Material auténtico y motivación - Una investigación cualitativa sobre alumnos de ELE en Suecia

Abstract

In the field of modern language learning, how to motivate students is constantly being under discussion. Among the significant aspects to consider are the pedagogical decisions that the teacher performs, including the type of planning, teaching methodologies and materials elected throughout the classes. This study focuses on the selection of material and its impact on motivation. One of the strategies suggested by some researchers to increase motivation is the use of authentic materials, a claim that is often made but rarely proven. This research determines, through a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews carried out with four high school students in Sweden, how the use of authentic material affects motivation for studying Spanish. The results show that students, in general, perceive the use of authentic material as a teaching element that contributes to increasing motivation for the study of Spanish, as long as this use is done with the teacher's guidance and the material used is in accordance with the level of the student. The results also show that regardless of the material used, the attitudes of the students towards the type of material, their individual motivation for studying Spanish and the personal preferences of the students regarding the type of material, are factors that considerably influence upon whether the material used is indeed motivating or not.