Introduction

The viewing of TV series and films is often referred to as one of the most effective ways to improve one’s vocabulary knowledge and level of English as a whole by learners which achieved an almost fluent degree of the English language knowledge. Video materials are invaluable teaching resources, as they present colloquial English in real-life contexts [1, p. 366]. We had an opportunity to conduct lessons based on the constant utilization of such media materials as animated films, feature films, TV series and animated series in the ESL classroom. Undoubtedly, not only is the usage of the mentioned medium of entertainment engaging to students, which in turn leads to the increasement of their motivation towards studying English, but furthermore, TV series and films provide authentic and versatile speech, phrases, words, collocations, which are useful to learn for the students of any level of proficiency. As any other form of learning English, studying the language through lessons based on watching TV series and feature films does come with both its difficulties and advantages, as well as students’ preferences when it comes to studying English through this type of activity.

Methods

In the beginning of conducting the type of lessons, which is primarily based on examining English language through TV series and films, we conducted a survey for 24 students to gather their insights and viewpoints on the theme under study, but from the learners’ perspective. To obtain the holistic view, we also composed a survey for students to undergo after 4 weeks of lessons predominantly based on watching TV series and films, to then compare some of their responses before and after implementing the mentioned medium of entertainment into the learning process.

Results

Based on the results received, we gathered that the prevalent number of students preferred TV series and feature films with elements of mystery and supernatural themes, 20.83 % demonstrated their interest for uplifting storylines and the least number of students voted for TV series and films with a slow storyline development and complicated themes.

Table 1

The first question

To determine the type of activities, for completing which students would have the most incentive, we composed another question. The options available to choose were creative exercises, improvisation exercises and regular comprehension tasks.

Table 2

The second question

Analyzing the results received, we noticed that the students’ viewpoints in regards to exercises divided almost in half between dynamic creative tasks with regular exercises and creative writing tasks. But if we analyze the results separately, we can see that the prevalent number of students voted for creative exercises, based on imagination, improvisation. Without a doubt, most of the students would prefer something active and dynamic, while still requiring their imagination skills. It is important to note that not only is this type of tasks engaging for students, but also useful in terms of targeting their speaking skills during improvisation, which is significant for the learning process, as the improvement of students’ spoken English ability is a long-term and pressing task [2, p. 6]. However, the use of TV series and movies and completing activities based on them can make the process easier, as this medium of entertainment is something which is naturally of interest for students.

Finally, for the concluding question, we asked students whether they thought that the use of such medium of entertainment as TV series and films would be useful for learning English.

Table 3

The third question

We can see that the prevalent number of students supposed it would be useful for enhancing their level of English language, while some of the learners did not have a precise viewpoint on the matter and a small number of students did not consider watching TV series and films as a beneficial instrument for the improvement of their English proficiency.

However, after the students underwent 4 weeks of media-based lessons, we decided to conduct a survey once again to gain a holistic overview of the theme under study and the media-based lessons’ effect on the learners.

Table 4

The first questions of the second survey

As we can see from the table, in comparison to the results from the previous question, more students voted that the media-based lessons did have an improving effect on their English language, the percentage of learners who were not certain lowered and the number of students who did not consider this type of lessons useful stayed with the lowest index of percentages. Overall, we can note that utilizing TV series and films in the learning process is a reliable way to foster a stimulating learning environment as films are authentic and engaging, and these are likewise some of the important characteristics of effective language learning [3, p. 1573].

One can not improve their level of English language by passively watching media materials without proper learning activities, that is why we asked the students which types of tasks among those which they completed during the lessons they found the most beneficial.

Table 5

The second question of the second survey

We can conclude that the prevalent number of students consider a balance between creative tasks targeting writing skills, improvisation and regular exercises targeting vocabulary, listening skills as the most effective for English learning during lessons which are primarily based on the utilization of such media materials as TV series and films.

Our final question was to determine the concluding view of the students on the theme under study — the use of TV series and films on ESL lessons.

Table 6

The third question of the second survey

Overall, most of the students consider lessons which are predominantly based on the viewing of TV series and films on ESL lessons to be effective and useful for enhancing one’s level of English language knowledge, while some students did not provide a definite response to the question and a small number of students voted that they are not useful.

Discussion

There is no doubt that using TV series and films as a way to improve students’ level of English language provide sufficient benefits to their learning process, not only from the point of enhancing their knowledge, but also from the aspect of increasing their interest and motivation towards learning it.

Certainly, the teacher should not rely on passive watching of the media materials and treat lessons which are primarily based on viewing fictional medium of entertainment as any other type of lessons in terms of preparing and composing appropriate learning activities. Throughout the 4 weeks of the lessons of such type, we noticed that the most useful tasks were ones which targeted vocabulary and listening skills, while the most engaging way to keep students’ focus during the lesson, as well as to target their usage of English language and their speaking skills, is to combine creative and «regular» activities, which coincides with the results from the second survey.

Recommendations

Conducting this type of lessons comes with its own issues, such as technical problems or difficulties when choosing a TV series or a film for the lessons. The teacher should always be prepared for technical complications and have some additional media materials on their phone or laptop, having downloaded all that is needed in advance, as there could be issues with Internet connection at any point of time. Suitable warm-up activities based on media with some gamification also work beneficially and prepare the students before a lengthy viewing of an episode of a TV series or a film.

Conclusion

Certainly, utilizing TV series and films on the ESL lessons can assist in improving students’ level of English language through not only direct enhancing of their skills, but also increasing their interest and incentive in learning it. However, the viewing should be combined with the right sets of tasks, targeting vocabulary, listening skills of the learning, while providing opportunities for students to demonstrate their creativity as well.

References:

1. Ekinci M. The Effects of Using TV Series on Listening Achievement Level of EFL Students // International Journal of Language Academy. — 2021. — 38(38). — 366 p.
2. Ye H., Liu J. The Influence of American TV Series on Spoken English from the Perspective of Constructivism // Open Access Library Journal. — 2021. — 08(11). — 6 p.
3. S. A. Waheeb, Abdeen F. Learning English through Movies: Adult English Language Learners’ Perceptions // Theory and Practice in Language Studies. — 2018. — 8(12). — 1573 p.