UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS

FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXTENSION PROGRAM

AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL AS AN INFLUENCE IN THE ENGLISH LEARNING

PROCESS

By:
Crcamo Ramrez, Carlos Manuel
Flores Berganza, Karla Irene
Prez Castillo, Antonia Elizabeth
Vsquez, Antonio Carlos

A report submitted to Foreign Languages Extension Program of University of El

Salvador in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the final English level

Santa Ana, El Salvador

September 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1

Introductory 3

1.2

Statement of the problem 4

1.3

Purpose | Significance of the study 5

1.4

Research question 6

1.5

Objectives 7

CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND
2.1

Literature review 8

CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY
3.1

Population and sampling 19

3.2

Instrumentation 19

3.3

Validity and reliability 20

3.4

Assumptions 20

3.5

Scope and limitations 20

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS
4.1

Statistics 21

4.2

Data analysis 21

CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1

Conclusions 33

5.2

Recommendations 34

APPENDIX

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTORY
As it is customary, every time that a group of students are about to finish the twenty
levels in the Foreign Languages Extension Program, they have to develop a
research according to a problem related with English.

This document is the result of two months period of researching. The research team
has investigated about the influence of the use of audiovisual material in the English
learning process.
As a group, the research team hope that this document help in future investigations,
also it is expected that recommendations be take into a count in order to solve the
main problem. However, this document is subjected to any required correction that
teachers consider is needed to apply.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nowadays we live in high-tech society where new technology is present in many

areas of life. Schools and particularly education has to train qualified people so they
can function successfully in the society they will be living in the future. It is a wellknown fact that it is necessary to communicate with a foreign language such as
English, which has been expanded globally. English opens doors to a new culture,
a world of possibilities and human development; moreover, it has an enormous
political, economic and social power worldwide and it has become a vital tool, which
is required in understanding and coexisting of the XXI century society.

Education has to respond to what society demands and keeps on adapting because
the incorporation of new technology and its use as a teaching resource that makes
people learn in a much more enriching and motivating way; therefore, the success
and quality of learning is greater. That is why incorporating the use of audiovisual
resources in English classes (understood as audiovisual resources those ones,
which prevail audio and images) and also in the education field is essential and
necessary for students to acquire this language in more natural and closer way,
becoming indispensable tool.

One of the aims of learning English is to acquire communication skills, which allow
the students to understand and be understood. Furthermore, this aspect can be
widely

and

successfully

worked

through

the

educational

use

of

new

technology. Through these tools, teachers might present new structures that would
be arisen in simply everyday scenarios in a way that does not contrast with the
people actual environment, as a result, learning this language is more motivating
and funnier.

By using audiovisual resources, teachers can present stories, dialogues, and songs
with lots of idioms, vocabulary and linguistic structures that are showed through
audio and complemented with visual image might make learning more attractive.
4

Even though pedagogical studies show that sound is an essential element in learning
a foreign language like English and image presents a given context, it seems that
these new resources have not been developed to the maximum in English
Academies. It is a fact that in those places people do not use them very often.

After course the twenty levels in the extension Program it is known that the
implement of audiovisual material is essential for the increasing of the new skills and
it might be better to incorporate it because the more the teachers use it, the more
the students learn.

The underestimation of the benefit that audiovisual material offer in the process of
learning is a waste of resources and opportunities to improve a better teaching
method which students could potentially take advantage of.

1.3 PURPOSE | SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The finality of this study is to discover if the use of audiovisual material makes a
significant contribution in the learning process of the students in the English
Extension Program.

The results of this study will contribute in many ways not only to the English
Extension Program but to anyone who is learning the language. This research will
focus the attention in the English Extension Program; though people will be benefited
as a result of a better understanding of the inclusion or exclusion of the audiovisual
material in the classes, including teachers, volunteers and students, these last ones
as the main beneficiary.

The great demand in this technologic world, basically forces us to adapt our daily
lives; but seeing it since the good point of view, people can get a lot of benefits in
the learning of English language. Through this investigation we expect to find the
5

answer to the research question. Consequently, reaching the end of this project
could work as an incentive to take this situation and see the pros and cons of it.
Finally it would be good to implement the technologic resources to the teaching
program aiming at integrated learning of the language in the English Extension
Program.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

Does the use of audiovisual material really influence in the learning process through
the different levels in the English Extension Program?

1.5 OBJECTIVES

1.5.1 General
To determinate the importance of the usage of audiovisual material in the intensive
program of the English extension program of the Western multidisciplinary campus
of the University of El Salvador in the seventh entry of the year 2016.

Specifics

To collect information from students and teachers in the English levels that
could help to determine the importance of the usage of audiovisual material.

