DEVELOPING ENGLISH LISTENING COMPREHENSION THROUGH EXPOSURE TO FILMS AND TV SERIES

РАЗВИТИЕ ПОНИМАНИЯ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА НА СЛУХ ЧЕРЕЗ ПРОСМОТР ФИЛЬМОВ И СЕРИАЛОВ

Жұмабекова Динара Мұратбекқызы

студент, Педагогический факультет иностранных языков, Казахский университет международных отношений и мировых языков имени Абылай хана,

Казахстан, Алматы

Абдрахманова Аида Алдиярбекқызы

научный руководитель, мастер пед. наук, кафедра практики речи и коммуникации, Казахский университет международных отношений и мировых языков имени Абылай хана,

Казахстан, Алматы

ABSTRACT

This article examines the effectiveness of using authentic listening materials, such as films and TV series, to enhance listening comprehension in English language learning. By integrating authentic materials into educational practices, students significantly improve their listening comprehension and real-world communication skills. The study underscores the value of these resources in fostering active listening, vocabulary acquisition, and overall language proficiency.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В этой статье исследуется эффективность использования аутентичных материалов для аудирования, таких как фильмы и сериалы, для улучшения понимания на слух в процессе изучения английского языка. Интеграция аутентичных материалов в образовательную практику позволяет студентам значительно улучшить свои навыки аудирования и реального общения. Исследование подчеркивает ценность этих ресурсов для развития активного слушания, расширения словарного запаса и повышения общего уровня владения языком.

Keywords: listening, listening comprehension, authentic listening materials, films and TV series.

Ключевые слова: аудирование, понимание на слух, аутентичные материалы для аудирования, фильмы и сериалы.

The English education system holds great importance in Kazakhstan as it connects students to global knowledge exchange and opportunities. The government is promoting the N.Nazarbayev’s address of "trinity of the languages "  policy to increase international integration [1, p. 1]. Many universities offer programs in this language, expanding opportunities for higher education. In addition, English education encourages cultural exchange and helps Kazakhstan establish a stronger global presence. In today's world of fast communication and global connectivity, strong listening skills are essential in education.

English learning contains four core skills including listening, along with speaking, reading and writing. The importance of listening on a functional basis consists in understanding spoken language, which is the primary aspect of communication. Listening is also a critical input source for language acquisition, providing learners with exposure to vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Considered a passive activity for a long time, listening is now recognized as an active process that requires concentration, the ability to analyze, interpret, and summarize speech content. In academic and professional settings, strong listening skills are necessary for following lectures, participating in discussions, and working on assignments. In a more interconnected world, different senses, forms of speech, and methods of communication have become more important than ever. The essence of listening comprehension, along with related issues and methods for teaching the listening skill was studied by S. Krashen, J. Field, L. Vandergrift, M. Rost, P. Ur, G. Brown, D. Nunan, A. Anderson, T. Lynch, P. Dunkel, C. Goh, A. P. Gilakjani, Y.-S. Kim, S. Brown, etc.

According to Vandergrift L., listening comprehension is "the complex, active process of interpreting and understanding spoken language, which involves not only decoding sounds and words but also inferring meaning, predicting content, and monitoring comprehension." [2, p. 168]. These perspectives emphasize the multifaceted nature of listening, which goes beyond just perception and includes cognitive and interpretive skills.

The educational researcher Krashen S.D. has promoted the understanding of listening ability with the " Principles and practice of second language acquisition ". Krashen argued that exposure to "comprehensible input" language that is slightly above their current level of knowledge but still understandable is the best for students to grasp the language [3, p. 20]. Krashen's theory shifts the focus from grammar-based instructions to the importance of real or authentic listening experiences such as conversations, stories, and media to promote language learning. Building on this foundation Buck G. highlights that effective listening requires the ability to manage the rapid flow of information and make quick decisions about meaning [4, p. 17]. By embracing authentic listening experiences and the ability to develop rapid speech, students can bridge the gap between hearing and truly understanding a foreign language.

There are various ways and methods to develop listening comprehension, but the use of authentic materials such as movies and TV series is the most beneficial. This leads to the question: what makes movies and TV series effective tools for developing listening skills, and what differentiates them from traditional learning resources?

The integration of films and TV series into educational system began in the mid-20th century, with the advent of accessible technology tools. Educators realized that movies and television programs provided authentic examples of language expression, including pronunciation, intonation, and cultural nuances that textbooks alone could not provide.

According to King J., movies are a very effective and versatile teaching tool as they provide real examples of English conversation in natural settings, including slang, blended speech, stress patterns, accents, and dialects [5, p. 510]. This immersion allows students to adapt to different speech patterns and strengthens their ability to perceive spoken language in different contexts. As noted by Kim H.S., utilizing video materials can boost students' motivation, foster their interest in listening, and achieve the goal of learning English [6, p. 18]. Finally, Safranj J. stated that incorporating films is a valuable way to improve students' foreign language listening skills while providing a deeper understanding of English culture [7, p. 170]. Thus, we can analyze that incorporating movies is a powerful approach to enhance listening skills and deepen one’s cultural understanding, making the process of language learning more immersive and engaging for students.

