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Department of Applied English
The project, by Hsiao-lan Hsieh, Pei-yu Lai, Ting-yu Chen,
Sheng-kai Chang,
Jiun-yao Wu, Wen-jiun Kao, is accepted in its present form by
Department of Applied
English of Yuanpei University as satisfying the project requirement
for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts.
January 2010
ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Our greatest thanks go to our advisor, Professor Chia Li Kang, who painstaking went
through the early drafts of the text, always helping with her professional advice and kindness.
We also wish to thank Professor Yin Yin Chang of Department of Business Administration of
Yuanpei University for her guidance with the design of the questionnaire for the present study
and other teachers of DAE, who offered encouragement and sound insights.
We’re
particularly grateful to Chair Kao for his support.
Without all these great teachers’ assistance, this study would be “Mission
Impossible.”
iii
ABSTRACT
For years, finding ways and materials to make the learning experiences for
EFL students more inspiring and fruitful has been one of the most important tasks
of English teaching.
Recently, it has become very popular among EFL teachers to
use movies (in DVD format) as core content in the course curriculum or
supplementary materials to teach English.
And many researchers have reported
that authentic video is motivating and beneficial.
However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship
between students’ movie preferences and effective learning.
If films shown in a
class don’t arouse students’ interest, the learning effect will be lessened.
Therefore, in the present study, the effectiveness of using DVD films of the most
popular movie genres was examined.
The five research questions were: 1. Does instruction using DVD films
motivate students to study in EFL classes?
2. Are movie preferences related to
effective learning?
3. What are the most popular movie genres?
4. Do
subtitles/captions, one of the unique characteristics of DVD films, enhance
comprehension of the language used in the movie and thus motivate students to
learn?
5. Are movierelated classroom activities such as keyword preview useful?
The current study lasted for two semesters from February 2009 to January
2010.
The research group conducted a survey to collect data which were analyzed
to evaluate participants’ opinions on using movies to teach in EFL classrooms.
Since all the participants were Yuanpei University students, we hope that the
results of the survey will provide English teachers with useful information to teach
EFL classrooms.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION………………………..1
1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM 1.2 PURPOSE OF STUDY 1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW……………….3
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY…………………...5
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION…………………………29
1
INTRODUCTION
In Taiwan, most students have taken English classes for at least
six years before
they enter college. However, most of them remain insufficient in
their ability to use
the language. They have remarked that the dull materials used in
most language
classes are one of the reasons for their lack of motivation to
learn.
In recent years, to promote the learners’ mastery of language
skills, language
teachers have been eager to look for a variety of quality teaching
materials and aids
to be used in EFL classes to ensure that the students can gain
optimum to learn.
Many surveys conducted by language educators and scholars
have
revealed that films in video format can become an integral part of
the curriculum
because movies provide exposures to the real language used in
authentic settings
and the culture in which the foreign language is spoken. They also
have found
films that draw the learners’ interest can positively affect their
motivation to learn
(Sommer, 2001; Kusumarasdyati, 2004; Luo, 2004 ).
Purpose of Study
This study aims to find out what genres of English movies students
enjoy
viewing, and whether subtitles (Chinese, English, or both) are
indispensable to
effective learning. The paper is also devoted to finding out
whether movie-related
vocabulary preview given by teachers will help learners feel more
comfortable with
the approach of learning a language through film viewing and thus
facilitate
learning. Keeping all this objectives in mind, we hope to provide
useful
information regarding presenting movies in EFL classrooms to make
learning more
interesting, enjoyable and beneficial.
In this study, the research questions are:
1. Does instruction using DVD films motivate students to study in
EFL classes?
2.Are movie preferences related to effective learning?
3. What are the most popular movie genres?
4. Do subtitles/captions, one of the unique characteristics of DVD
films, enhance
comprehension of the language used in the movie and thus motivate
students to
learn?
