What Makes Authentic Materials Different? The Case of English Language Materials for Educational Television.

An experiment in the development of English language educational television programs for secondary schools in Hong Kong is reported. The programs feature samples of spontaneous English spoken by local Hong Kong personalities, all of whom speak English as a second language. Samples discussed here are taped interviews with a music recording executive and a fashion designer. The programs were shown to 50 secondary school teachers, who were asked which features they found appealing, how they perceived the quantity and level of new vocabulary introduced, whether the Hong Kong English used was acceptable, and whether they perceived instances of incorrect English. The study also analyzed one excerpt for lexical density, lexical variation, and new word density and compared with the same measures for a text intended for the same target group. Results of these analyses are reported. It is concluded that such materials can buseful, but must meet basic criteria: (1) use of real people whose lives and jobs are of genuine in'erest to the target audience, (2) use of fluent, though not necessarily error-free, English; (3) inclusion of a small portion of new vocabulary central to the topic; and (4) explanation of new language through visual context. Contains nine references. Excerpts from interviews are appended. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******* WHAT MAKES AUTHENTIC MATERIALS DIFFERENT? THE CASE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE MATERIALS re) FOR EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION CZ