Teachers' and students' attitudes towards using authentic materials in learning vocabulary: A case study of second year students of english at Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia University-Jijel

Abstract

For achieving the already mentioned aims and answering the already asked questions, we adopted two instruments. A questionnaire distributed to sixty students and an interview with three teachers of English. Hence, the already set hypothesis was confirmed and the research questions were answered. That is to say, using authentic materials helps in developing students‟ vocabulary knowledge. Both teachers and students held positive attitudes toward learning vocabulary through authentic materials. And they appreciated its use. Furthermore, they showed actual retention of more vocabulary when exposed to these materials. Also, they motivate students and provide authentic cultural information. Most importantly, the results showed, however, the use of authentic materials only beneficial when considering students‟ language level, needs, interests, and suitability with the objectives of the curriculum when selecting authentic input. Thus, teachers may need training in selecting appropriate texts, and desining suitable activities since authentic materials are not graded or simplified for the teaching purposes