5. Are movie-related classroom activities such as keyword preview
useful?
3
LITERATURE REVIEW Using videos to facilitate learners’ listening
comprehension has been widely
discussed in the past two decade (Secules et al, 1992; Weyers,
1999; Linebarger, 2001;
Kusumarasdyati, 2004; Luo, 2004; Lin, 2009). After DVDs appeared
along with
their distinctive feature of captions in different languages, the
use of DVD films in
developing students’ language skills and in motivating the students
to learn has been
further investigated (Chiang 2006).
Lin (2009) investigated the effects of visual aids and text types
on listening
comprehension. The results of the study show a significant effect
of input
presentation modes on listening comprehension and their interaction
with text types. Based on Krashen’s target language Input
Hypothesis, Joseph R.Weyers put
forward his research hypothesis that an increase in the quantity
and quality of the input should result in a similar increase in the
quantity and quality of students’ output.
In his study, he defined quantity as “the sheer amount of input
reaching student viewers via video programming, which far surpasses
the capabilities of a sole instructor” (340). The quality of the
input refers to the “contextualized, unstructured ‘not graded for
foreign language learners’ native speech provided by the telenovela
[TV soap opera]” (340). The experiment was conducted for two
purposes: using the authentic soap opera to measure whether it can
increase students’ listening comprehension and enhance their oral
production.
There were two groups in Weyer’s study: 17 subjects in the control
group and 20 subjects in the experimental group. The experiment was
conducted in two second-semester Spanish classes for 8 weeks at the
University of New Mexico. All the students were present for the
pre- and post-treatment tests. Both groups followed the established
curriculum for second-semester Spanish. However, the experimental
group was supplemented by the experimental treatment. The treatment
required that the subjects in the experimental group watched two
episodes of a Spanish soap opera per week, which was taped off-air
with the commercials and was not specifically designed for language
learners. The viewing consumed approximately 45 minutes of the
60-minute class period. Before viewing each episode, the teacher
gave the participants a short summery in English of the telenovela.
The result of the experiment suggests that telenovelas are a
valuable source in increasing the students’ listening comprehension
skills.
Jia-Jen Luo’s study focused on examining the influence of DVD films
on students’ listening comprehension. Nine films were incorporated
into the class curriculum and used in the whole school year. The
DVDs were the main materials of the course, supported by the
designed activities. Instructional activities included
4
story-telling, picture description and open-ended questions for
group discussion on topics retrieved from the films. Caption-on and
caption-off activities were given so that the students could
practice their listening. The final results of the statistical
analyses indicate that college freshmen’s listening “did improve”
through the instruction of using DVD films in a motivating learning
environment with “lower level of anxiety” after a whole school year
(Luo iii).
Yong-Ruei Chiang compared two different types of presenting English
news on CTS (Chinese Television System) CTS Inside Taiwan and FTV
(Formosa Television) English News Edition. The captions of CTS
Inside Taiwan were Chinese and English and those of FTV English
News Edition were all English. The participants of the study were
junior English majors and freshman non-English majors at a national
university in Taiwan. The participants were given the chance to
listen to English news with Chinese subtitles and English captions
(CTS Inside Taiwan) and then to listen to news broadcast on FTV’s
English News Edition with only English captions. After the
listening activities, the participants were asked to complete the
posttests and questionnaires. There were three parts in the
posttest: listening comprehension, spelling, and vocabulary.
According to the survey, the more effective subtitles/captions for
the improvement of participants’ listening comprehension were
Chinese subtitles (with English sound track). In addition, the
results of the spelling test showed that the effectiveness of these
two types of captions were almost the same. However, in vocabulary,
English captions with English sound track were thought to be more
useful than Chinese subtitles with English sound track. They
concluded that both Chinese and English captions were useful to
learn English.