To identify the English levels that benefit the most from the audiovisual
material.

To compare the opinion of students and teachers of the importance of

audiovisual material in classes.

Chapter 2: BACKGROUND
This chapter discusses about the issues from different other researches that are very
closely related to the focus of this study. Firstly, it gives a theoretical overview of
improvising audio-visuals in language teaching and learning. That means how
different language teaching and learning theories view the use of audio-visuals in
language teaching. Then, there is discussion about using different audio-visual
materials in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom like PowerPoint slides,
audio file, videos, songs, picture etc. Then, it talks about how different language
skills are facilitated by using different audio-visuals. Finally, this chapter explores
some of the challenges of using audio-visual materials in teaching language.
2.1 Literature Review
Theoretical and methodological aspects of using audio-visual aids in
language teaching
Different language teaching-learning theories and methods support the concept of
using additional audio-visual aids in language teaching. In those theories the details
guidelines of using audio-visual aids in language teaching and their relation with the
development of language skills are discussed.
Audio-visual aids in CLT
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is one of the popular language teaching
approaches in the recent time. It was introduced in the early 1980s which aimed the
practical use of language in everyday communication. In this approach, the use of
authentic materials is highly emphasized. Teachers are encouraged to use different
audio-visual aids in a CLT classroom. As the materials are mostly authentic, there
are wide ranges of use of the pictures and videos in the classroom to make the class
interesting and authentic. Usually, the class activities are based on the activities that
are related to real communication. As a result, the learners are shown different visual

aids like map for giving direction, picture for describing any place or person and so
on (Freeman, 2000).
The Silent way and use of visual aids
In the Early 1970s a new language teaching method emerged named The Silent
Way based on the Cognitive Approach. The Principles of this method was that,
learning is facilitated if the learner discovers or creates rather than remembers and
repeats what is to be learned, learning is facilitated by accompanying physical
objects and problem solving involving the materials to be learned. In this method,
there is use of visual aids to facilitate the teaching. Teachers use sound-color chart
and color rod to teach the target language. Here every color represents a sound.
Teacher points a color in the color chart and the students utter the sound that is
represented by the color itself. Thus the visual aids are incorporated with the method
in teaching sounds (Richards & Rodgers, 1986).
Suggestopedia and audio-visual materials in language teaching
Suggestopedia is a language teaching method developed by a Bulgerian
psychiatrist-educator Georgi Lozanov. This method of language teaching highly
supports the use of audio-visual aids in teaching language. The most conspicuous
characteristics of Suggestopedia are the decoration, furniture and arrangement of
the classroom, the use of music and the authoritative behavior of the teacher
(Richards & Rodgers, 1986). Usually, the classroom in Suggestopedia is arranged
with different colorful posters so that there is a relaxing learning environment for the
learners. The main purpose of this type of classroom arrangement is to remove the
anxiety of the learners and ensure a friendly and comfortable classroom setting. It is
generally believed if the learners are free of anxiety and are comfortable, it becomes
easier for them to learn a new language. Besides, different smooth music are used
in the classroom to make the learners relaxed and more attentive in the learning
process. The classroom setting is arranged in a way so that it creates an image of
target language settings. Freeman (2000) noted.

The challenge for the teacher is to create a classroom environment which is bright
and cheerful. This was accomplished in the classroom we visited where the walls
were decorated with scenes from the country where the target language is spoken.
These conditions are not always possible. However, the teacher should try to
provide as positive an environment as possible.
Use of audio-visual aids in EFL classroom
Although, the use of audio-visual aids in language teaching has become a common
trend of the ELT practitioner, there is not sufficient study on this issue, especially in
the Bangladeshi context. However, any study on this subject can be a good source
of secondary data for this study. Mathew & Alidmat (2013) conducted a study on the
usefulness of audio-visual aids in English Language Teaching (ELT) in Saudi Arabia
context. According to the authors, Teaching and learning becomes monotonous
when the language teachers are compelled to rely on the text books as the only
source of language input. In their study, they explored how the use of audio visual
aids helps the language teacher in EFL classroom at undergraduate level. They
found that the result of their study indicates that using audio-visual aids in language
teaching is helpful for both the teachers and the students. Both the parties claimed
that it makes the class interesting and effective.
Use of technology in language teaching
Science has contributed a lot in the field of technology which has made our life easier
and comfortable. In every sphere of life, the dramatic revolution of technologies has
been influential. The field of education and training is not out of this. Now-a-days,
teachers are using different technologies in their classes to make it different and
effective from the traditional ones. The recent emergence of Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) in the field of ELT has spread the use of technologies in
language teaching. Now teachers of ELT are well aware of the trend of incorporating
ICT in language teaching in diverse ways. Due to the availability of computers and
multimedia projectors, it has become easier for the language teachers to bring
innovation in language teaching. Moreover, distant learning and E-learning have

