The use of authentic material through Whatsapp in teaching listening skills in EFL out-of-classroom settings

Abstract

Abstract: The use of authentic materials shared via WhatsApp is estimated to help improve the listening skills of English as a foreign language (EFL) students specifically in out-of-class use. Using a qualitative methodology, the research involved a group of intermediate EFL students from a private educational unit in the city of Quito, where they participated in an intervention under the supervision of the UTPL and corresponding permission from the authorities, both foreign language teachers and area directors. The research was developed with the compliance and discussion of audio and video materials using WhatsApp, which were shared prior institutional planning and materialized in the educational academy with the Foreign Language teacher. Through surveys conducted, whose focus was on Listening, Speaking and Writing skills, results were obtained that indicate that, by integrating authentic materials in a digital environment based on mobile devices, student participation, listening comprehension and exposure to real-life English are significantly increased. Conclusively, it is observed that WhatsApp, promotes informal but meaningful interactions, enhancing collaborative learning beyond the traditional classroom successfully.