Authentic materials in teaching English

Abstract

This article provides general information about authentic materials and
their use in a foreign language classroom. It does so by giving a brief overview of the
concept of authentic materials and discussing core problems that impede a wide use of
authentic materials in a classroom. English language teachers find them timeconsuming for planning a lesson and avoid using authentic materials because they
contain complex language structures. Further, the paper goes on with a literature
and historical overview and describes different approaches to the definition of the
term ‘authentic materials. The article also discusses the difference between authentic
materials and adapted (or fabricated) materials. Further, the discussion touches upon
the problem of incorporating materials into teaching. The article continues by giving
strategies for incorporating authentic materials into teaching. The study in this paper
was done to explore the attitude of teachers to the use of authentic materials in a
classroom. The results of the study demonstrate that most respondents vote for
positive influence of authentic materials on learners’ language competency.