10

become popular in the recent time due to the effective use of technology in language
teaching. As a result, different online courses are conducted by different ELT
organizations. Learners can attend different virtual courses using technologies.
Even, BBC is providing opportunities for the mobile phone users to learn English in
Bangladesh. As a result, the scope of language learning has reached to the remote
places of the country.
PowerPoint as a visual material
In the modern teaching system, another essential aid for the teachers is PowerPoint
slides. PowerPoint slides have become popular among the teachers from all the
disciplines. This tool has made teaching more dynamic with attractive presentations
and audio-visualized equipment. Ozaslan & Maden (2013) conducted a relevant
study where they found that students learn better if materials are presented through
some visual tools. Teachers also believed that PowerPoint makes the content more
appealing which draw the attention of the students easily.
On the other hand, some people think that PowerPoint slides are not always helpful
for teaching. It may draw a border between the presenter and the audience as the
presenter concentrates more on the slides than the audiences. According to Norvig
(2003), PowerPoint makes it harder to have an open exchange between presenter
and audience, to convey ideas that do not neatly fit into outline format (as cited in
Craig & Amernic, 2006). However, Corbeil (2007) in his study found that students
like PowerPoint for their brightness, liveliness, clarity and interactivity. It helps the
learners to understand better as they can see the visual with examples.
Using video as audio-visual aids
The use of video in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom has
become a common practice for the ELT practitioners. Nowadays, internet facilities
and availability of different technology have made the task of the language teachers
easier. Teachers can download different videos appropriate for the learners from
internet. As there are thousands of readymade videos designed for language
teaching, teachers can easily choose according to their needs (Ozkan, 2002). Videos
11

can facilitate language teaching in diverse ways. It makes the classroom interesting
removing the monotony of the learners. Moreover, it helps the learners to generate
ideas for discussion. It makes the class more interactive and effective. akir (2006)
reported that use of video in language teaching ensures authentic language input to
the learners. Moreover, using content related videos helps the learners to
conceptualize the ideas and get in depth thought on that topic. Besides, learners can
concentrate on the use of contextual language in the videos along with non-verbal
features of language that helps them to have better understanding of the target
language use.
Cunning (2001) discussed the usefulness of using videos in language teaching
stating that video provides stimuli to the learners which facilitates an opportunity to
the learners to get a background schemata of the subject. Also the use of videos
helps the learners to have an idea of the stress and rhythm pattern of the target
language. Moreover, it allows the learners to predict, infer and analyze information
of the subject matter (as cited in Koksal, 2004). Moreover, watching a video, learners
have the opportunities of experiencing dynamics of language communication. As
Secules, Herron, & Tomasello (1992) stated, Video offers language learners
opportunities to see the dynamics of communication, and because such materials
are widely available, it may offer a better and feasible option for listening
comprehension (as cited in Long & Doughty, 2009).
Using picture in EFL classroom
Use of picture in language teaching has become a common phenomenon at present.
Pictures are effective additional aids in an EFL classroom. Using different relevant
pictures in classrooms makes the class interesting and interactive. It helps the
teachers to visualize the content of the classroom. Also, it makes the learners more
attentive and engaged in tasks. When pictures are used to introduce any topic to the
learners, it becomes more real and contextualized. Learners get an overview of the
lesson and can generate ideas better. It improves the learner comprehension ability.
Use of audio-visual materials makes the learning more long-lasting than the use of
traditional textbooks (Craig & Amernic, 2006). The advantages of using pictures are
12

many. First of all, pictures are very available in online. Secondly, almost all types of
pictures do exist in Google. Anyone can find any picture suitable for his/her class
and learners. A picture can express thousand words which is more effective than
giving only verbal lecture.

Using songs in teaching language

As different audio-visual aids are used in language teaching in the recent time, songs
are also useful to provide language input to the learners. Music helps to create a
relaxing environment which is very important to lower the anxiety level of the
learners. Since anxiety works as a barrier of learning a new language to ensure the
maximum learning condition, this should be lessened. One of the popular language
teaching theories Suggestopedia also supports this idea of using music in teaching
language. In Suggestopedia, relaxing music is played at the beginning of the class
to remove the anxiety of the learners and make them attentive to the class.
Songs in Designing Activity
In designing activities in a language class, songs can be very useful to the teachers.
Songs can be used in teaching almost all the language skills. However, especially in
listening activities, songs are good resources for the language teachers. Songs help
teachers to provide language input to the learners based on which they can design
different activities. As songs can draw the attention of the students easily, learners
are more attentive and engaged in the task than any other materials. Through songs,
learners are provided a wide range of vocabulary and language exposure. As a
result, it becomes easier for the teachers to develop different activities like fill in the
blank, multiple choice, short notes questions to check the learners' understanding of
the songs. It is an effective way of testing listening skill of the learners. Songs are
also interesting to the learners as they find it as learning through fun. Moreover,
songs can be used in the pre-task of a speaking class. Learners can be asked to
share their understanding of the theme of the song in the class after they listen to it.
They can reflect on the song played in the class. Thus songs can be good way of
motivating the learners in speaking as well (Rosova, 2007).
13

