The effectiveness of output-first activities involving speaking and writing adapted for EFL

Ryu, Do Hyung

Article

Journal of English Teaching through Movies and Media 2014;15(1):155-174.
Published online March 30, 2014.

The effectiveness of output-first activities involving speaking and writing adapted for EFL

Do Hyung Ryu

말하기, 쓰기 선출력(output-first) 활동의 영어교육현장 실효성 연구

유도형

Abstract

This article examines a method of using output-first activities to develop the speaking and writing abilities of EFL students. Although output skills are considered to be more important than previously thought, the focus of English education is still prone to be biased toward input skills. Particularly in EFL situations, the specific treatments for practice in production need to be given more priority. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility and effectiveness of using an output-first process in an EFL situation, while exploring the important role of films in this process. An outputfirst activity is a method in which output practice is done before the input process, rather than the usual vice-versa approach. Films can be helpful tools for carrying out this practice in production in EFL situations. Two output-first activities, translating from Korean using film scripts and a task called 'making my own scenario' were presented during the research. One group was given opportunities to do output-first tasks whereas the other group engaged in input-based tasks (output-last). The quantitative data analysis showed that the results of the output-first process were much more effective compared to the output-last process.

Key Words: output-first process using movies;practice in English production;output hypothesis