In Deborah L. Linebarger’ study, the author investigated caption
use, sound and the reading behavior of 76 children who had just
completed 2nd grade. The statistical results indicate that
beginning readers recognize more words when they view television
that uses captions. The author also concluded that the combination
of captions and sound helped children identify the critical story
elements in the video clips (288).
5
METHODOLOGY In this survey, two films were chosen for the
participants of different classes to
watch. Participants only watched one film in their class. 1408 is a
Stephen King
horror film. A novelist by the name of Mike Enslin (played by John
Cusack)
checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after
he checks in, his
memories of the death of his father and his daughter are
recalled.
Bedtime Stories is a dream come true comedy. Skeeter Bronson
(played by
Adam Sandler), the leading character, is a hotel handyman who tells
bedside stories
to his niece and nephew. One day, he finds that all his stories
mysterious come
true. These two movies were chosen because there are similar scenes
in each movie
and the participants of the project could be exposed to repeatedly
utilized conversations. 1408, for example, sets in a hotel in which
many guests check in. In a hotel scene, the students will hear
authentic English often used at a hotel’s front desk concerning
reservation making, bill paying and concierge service.
Participants The initial sample consisted of 254 participants. The
participants were
freshman, sophomore and junior English majors and sophomore
non-English majors at Yuanpei University. These participants, whose
English proficiency was considered as intermediate level, were
enrolled in the courses of “English Reading (4),” “Sophomore
English (3),” and “English Conversation (2).” However, there were
only 242 reliable questionnaires received from these
participants.
In these 242 respondents, there were 87 male participants (36%) and
155 female participants (64%). 116 participants were English majors
(48%) and 126 participants (52%) non-English majors. 6 participants
(2%) had had experience of studying English in an English-speaking
country for one month to 2 years. (Table 1)
Table 1. Period of Time Spent Studying English Period of Time Spent Studying English
OverseasOverseas
sex department year How long
1 female B.A Freshman no answer
2 female A.E Sophomore one month
3 female A.E Junior one month
4 female A.E Junior two months
5 male No answer Junior three months
6 male A.E Freshman two years
6
Procedures
Prior to the viewing activity, participants were given a short list
of vocabulary
words and phrases used in each movie to prepare them for better
understanding of
what the characters say in the movie. (Appendix A)
After movie viewing, questionnaires (in Chinese) (Appendix B for
Chinese
version of questionnaire and appendix C for English version of the
questionnaire.)
with 19 questions were given for participants to fill up. In this
survey, questionnaires
were used to collect information because the questionnaire has been
proven a
trustworthy method to get feedback on issues of interest (Sheng
Jhuan Lin, 2003).
A post-viewing test (Appendix D) was administered to the
participants to see how
much they had learned through the viewing activity. The test was
designed to
measure a participant’s ability to recognize the key words and
target sentences that
were repeated in the similar scenes throughout the film four or
five times. All these
procedures for this study were conducted in the 2nd Semester of
2009.
Data analysis
Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS12.0), a tool for
statistical
analysis, was used to analyze the data.
7
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 DATA COLLECTION AND DATA ANALYSIS
In addition to key word preview and post-viewing test, a
questionnaire was
administered. In the questionnaire, there were 19 questions. This
questionnaire,
which aimed to obtain the participants’ general background and to
investigate the
relationship between movie-viewing and learning effect, was given
to the
participants after the viewing activity. The result of each
question is analyzed as
follows.
Q1. What kinds of English movies do you like? (You can choose
more than one.)
Name Count Percentage
Thriller 114 47.1%
Comedy 184 76.0%
Action movie 78 32.2%
Animated film 44 18.1% The data show that comedy is the most
popular movie genre. It is reasonable to infer that people like
comedy because of its entertaining and funny elements. It would
bring laughter and relaxation to life. Q2. Do you think watching
English movies has a beneficial effect
on learning English?
8
The data show that 95% of respondents agree that English movie
viewing are useful in language learning. Q3. What kinds of English
movies do you think are beneficial in
learning English? (You can choose more than one.)