Audio-visual aids in making the class dynamic

Audio-visual aids help the teachers to bring a significant change in the class
environment as well as in the teaching process. By using audio-visual aids in the
class, teachers can present a topic both verbally and visually which is very helpful
for the learners to pay more attention in the lesson. They can make a correlation
between the verbal and non-verbal as well as abstract and concrete issues. There
are some abstract things in language which is difficult to explain verbally. The subject
matter may not be clear to the learners and they may struggle to catch what the
teacher is going to mean. However, by using different visual aids, teachers can make
the learners understand better. If the verbal and visual things are presented together,
learners can get the information quickly. Mayer (2001) claimed that, if the instruction
is given in the class using both words and visuals, learning become faster (as cited
in Dolati, 2011).
Language laboratory in teaching language
In the modern era of language teaching, different initiatives are taken to provide best
possible language input to the learners. In every language institute, language
laboratory is an essential part. It provides the learners with maximum language
exposure outside the classroom. Learners can practice all the language skills using
the resources of the language lab for developing their language proficiency. Modern
language laboratories are decorated with all the necessary equipment including
computers, headphones, microphones, tape deck and a lot of listening materials.
Learners can individually practice listening and can work in pairs for interactive
learning. Learners can listen to a track and then speak the same text and record
their own voice so that they can listen to their own pronunciation. It helps the learners
to provide self-feedback. Moreover, students can read a text and listen to the audio
version of the text at the same tome to learn the correct pronunciation. There can be
practice of all the four language skills through different drills practices individually
and in pair. It ensures better language input and exposure to the learners than the

14

classroom settings. The language laboratory helps to train some students to rally
listen to what they say and how they say it. When they compare their pronunciation
with the correct version on the tape, they begin to notice the differences, and this
awareness, over a period, helps them to hear and pronounce English better
(Harmer, 2001).
Benefits of using visual aids in teaching reading
Reading is one of the important language skills, especially for the students as they
need to read a lot of text books and materials throughout their entire academic life.
However, students usually do not like reading that much. As a result, the task of the
language teachers becomes difficult. However, if the teacher can make the reading
interesting incorporating visual aids, learners may be attracted to reading. Use of
visual aids in reading can be benefited in many ways. According to Yunus, Salehi &
John (2013), use of visual aids creates interest among the learners in reading.
Different visual aids like pictures, videos and projectors helps the learners to
understand the abstract ideas of the text. Moreover, visual aids create an authentic
communication between the readers and the text. It makes the reading process
faster and active. Readers feel more engaged with the text through visual aids.
Usefulness of visual aids in teaching speaking
Speaking is the most important language skill in this era of communicative language
teaching and learning. Earlier, language learning meant learning how to read the
literature of the language. However, the notion has changed over the years.
Nowadays, language learning is based on the need of communication with others.
People learn a new language to communicate with others. As a result, the speaking
skill is given maximum priority in language learning. However, this is one of the
challenging tasks for the language learners. When they are asked to speak the
language, they feel uncomfortable to speak and most of the learners are nervous in
their initial stage of language learning. As a result, it is a challenging task for the
speaking teachers to motivate the learners in speaking. However, there are many
ways of motivating learners to speak in the class. Using visual aids is one of the best

15

solutions of this problem. Proper use of audio-visual aids can facilitate the speaking
teachers a lot. Visual aids are always attractive to the learners. Visual aids can draw
the attention of the learners easily. Learners become easy and comfortable as well
as attentive in the class if appropriate visual aids are used in the class. When the
learners see something visuals in front of them which match their interest and choice,
they become enthusiastic to express their opinion about that. As they get some
background information from the visual aids, it becomes easier to talk in the class.
They get some supports from those materials. Cakir (2006) explained the idea of
using videos in language class to facilitate speaking and presentation skills.
Visual aids in facilitating writing
Writing is one of the most important language skills. At present, different attractive
visual aids are used to motivate the learners in writing. Teachers use different
colorful visuals for teaching creative writing. If the learners are asked to write a
composition on some common topic that they are doing from the very beginning of
language learning, they lose interest in writing and get bored. However, of the
teacher presents something attractive and thought-provoking to them and asks them
to write something on that. That would be more effective that the traditional way of
teaching writing. Videos can be used in the class to promote reflective writing.
Moreover, pictures can be useful to encourage students for story writing. According
to Harmer (2001), Teachers sometimes use pictures for creative writing. They might
tell the students to invent a story using at least three of the images in front of them
(on cue cards, for examples). They can tell them to have a conversation about a
specified topic, and at various stages during the conversation, they have to pick a
card and bring whatever that card shows into the conversation. This type of writing
activity is appropriate in-group writing. Rather than working individually, learners can
work in small groups which will give them more confidence and interest and there
will be multiple ideas from the individuals of the group.
Teaching vocabulary through visual aids
Vocabulary is essential part of language learning. To communicate with others using
a language, one must know the vocabulary of the target language. Therefore,
16

