Integrating Digital Authentic Materials in ESP Classrooms: Effects on Kazakh Students’ Language Proficiency and Student Engagement

Authors

  • Zhanargul Gabdullina

    Department of Foreign Languages Teaching Methodology, Atyrau University, Atyrau 060000, Kazakhstan

  • Perizat Yelubayeva

    Department of Foreign Languages, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan

  • Ekaterina Nemtchinova

    Department of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA 98119, USA

  • Klara Kunakova

    Department of Lingucultural Studies, Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages, Almaty 050005, Kazakhstan

  • Galiya Kulzhanbekova

    Department of Foreign Languages, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i4.6712
Received: 1 June 2024 | Revised: 9 July 2024 | Accepted: 11 July 2024 | Published Online: 9 October 2024

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of selected task-design strategies for integrating digital authentic materials into ESP instruction. It mainly focuses on how teachers navigated this alternative learning environment and the challenges they experienced. A mixed-methods approach was employed, gathering quantitative data through standardized tests and qualitative data through interviews and classroom observations. The study involved thirty-five language instructors from the English language departments of two leading Kazakh universities. The results revealed that critical media literacy instruction to use authentic materials in language learning significantly enhances language proficiency and engagement and effectively equips students with the necessary skills to navigate and assess the digital information landscape. These findings underscore the potential of digital authentic materials in language instruction, paving the way for a promising future in language education. The research highlights the importance of integrating digital literacy into the curriculum to prepare students for the demands of the digital age. The research findings provide vital insights for policymakers and stakeholders to deliberate on effective professional development programs. These programs can assist educators in addressing challenges and acquiring essential content knowledge, pedagogical expertise, and technological competence.

Keywords:

English for specific purposes; Digital authentic materials; Language proficiency; Student engagement; Media literacy; Instructions

References

Bergen, N., Labonté, R., 2019. Everything is perfect, and we have no problems detecting and limiting social desirability bias in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research. 30(3), 1049732319889354. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319889354

Birks, M., Mills, J., 2011. Grounded theory: A practical guide. New Delhi: Sage.

Blakeslee, S., 2004. The CRAAP Test. LOEX Quarterly. 31(3), 6–7.

Boelens, R., De Wever, B., Voet, M., 2017. Four key challenges to blended learning design: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review. 22, 1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.06.001

Borucinsky, M., Čolakovac, J.J., 2023. Promoting authenticity in the ESP classroom: the impact of ICT and using authentic materials on reading comprehension. In Proceedings of The 5th International e-Conference on Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia. pp. 31–44.

Buckingham, D., 2007. Media education goes digital: an introduction. Learning, Media and Technology. 32, 111–119.

Colwell, J., Reinking, D., 2016. A formative experiment to align middle-school history instruction with literacy goals. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education. 118, 1–42.

Cooke, N.A., 2017. Fake news and alternative facts: information literacy in a post-truth era. American Libraries Associations. pp. 22–28.

Cooke, N.A., 2021. Media and information literacies as a response to misinformation and populism. In: Tumber, H., Waisbord, S., (Eds.). The Routledge Companion to Media Disinformation and Populism. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003004431-51

DeJonckheere, M.J., Vaughn, L.M., 2019. Semistructured interviewing in primary care research: a balance of relationship and rigor. Family Medicine and Community Health. 7(2), e000057.

Esparrago-Kalidas, A.J., 2021. The Effectiveness of CRAAP Test in Evaluating Credibility of Sources. International Journal of TESOL & Education. 1(2), 1–14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11250/ijte.01.02.001

Gee, J.P., 2018. Reading as situated language: A sociocognitive perspective. In: Gee, J.P. (Ed.). Theoretical models and processes of literacy, 7th ed. London: Routledge.

Gilmore, A., 2007. Authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning. Language Teaching. 40(2), 97–118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444807004144

Gilster, P., 1997. Digital Literacy. Hoboken: Wiley.

Hafner, C.A., Chik, A., Jones, R.H., 2015. Digital literacies and language learning. Language Learning & Technology. 19, 1–7.

Hafner, C.A., 2014. Embedding digital literacies in English language teaching: Students' digital video projects as multimodal ensembles. TESOL Quarterly. 655–685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/TESQ.138

Hajar, A., Batyrkhanova, G., Manan, S.A., 2024. Understanding challenges, investment, and strategic language use of postgraduate students in an English-medium university in Kazakhstan. Asian Englishes. 26(1), 216–232. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2216868

Hedge, T., 2000. Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hobbs, R., 2021. “A most mischievous word”: Neil Postman’s approach to propaganda education. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-65

Hobbs, R., 2020. Propaganda in an age of algorithmic personalization: Expanding literacy research and practice. Reading Research Quarterly. 55(3), 521–533. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.301

Huang, Y., Xu, W., Sukjairungwattana, P., et al., 2024. Learners’ continuance intention in multimodal language learning education: An innovative multiple linear regression model. Heliyon. 10(6), e28104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28104

Hyland, K., 2019. Foreword: Corpora and specialized Engish in the university curriculum. In: Crosthwaite, P., Cheung, L., (Eds.). Learning the Language of Dentistry: Disciplinary corpora in the teaching of English for Specific Academic Purposes. Amsterdam: Bemjamins.

Hyland, K., 2018. The Essential Hyland: Studies in Applied Linguistics. London: Bloomsbury Press.

Juita, E., 2023. The use of authentic materials in ESP classes for vocational program of medical laboratory technology. Journal of Educational and Language Research. 2(11), 1287–1292. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53625/joel.v2i11.6015

Kellner, D., 2021. Digital technologies, multi-literacies, and democracy: Toward a reconstruction of education. In: Technology and Democracy: Toward a critical theory of digital technologies, technopolitics, and technocapitalism. Medienkulturen im digitalen Zeitalter. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-31790-4_10

Kellner, D., Share, J., 2007. Critical media literacy is not an option. Learning Inquiry. 1(1), 59–69.

