4.6. Conclusion
In short, Chapter 4 analysed the data which looked at NUR
English students' and lecturers' views on ways and opportunities of effectively
integrating television materials with English teaching and learning. Findings
put forward in this study demonstrate that there is no major obstacle that
could prevent this practice from being realised despite the current lack of use
of such materials. The next chapter deals with conclusions and recommendations.
Chapter 5: Summary,
Conclusions and Recommendations
The preceding chapter presented and analysed the data. This
chapter summarises the main findings, concludes the study and suggests some
recommendations. The major concern investigated in this mini thesis has been
attitudes towards integrating television materials into English teaching and
learning at the National University of Rwanda. It is necessary to state that
television materials refer to any television programme broadcast live or
off-air in English. These programmes, as explained in Chapter 2 include news,
documentaries, movies, etc. Another category of television materials comprises
video recordings that are mainly based on television programmes.
As my topic required investigating on a given population's
views or opinions on this matter, I chose to examine how second year English
students and their lecturers view such integration and how it can be effective
in the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The methods
used to collect the data were questionnaires and interviews, supported by
document analysis. I conducted interviews with three lecturers from the six who
also responded to my questionnaire. I also administered a questionnaire to
second year English students. An evaluation of the content of academic English
programmes at the NUR was also undertaken by me.
Using television materials at the NUR has received very little
attention and I assumed that exploring this issue could benefit EFL/ESL
students in Rwanda as they are not exposed to native speakers of English. Thus,
television materials could help to improve the students' oral and aural
abilities. From my informants' responses to questionnaires and interviews and
analysis of the English programmes in use at the NUR, a number of issues have
emerged and need to be restated here.
5.1. Summary of the findings
Firstly, students and lecturers provided ideas and insights on
how television materials can be exploited to enhance English acquisition at the
NUR. Secondly, a number of observations and remarks came out of the examination
of the content of the programmes in use at the NUR.
To begin with, research findings indicate that second year
English students strongly support the integration of television materials with
English teaching and learning at the NUR. This is evident from the value they
attach to television as a learning medium. There were no significant
discrepancies between lecturers' attitudes and students' ones on this matter.
The lecturers I interviewed and those who completed my questionnaire,
acknowledged the importance of using television in the English class. However,
they expressed disappointment at the lack of facilities to do so. The data also
provides information on students' self-reporting on their listening abilities
in relation to English television programmes. These views are summarised below.
5.1.1. Students' listening
abilities in watching TV programmes in English
Responses to students' questionnaires (see question 7: how
well do you follow TV programmes in English?) revealed that 16/30, that is 53.3
%, are unable to get both main ideas and details from watching programmes on
TV. The data indicates that this failure is due to several factors some of
which are as follows: unfamiliarity with various English accents namely
American English and lack of exposure to native speakers' intonation. The
findings also show that there are other underlying factors to the students'
incomprehension.
Firstly, the students mentioned that they are unfamiliar with
American English accents. In addition, lack of exposure to the native speakers'
cultural environment adds to their listening difficulties.
Secondly, lack of exposure to native speakers' intonation also
constitutes a major hindrance to the students' listening performance. In fact,
they are not familiar with the way native speakers change their voice when they
want to convey certain meanings. This phenomenon is also linked to difficulty
of discrimination between the sound systems of British and American English
accents.
Thirdly, there are other underlying factors to listening
difficulties. One could be the fact that 23/30, that is 73%, of my informants
had never been exposed to TV in their language class. This could be a potential
cause of their incomprehension as TV is a medium they are not familiar with in
the classroom.
Lastly, the students indicated that they would sometimes have
recourse to some hints or clues to improve their listening situation. For
instance, while watching TV news (a programme that the students favoured most,
that is 30/30) they would follow headlines or titles that appear on the screen
to grasp the message.
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