teaching vocabulary is important in language teaching. However, vocabulary should

be taught in specific context so that it becomes easier for the learners to remember
the words and they can use those in their communications. Visual aids can be good
resources for teaching vocabulary. It is always helpful to show the objects to the
students with the words so that they can have a better understanding of the objects
and their meanings. It helps them to recall the words easily. If the learners only hear
a new word meaning orally, it may not be remembered for long time. However, if the
vocabularies are presented with the pictures, it becomes more effective. Moreover,
visual aids help the teacher to give emphasis on what is being taught and presented.
Clear visual aids multiply the learners ability of comprehension. According to Allen,
Kate & Marquez (2011), Visual aids impact and add interest to a presentation. They
can create excitement. Visual aids enable students to use more than one sense at
the same time. One picture can elicit unlimited words.
Challenges of using audio visual materials in class
Although audio-visual materials help the language teachers to facilitate their
teaching, it does not mean that there are no disadvantages. Sometimes, it may be
useless if the selection of audio-visual materials is not effective. According to Cakir
(2006),
The main disadvantages are cost, inconvenience, maintenance
and some cases the fear of technology. Additionally, the sound
and vision, quality of the copies or home-produced materials may
not be ideal. Another important issue in this case is that the
teacher should be well-trained on using and exploiting the video.
Otherwise, it becomes boring and purposeless for the students.
So, there are some factors to be considered to use audio visual aids in classroom.
If the materials are not selected wisely, the objective cannot be fulfilled. Sometimes,
the language level of the audio or video cannot be appropriate for the learners. As a
result, the materials are not comprehensible for them which may make the anxiety
level of the learners high. Moreover, sometimes, it becomes very difficult to find the
audio materials for the learners of elementary level. If the audio-visual aids are not
17

related to the contents, they may mislead and make learners confused. That is why
teachers need to be careful while selecting the audio-visual materials for their
learners.

Summary and Implication

The literatures discussed in this chapter mostly present the usefulness of audiovisual materials in language teaching and learning. Here it is very obvious that,
audio-visual aids are supported by different language teaching theories like CLT,
Suggestopedia, The Silent Way and The Direct Method. It has also been found that
in EFL classrooms, language teaching becomes interesting when the teachers use
different audio-visuals. Learners are highly motivated and attentive in classroom
when different colorful audio-visual materials are used. Other literature suggests that
audio visual aids are used to facilitate language skills. Some authors talked about
the challenges of using audio-video materials in language teaching.

Based on all the information of above literature, a hypothesis can be made that
language teaching becomes effective and dynamic by the use of different audiovisual materials. Based on the support from various literatures, this research has
combined the findings and results of the study in an order to find out the answer of
the research questions.

18

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 POPULATION AND SAMPLING
The population for this study is defined as all the students of the English Extension
Program, in Intensive Program.
The research team took a representative sampling of the population. First, it is
necessary to mention that the amount of students on each level comes from 12 to
35 students (approximately). It was decided to take into account all the levels that
are being taught in the 7th entry of 2016 (with the exception of two levels) in order
to reach the objectives.
The sampling is: 10 students per level that were chosen randomly from level 2, 4, 5,
7A, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 20; this gives a total of 130 students from the
levels of the English Extension Program of the University of El Salvador.
3.2 INSTRUMENTATION
To study the sampling the research team used a survey that was designed by the
members of the research group. The survey can be defined as a method of
sociological investigation that uses question based or statistical surveys to collect
information about how people think and act.
The survey for this research includes 7 questions:
-4 questions are closed questions (the person is able to choose YES or NO)
and in two of them the sampling is asked to explain why they chose yes or no.
-2 questions have multiple responses, the research team wrote 4 or 5 options
and they have also the freedom to add another possibility.
-1 question has a scale from 1 to 5; being 1 the lowest and 5 the highest.
*You can look for the survey in the appendix of this project.

