The Effect of Using Authentic Materials on Developing Undergraduate EFL Students' Communicative Competence

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of using authentic materials on  developing Undergraduate EFL students' communicative competence The sample of the study consisted of  forty-five undergraduate students at University of Anbar, during the second semester of the academic year 2017/2018. To achieve this purpose, pre-/post-test that measures the students' communicative competence aspects in English language activities are to be used. The sample was divided into two groups; the control group consisted of 20 students was taught the course content using the regular communicative method through which students received teacher-course from the textbook, while group  two, the experimental group consisted of 25 students was taught using authentic materials. After conducting the activities, a post-test was administered. Scores were tabulated and prepared for statistical analysis. The results showed that learners who studied authentic materials performed better on the communicative aspects of English post-test than those who did not. The findings also indicated that authentic materials could be a helpful tool for delivering communicative instruction.

Keywords: Communicative Competence, EFL Learners, and Authentic Materials.