Kessler, G., 2018. Technology and the future of language teaching. Foreign Language Annals. 205–218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/FLAN.12318

Kukulska-Hulme, A., Shield, L., 2018. Mobile language learning: Affordances and limitations. In the Routledge Handbook of Language Learning and Technology. London: Routledge. pp. 157–171.

Larsen-Freeman, D., 2011. A Complexity Theory Approach to Second Language Development/Acquisition.

Larsen-Freeman, D., Wen, Z., Mohebbi, H. 2023. The past and the future of language learning and teaching: An interview with Diane Larsen-Freeman. Language Teaching Research Quarterly.

Martin, F., Kumar, S., She, L., 2021. Examining higher education instructor perceptions of roles and competencies in online teaching. Online Learning. 25(4), 267–295. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i4.2570

McGrew, S., Breakstone, J., Ortega, T., et al., 2018. Can students evaluate online sources? Learning from assessments of civic online reasoning. Theory & Research in Social Education. 165–193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2017.1416320

Mishan, F., 2022. Language learning materials in the digital era. In: Norton, J., Buchanan, H. (Eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Materials Development for Language Teaching. London: Routledge. pp. 17–29.

Nicholas, H., Ng, W., 2019. Mobile digital literacy of Australian adolescent students. International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence. 10(3), 32–48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/ijdldc.2019070103

Nunan, D., 2004. Task-Based Language Teaching: Acknowledgements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Peacock, M., 1997. The Effect of Authentic materials on the motivation of EFL learners. English Language Teaching Journal. 51, 144–156.

Pegrum, M., Hockly, N., Dudeney, G., 2022. Research and resources in language teaching. Digital literacies, 2nd ed. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003262541

Pegrum, M., 2019. Mobile lenses on learning. Singapore: Springer Singapore.

Pennycook, G., Rand, D.G., 2019. Fighting misinformation on social media using crowdsourced judgments of news source quality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116(7), 2521–2526. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1806781116

Potter, W.J., 2013. Media Literacy. New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Reid, E., Horvathova, B., 2023. Implementation and evaluation of ESP courses for university librarians in China and Kazakhstan. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes. 11(1), 267--279. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP230207019R

Richards, J.C., Rodgers, T.S., 2001. Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Seidlhofer, B., 2009. Common ground and different realities: World Englishes and English as a lingua franca. World Englishes. 28(2), 236–245.

Seitova, G., Kunakova, K., Yakunina, T., 2021. The formation of a foreign language professionally oriented competence among students of technical specialties in the Chinese language. International Journal of Society, Culture, and Language. 9(2), 137–150.

Selwyn, N., 2016. Education and technology: Key issues and debates. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Shehadeh, A., 2024. It is a task, not an exercise: What is the difference? System. 123, 103299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103299

Stickler, U., Hampel, R., Emke, M., 2020. A developmental framework for online language teaching skills. Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 3(1), 133–151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29140/ajal.v3n1.271

Tisdell, E.J., 2008. Critical media literacy and transformative learning: drawing on pop culture and entertainment media in teaching for diversity in adult higher education. Journal of Transformative Education. 6, 48–67.

Tomlinson, B., Masuhara, H., 2017. The complete guide to the theory and practice of materials development for language learning. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Tomlinson, B., 2016. The importance of materials development for language learning. In: Azarnoosh, M., Zeraatpishe, M., Faravani, A., et al. (Eds.). Issues in Materials Development. Critical New Literacies: The Praxis of English Language Teaching and Learning (PELT). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-432-9_1

Tuzlukova, V., Al Busaidi, S., Burns, S.L., 2017. Critical thinking in the language classroom: Teacher beliefs and methods. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 25(2), 615–633.

Warschauer, M., 2013. Comparing Face-to-face and electronic discussion in the second language classroom. CALICO Journal. 7–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v13i2-3.7-26

Widdowson, H.G., 2020. Linguistics, language teaching objectives, and the language learning process. Pedagogical Linguistics. 1(1), 34–43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/pl.19014.wid

Yelubayeva, P., 2017. Authentic materials in English language classrooms. In: Gómez Parra, M.E., Johnstone, R. (Eds.). Nuevas perspectivas en educación bilingüe: investigación e innovación. Granada: Universidad de Granada. pp. 379–389. ISBN: 978-84-338-6342-3.

Yelubayeva, P., Chaklikova, A., Asmatullayeva, N., 2016. Critical discourse analysis in developing vocational English context. European Journal of Language Policy. 8(2), 209–223. DOI: https://doi.org/10. 10.3828/ejlp.2016.13

Yelubayeva, P., Kudyarova, S., Kulzhanbekova, G., 2024. Incorporating media literacy into foreign language classrooms to advance Kazakh students’ critical communication skills. Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Education 2023. pp. 1013–1025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2024.86

Yelubayeva, P., Mustafina, A., 2020. Developing Kazakh students' intercultural awareness and communication through collaborative technologies. European Journal of Language Policy. 12(2), 235–255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/ejlp.2020.12

Yelubayeva, P., Tashkyn, E., Berkinbayeva, G., 2023. Addressing challenges in Kazakh education for sustainable development. Sustainability. 15(19), 14311. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914311

Downloads

How to Cite

Gabdullina , Z., Yelubayeva, P., Nemtchinova , E., Kunakova, K., & Galiya Kulzhanbekova. (2024). Integrating Digital Authentic Materials in ESP Classrooms: Effects on Kazakh Students’ Language Proficiency and Student Engagement. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(4), 300–315. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i4.6712

Issue

Article Type

Article