Name Count Percentage
Thriller 43 17.8%
Comedy 160 66.1%
Action movie 39 16.1%
Animated film 50 20.7%
The data show that most students think that comedy is their first choice when it comes
to movie preference.
Q4. Do you think your movie preferences will affect your
learning?
Item Strongly
agree Agree
Moderately agree
Moderately disagree
Q5. With regard to captions, what subtitles/captions would
you
choose when you watch English DVD films at home?
Item Chinese English None No reply
Participant 230 9 2 1
Percentage 95% 4% 1% 0%
9
The data show 95% of the participants chose Chinese subtitles. Q6.
Do you think Chinese subtitles are better than English
captions
in learning English?
Q7. Do you think English captions are good in learning
English?
Item Strongly
agree Agree
Participant 47 72 79 25 15
3
Percentage 20% 30% 33% 10% 6%
1%
Q8. After watching a film with Chinese subtitles, will you watch
it
again with English captions?
10
Q9. I am interested in learning English if the teacher uses English
films as teaching materials.
Item Strongly
agree Agree
Moderately agree
Moderately disagree
Participant 90 52 88 8 2 1 1
Percentage 37% 22% 36% 3% 1% 1% 0%
More than 37% of participants chose “Strongly agree,” 22% of
participants chose “Agree” and 36% of participants chose
“Moderately agree.” The data show using DVD films in EFL classrooms
is highly accepted by the students. Thus, using DVD films to teach
EFL class is highly recommended. Q10. Does keyword preview help
understand the story line of a
movie?
Q11. Do you agree keyword preview before movie viewing
motivate
you to learn English?
11
Based on Questions 10-11, the data show that regarding the
pre-viewing keyword preview activities, 94%of the participants
consider the keyword preview helpful to their understanding of the
story of the movie and to their learning experience. Q12. What do
you think about the film (1408 or Bedtime Stories)?
Item Great So so Bad No reply
Participant 101 104 7 30
Percentage 42% 435 3% 12%
Q13. Do you think this film is useful in learning English?
Item Strongly
agree Agree
Moderately agree
Moderately disagree
Participant 33 65 79 14 19 4 28
Percentage 13% 27% 33% 6% 8% 2% 11%
Q14. Do you agree you have learned some English by watching
the
film?
12
Q15. How many English sentences have you learned from the
movie?
Item 1-3
sentences 3-5
sentences 5-7
Participant 97 50 24 19 52
Percentage 40% 21% 10% 8% 21%
The data show that exposure to similar dialogues four or five times
over the course of 100-minute movies showing time helps
participants remember some of the sentences used in the similar
scenes. Q16. Can you write down any words and sentences you
have
learned from the movie? This question is an open-end question.
Participants were asked to write down
as many words and sentences as possible. Q17. Why do these
sentences impress you so much?
Item Been repeated
13
Q18. Do you think the dialogs in the movie can be used in daily
life?
Item Strongly
agree Agree
Moderately agree
Moderately disagree
Participant 24 68 78 13 9 3 44
Percentage 11% 28% 32% 6% 4% 1% 18%
Q19. Do you think key word previewing helps understand the movie
and has positive effect on learning?
Item Strongly
agree Agree
14
15%
23%
29%
17%
14%
15%
20%
31%
15%
15%
25%
33%
15%
22%
32%
32%
27%
32%
30%
Gender* English movies can be used as useful teaching materials.
30%
22%
43%
Major* English movies can be used as useful teaching materials.