19

Another instrument that the research group used was the interview, specifically an
unstructured interview. Six teacher of the English Extension Program were chosen
randomly; then two members of the research group asked them 2 or 3 questions in
order to reach one of the objectives.
3.3 VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY
In order to know if our survey was valid, Carmina Salazar, teacher of our current
level, checked in detail the survey with all its components. After that, she made the
relevant observations.
3.4 ASSUMPTIONS
As a research group, it was necessary to make some assumptions to facilitate the
development of the investigation. Those assumptions are:
a) We assumed that the sampling we chose represents the population.
b) The survey has validity and reliability.
c) The students who were given a survey responded honestly.
d) The results of the analysis will show the reality of the problem.
3.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
As all research studies, we faced some limitations:
a) The period of time that was given to us to make the complete research was
short.
b) Two levels that were included in the sampling (level 7B and 8) were not in
their classroom by the time we arrived to give them the survey. For this
reason, they are out of our sampling.
The scope of our investigation is a descriptive study in which our purpose is to
describe a situation that is happening in the English Extension Program. As a group,
we want by the description of the problem to determine if the use of audiovisual
material makes a significant help in the process of learning English.

20

Chapter 4: RESULTS

4.1 Statistic.
The survey contained closed question with yes and no variables as an answer;
and multiple option question (for question 4, 6 and 7). The best way to evaluate the
survey results was the use of frequency and percentage; the results were used to
create graphics for a better visualization and comparison between each level;
column graph and circle graph were elaborated using Microsoft office Excel 2015.

4.2 Data analysis.

All the surveys were systematized and the statistical analysis was done using the
software Microsoft office Excel 2015; the result for each interrogative was divided in
levels or was gathered to fill an entire population group for his post analysis.

Question 1 to 4, and 6 were evaluated as a whole population group due to the nature
of the question, results for question 5 and 7 were analyzed individually for each
group.

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4.2.1 QUESTIONS ANALYSIS

Have you ever received classes where the teacher used

Question 1.

audiovisual material?

This question was analyzed as a whole population group; as a result we have that
76 students have been in a class where the teacher used some kind of audiovisual
material, and 44 students have not been in a class where the teacher used some
kind of audiovisual material. Therefore, 63.3% of the students answered YES and
the other 33.6% answered NO

Question 1
76

80
70

63.3

60
44

50
40

36.6

30

Yes
No

20
10
0
Frecuency
Percentage

Figure 1: Question 1 frequency and percentage graph.

22

Question 2. Did you consider it was useful? (In regards of question 1).

This question was analyzed as a whole population group; as a result we have that
95 students found the class useful to them, and for 25 students the class was not
useful, so 79.2% of the students answered Yes and the other 20.8% answered
No.

Question 2
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

95
79.2

Yes
25

No
20.8

Frecuency
Percentage

Figure 2: Question 2 frequency and percentage graph.

Because of this this first two supplementary question we observed that near 1/3 of
the students who participated in the surveys has not been in a class were audiovisual
material was used by the teachers. The great majority of the students found classes
were audiovisual material was used helpful to them.

23

Question 3. Would you like that teachers use this resources in the learning
process?

This question was analyzed as a whole population group; as a result, we have that
the whole population who filled the survey would like that teachers use these
resources in the learning process, 100% of the students answered Yes.

Question 3
120
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

100.0

Yes
No
0
0.0
Frecuency
Percentage

Figure 3: Question 3 frequency and percentage graph.

All the students would like that teachers use audiovisual material resources in their
classes. We can interpret the results as an understanding from the students from all
the different levels that the audiovisual material used in classes as a teaching tool is
very important and they would like to see the teachers using this kind of material in
order to implement a better learning process.

24

Question 4. How often would you like to be in a class were audiovisual

material is used?

This question contained more than two options but it was also analyzed as a whole
population group. As a result we have that approximately 56% of the students would
like to receive a class were audiovisual material is used once or twice a week.
Followed next by the 32% of the students who would like to receive classes that use
audiovisual material every day; 10% of the students would like to receive a class
with audiovisual material one or twice a month and less than 3% of the students
would like to never receive any class were audiovisual material is being
implemented.

Question 4
10% 2%
32%

56%

everyday

once or twice/w

once or twice/m

never

Figure 4: Question 4 circular percentage graph.

As we can see in the percentage ration of the answers more than 85% of the
students would like to receive classes that implement audiovisual material one way
or the other; at least one day per week, and 98% agrees that at least one time a
month. This reflects the interest for the students to receive this type of classes and

25

the importance to them to learn from activities that involve some kind of audiovisual
material.
Question 5. Do you think that the use of audiovisual material is important at
your current level?

