Pre-service EFL Teachers in Practice: Integrating Films into Language Teaching

Yayli, Demet

Article

Journal of English Teaching through Movies and Media 2009;10(1):77-98.
Published online June 30, 2009.

Pre-service EFL Teachers in Practice: Integrating Films into Language Teaching

Abstract

In this study, the main purpose was to investigate the pre-service teachers' initial perspectives on using feature films in language teaching and how these perspectives evolved after their microteaching experience by using feature films. The participants used some film segments accompanied by some speaking, reading and writing activities to teach some lexical or cultural elements. To collect qualitative data, the participants were asked to respond to some questionnaire items at the beginning and at the end of the semester when their microteaching sessions were over. Besides the questionnaire, five participants took part in semi-structured in depth interviews with the researcher before and after the microteaching sessions. While interpreting the data compiled, the most frequently cited meanings served to form some basic coding themes. The differences found between the initial and final utterances were noteworthy. After their microteaching experience, the participants' utterances reflected their increasing awareness toward specific languages used in specific situations. Another difference was that the pre-service teachers in this study went beyond mainstream explanations that they held before experiencing teaching with films. Therefore, it is essential to allow pre-service teachers to take all the responsibilities for practicing real teaching with authentic materials supported in theory.

Key Words: films;pre-service teacher education;ELT