To illustrate, here is a an example of tv series that can be used to strengthen listening skills and give an understanding of cultural references of various nations:

• Doctor Who TV series (1963-2022).

Doctor Who is an iconic British science fiction television series that premiered in 1963 and continues to fascinate audiences to this day. Known for its fantastic stories and time travel adventures, the show offers more than just entertainment – it's also a great resource for students learning English as a foreign language. This TV series offers various British accents such as Standard British, Scottish, Welsh, Northern and Cockney.

The Doctor's speech is fast and full of unique words such as "timey-wimey", which makes it easier for learners to adjust to casual expressions. His rapid delivery and playful language help students adapt to real-world conversations, where native speakers rarely speak in perfectly constructed sentences. To support learners in adapting to fast and casual speech, the following exercise was used:

Exercise 1. Dialogue reconstruction. The purpose of this exercise is to enhance memory retention and listening comprehension through the reconstruction of dialogue from a selected scene. By engaging in this activity, learners improve their ability to memorize spoken languages, identify key phrases, and understand conversational dynamics, including tone, emotion, and pacing. Task instructions are the next:

1. Watch the selected scenes without subtitles
2. After watching, write down everything you remember about the dialogue and try to convey the context.
3. Watch the scene again with subtitles. Compare your written version with the original dialogue, highlighting differences and unfamiliar phrases.
4. Practice reading the corrected dialogue aloud, paying attention to the tone, pacing, and emotional expression.

For example, in the Doctor Who episode "Silence in the Library," students focused on the moment in which Doctor urgently warns the group that to count their shadows during the attack. During the first visit, the students tried to report as much as possible. Through careful observation and subtitles, they correct their written version and practice the dialogue to capture the emotional and contextual nuances of the moment. To evaluate the effectiveness of integrating short film scenes into listening practice, a four-week experiment was conducted with two groups of first-year students at Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages: Group 103 (control group) and group 101 (experimental group).

Both groups began at a similar level on the FCE listening pre-test:

Experimental Group (group 101): 78

Control Group (group 103): 76

The control group (group 103) received a standard text presentation without any additional visuals. They followed a traditional FCE advocacy course using the exercises and activities in the course.

On the other hand, the experimental group (group 101) was provided with short film clips (5-6 minutes long) into their lessons. These clips were carefully selected to match the students' proficiency level.  After watching the clips, students do dialogue reconstruction exercises similar to the one described above.

After four weeks of instruction, the post-test showcased that using film-based listening tasks improved scores of the group 101 from 78 to 85, while the control group (103) showed no changes.

The results demonstrated that the listening comprehension of the experimental group improved noticeably compared to the control group. Students exposed to audiovisual materials demonstrated greater accuracy in identifying key information, understanding conversational nuances, and memorizing certain phrases and structures, indicating that using film scenes as a tool significantly boosted their listening skills.

The main goal of the study was to find out how effective movies and TV shows are in increasing students' listening comprehension in English. The exercise focused on reconstructing dialogues, contributed to improved spoken fluency and expanded vocabulary. Thus, these methods have proven to be very effective in developing practical listening, making them powerful resources for English language learners.

In summary, listening comprehension is a vital part of English language learning that allows students to connect with global knowledge, different accents, and authentic communication. By adopting such methods, educators can better prepare students with the listening skills essential for thriving in a globally connected world.

References:

1. Nazarbayev N.A. Address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated December 14, 2012, "Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy: New Political Course of the Established State." — [online] Available at: https://www.akorda.kz/en/addresses/addresses_of_president/address-by-the-president-of-the-republic-of-kazakhstan-leader-of-the-nation-nnazarbayev-strategy-kazakhstan-2050-new-political-course-of-the-established-state (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
2. Vandergrift L. Facilitating second language listening comprehension: acquiring successful strategies // ELT Journal. — 1999. — Vol. 53, No. 3. — P. 168-176. — DOI: 10.1093/elt/53.3.168. — [online] Available at: https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article-abstract/53/3/168/2924470 (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
3. Krashen S.D. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. — Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1982. — 202 p. — [online] Available at: https://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
4. Buck G. Assessing Listening. — Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. — 274 p. — [online] Available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/assessing-listening/3F31B7309BFB98DE76B276E9C2E43CB9 (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
5. King J. Using DVD Feature Films in the EFL Classroom // Computer Assisted Language Learning. — 2002. — Vol. 15, No. 5. — P. 509-523. — [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240511222_Using_DVD_feature_films_in_the_EFL_classroom (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
6. Kim H.S. Using Authentic Videos to Improve EFL Students' Listening Comprehension // International Journal of Contents. — 2015. — Vol. 11, No. 4. — P. 15-24. — [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302028735_Using_Authentic_Videos_to_Improve_EFL_Students'_Listening_Comprehension (Accessed: 05 May 2025).
7. Šafranj J. Advancing Listening Comprehension Through Movies // Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. — 2015. — Vol. 191. — P. 169-173. — DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.513.