Learner Perceptions of English Movies in ESL Acquisition among Public University Students in Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v16i1.17376Keywords:
ESL acquisition, English movies, language skills, public university students, academic benefitsAbstract
Nevertheless, even after years of formal instruction in English language, most students in the Bangladeshi public universities still find functional proficiency to be a challenge especially in the areas of listening, speaking and pronunciation. This paper explores the attitudes and experiences of Bangladeshi students in the public university towards the importance of English movies in the acquisition of English as a Second Language (ESL). Using a qualitative design, the research involved a semi-structured interview that was in-depth and was carried out on 17 students who were invited by using purposive sampling in 16 public universities. The NVivo software was used to analyze the data thematically. Based on the concepts presented in the Krashen and Affective Filter Hypotheses and the Dual Coding Theory by Paivio, the results indicate that the learners found English movies to be significantly helpful in the process of building up of listening comprehension, speaking confidence, pronunciation, vocabulary, reading and writing capabilities. Subtitles were noted to be especially helpful in the communication between spoken and written language. Academic benefits also ensued such as better lecture understanding, higher performance in presentations and viva examinations, and better confidence in academic writing. Nonetheless, participants also faced difficulties in the form of various accents, the fast speed of dialogue, difficult vocabulary, and cultural unfamiliarity. The research study fills in a gap in the research about ESL in Bangladesh, as it is an area that has not been well studied. It finds that English movies can be valuable as supplementary aids in ESL curricula with systematic pedagogical assistance.
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