Abstract
This study aims to examine whether the development of media literacy could effectively promote learners’ second language (L2) oral communicative competence. Although media literacy has been revealed to have several positive effects for language learning, research regarding its use for effective L2 oral communicative competence has been lacking particularly in Southeast Asia. Through a conversation analytic approach, this inquiry explores the nature of how media literacy could be fostered by teaching based on news broadcasts for L2 learners’ enhanced communicative competence. Data were collected through an online networking environment and analyzed based upon the emergent patterns to ascertain learners’ oral communicative competence in their target language. The results demonstrate that the development of media literacy facilitates learners’ L2 oral communicative competence from the practical and genuine linguistic input. Learners’ linguistic and operational competencies are also strengthened as Canale (1983) as well as Canale and Swain (1980) categorize as essential tools for effective communicative competence. The authentic language exposure that comes with the development of media literacy also assists learners in developing their L2 more efficiently through the gradual authentic scaffolding to leverage their L2 output for effective second language acquisition (SLA).
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Transcription Conventions
R: Researcher
L: Learner
[]: Overlapping speaking
Australian: capitalization of first letter is used for proper nouns
?: Question or rising intonation
…: Turn continues or one turn follows without a pause.
Appendix 2
Participants’ Complete Transcripts
Participant 1
R: Hello, can you briefly tell me what the news was about?
L: OK, umm…
R: Yes?
L: It’s about the airplane in Malaysia, I mean it was talked about what happens for the people on the plane because they [died]…
R: Can you be more specific?
L: Hmmm, it’s an investigation into seeing why the plane was disappear, and the wreckage that was found by the government…
R: What government?
L: I mean now the Australian government want to do, no they want to find it because no one can do it so far.
R: And?
L: They are trying to ramping up the situation and try to find the [wreckage] with other countries…
R: umm…
L: And they wanna find it cuz they find the [French] wreckage before so they can do a good job and people believe them they can find it…and they say that it may be in the [Indian ocean] from the news so the wreckage must be in there….
Participant 2
R: Can you tell me what have you learned from the news broadcast?
L: Okay…
R: Please…
L: It is, [it was] about the investigation for the missing wreckage of Malaysia we have see on the news…
R: Please elaborate more
L: The news is about nobody was able to find the wreckage so the [Australian] government needs to do something about it so it can be find [found]…
R: Hmmm…
L: And I think it also says that the clock is ticking and it means that there’s no time to wait cuz a lot of mounting questions are there and no one knows what happens, [happened]…
R: Hmmm…
L: I heard that there’s nothing in the ocean so they didn’t find it and i also heard that they want some precise information to save the people on the wreckage…
R: Anything else?
L: Hmmm, I think Australians are trying to save them now, and I think they find, [found] the missing plane a long time ago so many people think they can do it this time…
R: umm…
L: It is also compelling for them to find the wreckage now cuz it disappears [have disappeared] for more than 10 days so far, they said they have to find it….
Participant 3
R: Can you tell me what you have learned from the news?
L: Yes, I think I heard that the missing Malaysia wreckage has been losting for more than 10 days so far…and no one could find it and nobody knows…
R: umm…
L: And the people are ramping up cuz they wanna find the missing plane [wreckage] at the same time…
R: What else did you learn?
L: I think I learn that many people are having mounting questions cuz they wanna see why this happens to Malaysia…I mean the missing wreckage
R: And?
L: The news says there are many government, [governments] finding the missing wreckage like the French and Australian government, i also saw the Australian president say that their government can find the missing wreckage…
R: Hmmm…
L: I think he says that he’s very confident cuz they wanna get many precise information to know why it happened to them…
R: Anything else?
L: I think they have been looking for many places to find the wreckage but many people still can’t find it and they don’t know the reason why…I heard the Indian ocean and some people said there are orange debris [objects] there but it’s different than the wreckage…also this is an investigation into this wreckage because many people say the clock is [ticking] I think it means there’s no time to wait…
R: Hmmm…
L: That’s why the [Australian] president said that he wanna get a lot of information to make the finding more extensive….
Participant 4
R: Can you let me know what you have learned from the news?
L: OK…the Australian government wants to join other countries to find the missing wreckage from Malaysia…this is the point i got from the news.
R: umm…
L: And I think there’s no time for them to wait anymore cuz no one could find the precise answer so far from the government…
R: Hmmm…
L: It also says that many people have been checking many places but they can’t find the Malaysia missing wreckage so far, and the clock is [ticking] so they are in a hurry…
R: What else have you learned from the news?
L: They have looked for many places like the Indian ocean and so on but no one can find it…I heard the Australian government said they can find it is because they find [found] the French missing wreckage several years ago so they think it’s not very difficult for them…
R: umm…
L: And so far there are many questions [mounting] questions that many people don’t know so far, that’s why many people wanna find it as soon as possible in many places…
R: Hmmm…
L: They also found some orange things in the ocean and they think it’s the wreckage but it’s not, and it’s from the fishing boat I think by the Australian government in the news.
R: umm…anything to add?
L: I think the news tells us about why people wanna find the missing wreckage cuz the clock is ticking so people are waiting to know why for so long…and they wanna have more [compelling], stronger answer to this news cuz they want to know if those people are dying or not…
R: ummm….
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Kung, FW. Facilitating Learners’ Second Language Communicative Competence Through the Development of Media Literacy: A Conversation Analytic Approach. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 25, 337–346 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-015-0268-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-015-0268-8