This question was analyzed individually for each of the levels to try to make a
comparison between all the groups or to identify a tendency between the groups.

Question 5 results
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
level level level level level level level level level level level level
2
4
5
7
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
20
Yes

No

Figure 5: Question 5 frequency column graph.

As we can see in the graph all the levels with the exception of level 13 think that the
use of audiovisual material for their current level is important, we can see that in level
7 and 17 all the students think that is important at their current level. If we see, we
make a comparison taking first half of the levels as low levels and the other half as
higher levels. We can see that it becomes slightly less important beginning in level
13 all the way through 20 where more students think that the use of audiovisual
material is not important at their current level but the difference between the first half

26

of the levels and the second half is not significant enough to say that a difference in
the general tendency exist.
Question 6. Choose the area where you consider that audiovisual material
will help you to learn easier

This question contained more than one option and multi answers were allowed, the
results were analyzed as a whole population group in order to see where the
students think they can improve more with the help of audiovisual material as a
learning method.

Question 6 results
14%

0%

15%

13%
33%
25%

grammar

vocabuary

real

idioms

culture

others

Figure 6: Question 6 circular percentage graph.

As we can see in the graph 33% of the students think they can improve their
vocabulary learning; 25% think they can improve more in life situations; 15% think
they can improve more in grammar; 14% think that they can improve more in culture
aspects and 13% think they can improve more in idioms aspects.

27

Judging by the results, we can see that the majority of the students relates the use
of audiovisual material as a learning way to improve more their oral skills, but the
graph also reveals that the students see different benefits from learning with the help
of audiovisual material, rather than only see one or two areas they can improve.
Question 7. In a scale from one to five, how much do you understand the
audiovisual material in you classes?

This question was analyzed individually for each group with the intention to make a
comparison between the levels and to see if the students were able to understand
the audiovisual material used in their classes.

Question 7 results per level

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
level level level level level level level level level level level level
2
4
5
7
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
20
Scale 1

Scale 2

Scale 3

Scale 4

Scale 5

Figure 7: Question 7 frequency column graph.

28

Question 7 total results

5
19%

4
29%

1
6%

2
10%

3
36%

Figure 8: Question 8 circular percentage graph.

As we can see in this graph for each of the levels, the comprehension of the
audiovisual material used in each level vary from one to another but the general
tendency tell us that the majority of the students used the scale 3 and 4 to describe
how much they understand the audiovisual material used in their levels.
Nevertheless, taking the scale 1 and 2 as a low scale; the 3 as an intermediate scale
and 4 and 5 as a higher scale we can assume that the great majority of the students
understand the audiovisual material their teachers use in class. However, this is not
very true analyzing each individual level, as we can see in the level graph it is very
hard to identify a tendency between the levels. This indicates that the preparation
for the audiovisual material that is used in every class has no method to fallow and
is prepared by the teachers as an extra activity and is not standardized according to
each level.

29

4.2.2 INTERVIEWS ANALYSIS

The interviews that were made to the teachers had a duration of 3 minutes and were
recorded, parting from their answers, the research team added some information to
take in to account and have a better comprehension of the usage situation of the
audiovisual material in the classes.

Question 1. How often do you use audiovisual material in your classes?

In this question, teachers said that they do not use audiovisual material very often,
only once a week or less.

Some teachers use audiovisual material only when the topic requires them. In
addition, they have mentioned that audiovisual equipment is not enough or they are
not available for all teachers and they cannot bring theirs because sometimes they
teach until 6:50 so getting the material at that time is hard.

Other teachers try to use audiovisual material as much as possible especially when
they are teaching in lower levels because it gives them the opportunity to connect
the students with new vocabulary and structures.

In general, they use images, but referring to videos it is harder to play them during
classes, because they do not have the equipment, there is only one projector.
Therefore, most of the time, they only use charts or pictures and other times they
post videos on their Facebook groups.

30

Question 2. As a teacher, do you consider it is important the use of audiovisual

material?

Teachers said that the use of audiovisual material is important; it is like having a
native speaker in the class and also audiovisual material helps them during the class
because having a class just filling in the blanks or answering questions becomes
boring for the students.

Furthermore, teachers told us that some students need to see the things not only
reading them or hearing them, the majority of the students are visual learners and
that means that teachers need to get the students immersed in the topic that they
are teaching. It is very important because learning is a process and this process is
not just memorize the language, teachers have to connect the students with the real
world and the use of audiovisual material is a helpful tool.

All the teachers agreed that the use of audiovisual material is important because it
motivates students and those resources are an essential part of the learning
process. However, as we have mentioned before the only problem is that they do
not have enough equipment, they do not have access to those resources.

