The use of authentic audio materials for developing listening skills in the EFL classroom

Abstract

This research synthesis aims to analyze the effects of the use of authentic audio materials on the development of listening skills in students of English as a foreign language. For the data collection of this descriptive bibliographic research, 20 articles published from 2012 to date were meticulously analyzed. The results revealed that the use of authentic audio materials is beneficial for developing students’ listening skills. Among the linguistic effects, an improvement in pronunciation and listening comprehension was found. In addition, among the non-linguistic effects, an increase in motivation and interest on the part of the participants was evidenced. Therefore, one of the conclusions indicates that the use of authentic audio materials in the EFL classroom is favorable for the EFL learning process, especially in the development of listening skills. As a recommendation for future studies, it is suggested that more studies investigate in depth the type of authentic audio material suitable for each level of the common European framework and how to apply these materials in our context. In addition, it would be advisable to conduct more experimental research in Ecuador since most of the studies related to this topic were conducted in Asia