A Perspective on Integrating Authentic Multidisciplinary Content in Language Learning Context

Abstract

Authentic materials can provide a rich source of material that can be employed in the language classroom to expose and train learners to meet the demands of real life communication. Identifying appropriate materials to suit the needs and the interest level of the students can help build a successful career for the learners, because authentic multidisciplinary content provides a context for meaningful and interactive learning. Integrating the knowledge of different disciplines with language learning helps learners understand how language is used in a variety of contexts. Consequently, it prepares them to confidently face an unpredicted situation where language has to be used for different purposes. This paper, besides providing an insight into the nature of authentic materials, reviews the major research work related to authentic multidisciplinary aspects and analyses the rationale behind using multidisciplinary content. Further, it provides information on the sources for obtaining these contents in their authentic form in various disciplines. Also, it critically examines the use of authentic multidisciplinary content in language learning. Finally, the paper provides some suggestions on how these materials can be exploited to the advantage of the learners.

Keywords: authentic materials, multidisciplinary content, language learning, language contexts.