Question 3. Do you consider it is important to use audiovisual material in

higher levels than lower ones?

In this question, most of the teachers agreed that the use audiovisual material is
important during the whole levels but they pay special attention to the primer ones.
They told us that it does not matter the level because they prepare their material
according to the level they are.

In lower levels, audiovisual material is more important because students speak

Spanish and it is very difficult to make someone understand a new language only
31

with handouts, nevertheless, audiovisual material helps them a lot. It is known that
people learn better by watching and in primer levels, students are learning something
new and they need to get used to the native tone, memorize vocabulary, etc. so, that
is why this resources are too important.
On the other hand, in intermediate or advance levels, students already have the use
of the language, they have gotten enough vocabulary and they have even learnt how
to associate words by context or previous knowledge. Nevertheless, they could need
something concrete with abstract ideas; as a result, with the use of audiovisual
material they can get those ideas easier although teachers have to find out the best
technique to implement audiovisual material in these higher levels.

32

Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIOS

5.1 CONCLUSIONS

Basing us on the statistical analysis of the results and taking into account the
teachers answers from the interviews the research team has come up with the
following conclusions about the investigation project:

The majority of the students think that the implementation of audiovisual

material in the classes is important regardless the level they are, a minority of
the student did not find useful the audiovisual material received in their
classes. Students consider this tool as an important aspect in the learning
process and all the students would prefer that the teacher use some kind of
audiovisual material as a support tool to teach in their classes periodically.

Majority of the students consider that the use of audiovisual material at their
current level is important, this is more evident in the lower levels than in
advanced levels but the difference in importance is not that big.

The comprehension of the audiovisual material at a specific level vary from

one to another. There is no tendency between the levels, in some levels the
comprehension was in a high scale and in other was in a low scale.
Regardless if it was a lower or advanced level, though as a whole group
majority of the students said that they have a middle to high comprehension
(scale from 3 to 5) of the material used in class.

In regards of the area where audiovisual material help the students the most,
it seems to be related in the oral aspects of the language but it also took
relevancy in every other aspect like culture and grammar.

33

The English extension program does not count with enough equipment to help
the teachers to implement the use of audiovisual material in their classes, the
lack of equipment hinder the chances of activities involving such material.

The audiovisual material used by the teachers in classes is not standardized

for each specific level and most of the time they prepare the material for each
level themselves.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

In base of the conclusion, the research team has come up with the following
recommendations that can lead to a better exploitation and usage of the audiovisual
material in the English extension program.

Include the audiovisual material in the teaching program of each level to

include periodical activities that implement the audiovisual material according
to the topic studied in class.

Adjust the complexity of the audiovisual material used in class according to

the level, and try to use complementary activities at the lower levels like easy
comprehension audio conversation or videos in native English.

Elaborate a small program or prepare general material (audiovisual material)

for each level that can be used in specific levels so the students can have an
equal comprehension of the material used in class and provide a better
learning experience.

Promote more activities like the certifications in English pronunciation and

vocabulary to provide more found to the program in order to invest in more
equipment to benefit of the students or schedule the limited equipment so
every teacher can used regularly.
34

Standardize the audiovisual material considering every individual level the

same way as it is done with the handouts, this way the material will be specific
to each level and teacher will not have to improvise their material; this will
translate in an equitable comprehension by part of the students.

35

APENDIX
APENDIX 1. SURVEY MODEL

UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR
WESTERN MULTIDISCIPLINARY CAMPUS
FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXTENSION PROGRAM

Career______________________ Level____ Gender_____ Age_____ Date_____

Objective: to discover if the use of audiovisual material makes a significant
contribution in the learning process of the students in the English Extension
Program.
Directions: Mark an X and answer honestly the following questions. In some of
the questions, you may choose more than one option.

1. Have you ever received a class where teacher used audiovisual material?
YES____ NO____

2. Do you consider it was useful? YES____ NO____ why?

3. Would you like that teachers use this resources in the learning process?
YES____ NO____

If you answered "YES", please go to question 4. On the contrary, if you answered

"NO" go to question 5.

4. How often would you like to be in a class where audiovisual material is used?
___ Everyday
___ Once or twice a week
36

___ Once or twice a month

___ Never
Other _____________________________
5. Do you think that the use of audiovisual material is important for learning at your
current level? YES____ NO____ why?

6. Choose the area where you consider that audiovisual material will help you to
learn easier
Grammar in context (structures) ____
Vocabulary ____
Real life situations ____
Idioms ____
Culture____
Others__________________________

7. In a scale from 1 to 5 how much do you understand the audiovisual material used
in your classes?

1__

2__

3__

4__

5__

37

APENDIX B. RESEARCH TEAM PICTURES

38