51%
20%
27%
20
Gender* Willing to watch the movie again with English captions after Chinese subtitles
10%
22%
36%
16%
7%
l
Male
21
Major* Willing to watch the movie again with English captions after Chinese subtitles
15%
22%
46%
7%
47%
46%
5%
32%
63%
Male
Female
23
6%
25%
69%
6%
49%
45%
32%
32%
29%
Male
44%
27%
26%
56%20%
SEX/ Genres
War movie 40 46.0% 21 13.5%
Documentary 12 13.8% 16 10.3%
Romance 16 18.4% 98 63.2%
Suspenser 14 16.1% 37 23.9%
Sci-fi 27 31.0% 27 17.4%
Action 42 48.3% 36 23.2%
Animated film 9 10.3% 35 22.6%
Male: 87 (36%) Female: 155 (64%)
Department/ Genres
English majors
War movie 17 14.7% 44 35.0%
Documentary 12 10.3% 16 12.7%
Romance 67 57.8% 47 37.3%
Suspenser 28 24.1% 23 18.3%
Sci-fi 17 14.7% 37 29.4%
Action 32 27.6% 46 36.5%
Animated film 24 20.7% 20 15.9%
English majors: 116 (47.9%) Non-English majors:126 (51.2%)
War movie 18 20.7% 6 3.9%
Documentary 14 16.9% 25 16.1%
Romance 19 21.8% 80 51.6%
Suspensor 9 10.3% 10 6.5%
Sci-fi 8 9.2% 9 5.8%
Action 15 17.2% 24 15.5%
Animated film 13 11.5% 37 23.9%
Gender* The Relationship between preferred Gender* The Relationship between preferred
movie genres and motivation to learn Englishmovie genres and motivation to learn English
Male: 87 (36%) Female: 155 (64%)
Major* The Relationship between Major* The Relationship between
preferred movie genres and motivation to preferred movie genres and motivation to
learn Englishlearn English Department/
War movie 7 6.0% 17 13.5%
Documentary 16 13.8% 23 18.3%
Romance 57 49.1% 42 33.3%
Suspensor 12 10.3% 7 5.6%
Sci-fi 9 7.8% 8 6.3%
Action 22 19.0% 17 13.5%
Animated film 24 20.7% 26 20.6%
English majors: 116 (47.9%) Non-English majors:126 (51.2%)
The statistical results of this research demonstrated that
1. There is strong support in using DVD films to motivate students
to study English;
2. Movie preferences are related to effective language
learning;
3. Comedy is the most popular movie genre;
4. Chinese captions with English sound track benefit the
participants the most as
more than 90% of the participants reported that this technique
helped their
learning and more than 75% of participants supported the use of
different
captions when watching DVD films in EFL classrooms.
5. Key word preview facilitates learning.
Data Analysis
1. The use of subtitles/captions: Male vs Female For the relation
between gender and subtitles/captions, 87% of male participants
prefer Chinese subtitles and 67% of female participants chose
Chinese subtitles. The result of this question could be viewed from
the point that Chinese subtitles made the participants feel more
comfortable as they could follow the story line of the film.
2. The use of subtitles/captions: English majors vs Non-English
majors For the relation between major, subtitles/captions, and
learning effect, 69% of English majors chose the presence of both
Chinese subtitles and English captions. This result indicated that
English majors believe the presence of both Chinese subtitles and
English captions would help improve their language skills and help
follow the story line. For non-English majors, 49% of participants
chose Chinese subtitles only. The most interesting thing found in
the study is that only 6% of English majors and 6% of non-English
majors chose English captions only. This shows only a very small
portion of the participants were confident and aggressive enough to
take the challenge of watching an English movie with only English
sound track and English captions.
29
CONCLUSION This study was an investigation on the correlation
between the viewing of
DVD films and effective learning in EFL classrooms. As many studies
have shown,
DVD films can become an integral part of the curriculum. Although
the present
study hadn’t been incorporated into the course curriculum, we have
had significant
findings. Whether they are an integral part of the school
curriculum or
supplementary teaching materials, DVD films with their special
features such as
subtitles and chapter separation would help to develop an effective
learning
environment. Teachers can design film-related activities and
integrate them into
instruction to motivate their students. Learning can be fun!
