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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 20, No. 1, pp.282-306
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print)
Print publication date 31 Mar 2020
Received 28 Jul 2020 Revised 12 Aug 2020 Accepted 31 Aug 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.20..202008.282

Teaching American Culture: Film-based vs. Lecture-based Instruction

Haeyoung Kim
The Catholic University of Korea


Copyright 2020 KASELL
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This article explores the utility of films in the American cultural studies classroom. Argument for using film as a teaching tool for cultural studies in the language classroom is based on a comparison between classes taught through two different methods: a lecture-based course (control group) and a film-based course (treatment group). Data used in this study include pretest and posttest scores from tests measuring knowledge in American culture obtained before and after the treatment, and course evaluation scores from both groups. Results showed that the treatment group achieved higher scores on both cultural knowledge acquisition while the course satisfaction levels of the two groups were not statistically significant. These outcomes indicate that film-based courses can be as effective as, or in this case, more effective than the traditional lecture courses. The study also discusses the need for further development of film-based courses to enhance student learning in the language classroom. Implications and limitations of the study are also presented.

Keywords:

American culture education, film-based instruction, lecture-based instruction, course satisfaction, quantitative analysis, tertiary education

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Catholic University of Korea Research Fund 2019.

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Haeyoung Kim (Professor)Dept. of English Language and LiteratureThe Catholic University of Korea43 Jibong-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 14662, Republic of KoreaPhone: +82-2-2164-4824E-mail: haeyoungkim@catholic.ac.kr