Narrative Engagement, Enjoyment, Learning and Theme Comprehension: Using an Authentic Music Video in an Introductory College Language Classroom

Abstract

Using authentic audio-visual material in early language classes has become commonplace, but little prior empirical research has been published regarding why this pedagogical technique is effective for some students, and not others. This study examines the process of engagement and transportation of beginning foreign language learners into an authentic, Spanish language narrative-based music video. A structural equation model is developed that ties various elements such as belief consistency, cognitive difficulty, and affective disposition to the process of narrative engagement. The study then examines how a student’s engagement and transportation into the music video’s narrative impacts that student’s language learning, thematic comprehension, and entertainment – three commonly cited objectives of using authentic audio-visual material. Evidence is provided to indicate that the degree of engagement and transportation into the narrative-based video influences students’ language learning, thematic comprehension and entertainment.

‘Trusting the Process’: Part Three of My Autoethnography as a Self-Directed Learner of French

“…One possible reason might be due to little exposure to authentic audio/visual materials in my high school French studies. Authentic classroom materials not only reinforce language that has been learned, but also provide a real-life context for the learner (Benitez-Galbraith & Galbraith, 2019). In addition, they are produced by and for native speakers and are made for a non-teaching purpose (Gilmore, 2007;Lee, 1995;Porter & Roberts, 1981).…”

Exploring age differences in absorption and enjoyment during story listening

“…Narratives are ubiquitous in everyday life (Andersen et al, 2020;Benitez-Galbraith & Galbraith, 2021;Brewer & Lichtenstein, 1982;Dowling, 2019;Glonek & King, 2014;Haigh & Hardy, 2011;Hineline, 2018;Langellier & Peterson, 2011;Wortham, 1993) and have, for millennia and amongst diverse peoples, served to transmit knowledge and culture from one generation to another. As foundational communication forms that enable investment in daily conversations and leisure activities (Hokanson et al, 2018), literary research proposes that narratives are appealing in their capacity to facilitate immersion in a story world -a rich and complex experience influenced by our emotional and cognitive faculties (Green et al, 2004;Owen & Riggs, 2012).…”