30
REFERENCES Chiang. Yong-Ruei. (2006). “A Comparative Study of
Different Subtitling Formats in Two
English News Broadcast in Taiwan.” MA thesis. Taiwan: National
Tsing Hua
University.
Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Imagination
and Education.,
Vancouver, Canada.
Lin, Cheng-Yi Eric. (2002). “Using Films to Activate Cultural
Awareness in the EFL
Classroom: A Case Study of Freshmen Business Majors.” MA thesis.
Taiwan:
Tamkang University. Lin, Sheng Jhuan. (2003). :. Taiwan:
Lin, Yun-Chu. (2009). “The Effects of Visual Aids and Text Types on
Listening
Comprehension.” MA Thesis. Taipei: Taiwan Normal University.
Linebarger, L. Deborah. (2001). “Learning to Read from Television:
The Effects of Using
Captions and Narration.” Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 2,
288-98.
Luo, Jia-Jen. (2004). “Using DVD Films to Enhance College
Freshmen's English
Listening Comprehension and Motivation.” MA thesis. Taiwan:
National Tsing Hua
University.
Sommer, P. (2001). Using Film in the English Classroom: Why and
How. Journal of
Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 44(5), 485-487.
Weyers. Joseph R. (1999). “The Effect of Authentic Video on
Communicative
Competence. ” The Modern Language Journal, 83, iii, 339-49.
Secules, Teresa., Herron, Carol, & Tomasello, Michael. (1992).
“The Effect of Video
Context on Foreign Language Learning.” The Modern Language Journal
76, iv,
481-490.
31
Questionnaire (in English)
Hi, we are English majors. We want to know your opinions on
learning English through movie viewing. We would appreciate it if
you can fill up the questionnaire.
Gender : Male Female Age: _____________ Grade : Freshman Sophomore
Junior Senior Have you ever lived in any English-speaking
countries? Yes No If yes, how long? _____________
==================================================== 1. What kinds
of English movies do you like? (You can choose more
than one.) Thriller Comedy War movies Documentary
Romance Suspensor Science Fiction Action movie Animated movie
2. Do you think watching English movies has a beneficial effect on
learning English? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately
Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
3. What kinds of English movies do you think are beneficial in
learning English? (You can choose more than one.) Thriller Comedy
War movie Documentary Romance
Suspensor Science Fiction Action movie Animated movie 4. Do you
think your movie preferences will affect your learning?
Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5. With regard to captions, what subtitles/captions would you
choose when you watch English DVD films at home? Chinese
English
6. Do you think Chinese subtitles are better than English captions
in learning English? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree
Moderately Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
7. Do you think English captions are good in learning English?
Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree
33
Moderately Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 8. After watching a
film with Chinese subtitles, will you watch it again
with English captions? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree
Moderately Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
9. I am interested in learning English if the teacher uses English
films as teaching materials? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree
Moderately Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
10. Does keyword preview help understand the story line of a movie?
Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree Disagree
Strongly Disagree
11. Do you agree keyword preview before movie viewing motivates you
to learn English? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately
Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree
==================================================== 12. What do
you think about the film (1408 or Bedtime Stories)
Great So so Bad 13. Do you think this film is useful in learning
English?
Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree Disagree
Strongly Disagree
14. Do you agree you have learned some English by watching the
film? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree
Disagree Strongly Disagree
15. How many English sentences have you learned from the movie? 1~3
3~5 5~7 at least 10 16. Can you write down any words and sentences
you have learned
from the movie? Yes No
___________________________________________.
17. Why do these sentences impress you so much? Because they are
repeated Because they are funny Because they are four-letter
words
18. Do you think the dialogs in the movie can be used in daily
life? Strongly Agree Agree Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree
Disagree Strongly Disagree
34
19. Do you think key word previewing helps understand the
movie
and has positive effect on learning? Strongly Agree Agree
Moderately Agree Moderately Disagree Disagree Strongly
Disagree
APPENDICES D