Students’ Perceptions of Using Authentic Materials for Foreign Language Class Activities

Abstract

The practice of using authentic materials in language teaching and learning receives numerous supported references in the field of language pedagogy since it has proven to provide many significant advantages to learners at various levels. In order to investigate the use of authentic material at the tertiary level, 49 undergraduate students taking Bahasa Mandarin class (PBI10502) session 2023/24 were involved in this study. Students were required to provide responses for the language class activity done by their teacher who had used a magazine as the primary source of authentic material. A set of questionnaires, including a Likert scale and open-ended questions, was distributed among the students to investigate their perceptions towards the use of authentic material in teaching and learning class activities. Results indicated that the use of authentic material in class was fun and able to increase their Mandarin language learning experiences. The most significant result from this study (M=3.57) suggested that students agreed that authentic materials should be practiced more in the future and used in other language-learning skills, including writing and reading. On the contrary, most students (N=39) found that the activity offered less benefit to enhance their Mandarin vocabulary. Students responded that the teachers should provide more guidance on the authentic materials being used. In conclusion, the use of authentic material at the tertiary level should be continued to increase students’ interests accompanied by wise facilitation by the teachers. It is crucial for the teacher to empower knowledge in choosing and using authentic materials for language class activities to ensure the learning outcome is successfully achieved.