Using television programmes in English as a source of authentic EFL video materials: A study on students and teachers attitudes

163 ABSTRACT In recent years, television programmes, which are produced for native speakers' use, are offered as authentic materials to be exploited for EFL purposes since they can efficiently introduce the target culture, linguistic and paralinguistic features of the target language. This study aims at revealing Gazi University TEFL students' attitudes to eight video activities in which fragments of real television programmes broadcast in English by CNN and BBC Prime through cable TV are used. This study also aims at revealing Gazi University EFL instructors' attitudes to authentic materials and using television programmes as authentic video activities so that the similarities and discrepancies between the students' attitudes and the instructors' attitudes emerge. The students' attitudes to the video activities, in which television programmes were used, have been found to be positive. As the results denote, the instructors' attitudes to such activities and other authentic materials are also positive. In spite of this overlap, authentic materials are not used at the TEFL Department of Gazi Faculty of Education, Gazi University. This dissertation has five chapters besides introduction and conclusion. Chapter 1 provides the theoretical background and the relevant literature to the study. Chapter 2 displays the reasons for using video and television. Chapter 3 explains the methodology employed in this research. Chapter 4 includes the task sheets of the eight video activities designed for this study. Chapter 5 presents the analysis and interpretation of the necessary data collected for this study.