13th
Chile's Slow Response to Quake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO
YCSoFdnl0
 Lesson Plan 9. March 9th
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EO
JRuMQs7k
Alternative Energy Sources
Interview Do’s and Don'ts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_fv
bO2VXjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1uc
mfPOBV8
 Lesson Plan 10. March 27th
THE FUTURE TECHNOLOGY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17D
PJHNVx2Q
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