Incorporating Movie Talks and Facebook Networking in an EFL College English Drill Class: A Case Study

• Main Authors: Szu-Ting Chen, 陳思婷
• Other Authors: Yueh-Kuey Huang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/96051823672914459503

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 英文學系碩士班 === 99 === This study explores students’ perceptions of using Facebook networking to support movie-related tasks in EFL learning. Participants’ view of movies in terms of how movies affect their English learning, and how Facebook assists exchange of ideas were addressed. 63 non-English majors in a Freshmen English Drill class participated in a semester-long project, designed to engage learners in watching movies, sharing ideas on Facebook, writing and reporting on their experience, and making a presentation. Questionnaire, in-class observation, students’ responses on Facebook, written reflections, as well as peer-evaluation and self-evaluation of oral presentation were collected for data analysis. The results indicated that 1) students believed their listening, thinking, and culture understanding were improved through movie-related activities; 2) they all participated in the task they considered most challenging—oral presentation—and were willing to write comments for their peers’ performance; and 3) most students thought Facebook engaged them in real communication in target language on a topic they enjoyed (i.e., movie discussion) through instant exchange of ideas. To sum up, the study substantiates the multifaceted benefits of movies as a rich source of language input and suggests the use of Facebook as a viable means to use English in real-time communication.