Programas de radio : uma alternativa de insumo em lingua estrangeira

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2000

RESUMO

This research explores the importance and effectiveness of short wave radio programmes in foreign language acquisition (FLA) for those who have no access to other sources of oral input of the FL studied. In addition to this lack of oral input, the low economic status of most Brazilian FL students makes such programmes a very cost-effective alternative to oral input, i.e., an important aid to their FL development. It is shown here that regularly listening to such programmes (the news, mainly) - which are a rich source of authentic and comprehensible input - can help students in the process of FLA. Such input, although linguistically complex, is made comprehensible through the use of schemata, or background knowledge, that students possess. Another important characteristic of such radio programmes is the high occurrence of specific vocabulary and structures. According to theories drawn from cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence, both repetition and schemata form the basis of language acquisition inasmuch as they enable us to noticing and comprehending the linguistic input we are exposed to. An experimental study was then designed aiming to investigate the relationship between one of those acquisition factors, namely background knowledge, on the comprehension of radio news in English by two groups of subjects. Data collected were submitted to statistical analysis, and results showed the experimental group (which had listened previously to similar news in Portuguese) scored higher than the control one (which listened to the news in the English version only). The experimental group s performance was better for all news stories, but one. A more qualitative analysis of the results was then undertaken, aiming to explore more thoroughly our data results. We conclude by asserting the usefulness and effectiveness of such radio programmes in providing authentic and comprehensible oral input, thus serving as a self-access resource to improving students listening skills in the process of FLA.

ASSUNTO(S)

psicolinguistica compreensão linguistica aplicada audição

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados