UNIVERSIDAD TÉCNICA PARTICULAR DE LOJA La Universidad Católica de Loja

ESCUELA DE CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN

MENCIÓN INGLÉS

DISTANCE SYSTEM

THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS IN EFL CLASSES: A

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOLS

Research done in order to achieve the

Bachelor´s Degree in Teaching

English as a Foreign Language

AUTHOR:

MACAS MALDONADO MAYRA ALEXANDRA

ADVISOR:

MGS. PINZA TAPIA ELIANA

UNIVERSITY CENTER SANTA ISABEL

2011

i

CERTIFICATION

Mgs. Pinza Tapia Eliana

CERTIFIES THAT:

This research Work has been thoroughly revised by the graduation

committee. Therefore, authorizes the presentation of this thesis,

which complies with all the norms and internal requirements of the

Universidad técnico Particular de Loja.

Loja, April 25th, 2011

MGS. PINZA TAPIA ELIANA

THESIS ADVISOR

ii

EL CONTRATO DE LA CESIÓN DE DERECHOS DE TESIS DE

GRADO

“Yo, Macas Maldonado Mayra Alexandra, declaro ser autor del

presente trabajo y eximo expresamente al Universidad técnica

Particular de Loja y sus representantes legales de posibles reclamos o

acciones legales.

Adicionalmente declaro conocer y aceptar la disposición del Arte. 67

del Estatuto Orgánico de la Universidad técnica Particular de Loja

que en su parte pertinente textualmente: “formar parte del

patrimonio de la Universidad propiedad intelectual de

investigaciones, trabajos científicos o técnicos y tesis del grado que se

realicen a través, o que el apoyo de financiero, académico o

institucional (operativo) de la Universidad.

………………………………………

Macas Mayra

AUTHOR

iii

AUTHORSHIP

The thoughts, ideas, opinions and the information obtained through

this research are the only responsibility of the author.

April 25 th, 2011

………………………………………

Macas Mayra

AUTHOR

iv

DEDICATION

All people desire to reach different goals, which are very important for

our lives but it is necessary to receive the support of people who are

around us in order to achieve these important goals. In this case, my

goal has been to get my degree as an English teacher, which I have

started five years ago and I have already finished. During all this

process, I have received the unconditional support of my parents who

respected and comprehended my decision; motivated me in the

difficult situations and celebrated with me each one of my

achievements. Therefore, I dedicate them this work in order to thank

them for all their support and sacrifice.

v

CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION…………………………………………………………………..I

CONTRATO DE DERECHOS DE TESIS DE GRADO…………………….II

AUTHORSHIP……………………………………………………………….……III

DEDICATION……………………………………………...…………………….IV

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………1

INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………..2

METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………….5

DISCUSSION………………………………………………………………………………8

Literature Review……………………………..………………………………….8

Results………………………………………………………………..……...…..26

Description, Analysis and Interpretation of Results……..…………….38

Conclusions………………………………………………..………………..….69

Recommendations…………………………………………………….....……71

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………72

ANNEXES…………………………………………………………………………………75

1

ABSTRACT

Into the teaching-learning process of a foreign language are

various aspects, which must be taken into account by the teachers to

offer a high-quality instruction; thus, the students would achieve a

meaningful learning. For this reason, this work focuses on

researching about the use of supplementary materials in EFL classes:

A comparative analysis in public and private high schools, whose

purpose is to determine the type of supporting materials used in

public and private high schools and compare how these materials are

used during the teaching-learning process of the foreign language.

Therefore, to develop this study it was necessary to choose a Public

and a Private high school as a sample of this research. There were

selected eighth, ninth and tenth grades to observe five classes and

collect data according to the real situation of the used supplementary

materials.

After choosing the sample, the data collection was developed

using different techniques, instruments and resources. They were

useful tools during this research because they were used to gather

and register the information. Next, all this information was explored,

analyzed, described and compared using the qualitative and

quantitative methods. Finally, the results demonstrated that in Public

and Private high schools teachers usually use visual and audiovisual

materials and the pertinence, appropriateness and quality of these

materials were similar in these two educational institutions.

2

INTRODUCTION

Teaching English as a foreign language is a process which

depends on certain components such as: the socio-cultural,

bibliographical and methodological components. The socio-cultural

component refers to the environment in which the language is taught

and learned. The bibliographical component includes the different

bibliographic resources where the teachers could find information to

improve and support their teaching. The last component is

considered the most important because it refers to the different

methods used, the resources applied and techniques that the

teachers use for the teaching-learning process to be effective. That is,

the teachers do not work alone to reach their aims; they rely on

diverse types of aids and resources, which may help effectively to get

their objectives. One of the important aids is the use of

supplementary materials, which can be a useful tool in this process

because they make the classes more interesting and motivating.

There is a great variety of supplementary materials that the

teachers can use such as: visuals, audiovisuals, audio, realia and on-

line regarding the different students’ learning styles; thus the

students would have a good teaching-learning process of a foreign

language. However, some teachers are not using these materials

appropriately or are not using them at all. For this reason, this work

focuses on the use of supplementary materials in EFL classes: A

comparative analysis in public and private high schools in order to

3

find out whether or not teachers use supplementary materials, and if

they use them how pertinent, appropriate and qualified those

materials are. The development of this topic is interesting because

through this study it is possible to identify and to know the reality of

the use of the supplementary materials in EFL classes.

On the other hand, to deepen this research and to have

scientific information about the topic, it was necessary to investigate

previous studies done in different Educational Institutions in the

English area. These studies confirm that the use of supplementary

materials is important in the teaching-learning process of a foreign

language because they help the students to get an excellent

instruction and learn successfully.

For instance, a study done by Cabrera & Chamba (2007) whose

objective was to determine if the used materials help the teachers to

develop the class and if these materials help the students to achieve a

meaningful learning. Therefore, the results demonstrated that

supplementary materials help to illustrate contents, motivate and

attract the students’ attention. For this reason, these materials need

to be clear, appropriate and attractive for students. Moreover, they

must be used every day and teachers should use different types of

materials. Thus, teachers and students will develop a good teaching-

learning process.

In the same way, Tafany (2009) developed a study to analyze

the importance of Mass Media materials in the classroom; so this

4

study pointed out that supplementary materials are useful because

they motivate students to work inside and outside the classroom and

help them to practice the four language skills. As a result, the

students will practice and learn the language effectively.

Likewise, Chuquimarca & Peña (2004) accomplished a research

in order to identify what and how supplementary materials are used

by teachers. The results showed that teachers usually use television,

board, maps, video, projector and data show materials, but they do

not use them appropriately.

Also, Kelsen (2007) developed a research with the purpose of

exploring the use of You Tube in EFL class, so this research

demonstrated that You Tube is an important tool for students

because there are different websites with various activities for

practicing English. Moreover, the You Tube is an interesting,

relevant, beneficial and motivational tool because this website helps

the students to increase their knowledge learning through practical

and dynamic activities. However, the most students use You Tube to

entertain rather than to study and a few students use those websites

as resources to study and learn English.

Finally, there is a study developed by Kung & Chuo (2002) to

investigate the effectiveness of ESL/EFL websites as resources for

teaching-learning of English. So the results of this study indicated

that the websites help students to learn to speak fluently and to write

accurately. Nevertheless, the most students who were taken as a

5

sample for this study did not know which websites are the most

useful and appropriate to practice and learn English.

Also, it is important to mention that as this study is focused on

the use of supplementary materials in both Public and Private high

schools, the principal beneficiaries will be the students and teachers

from these Educational Institutions, because through it the

researcher will wake up the teachers’ interest who will take into

account the importance of using supplementary materials; as a

result, their classes will become more motivating and more

interesting for the students.

In addition, educational authorities, future researchers and

especially English teachers who will read this research review,

analyze and evaluate themselves about which materials they use and

how they use those materials in the class. Moreover, this work could

be useful into the entire Educational field because it contains

accurate and authentic information about how the supporting

materials are used in the teaching-learning process of a foreign

language in Public and Private high schools.

Finally, it is also important to mention that during the

development of this study, there were not limitations because each

step was developed normally. Although there were many classes to

observe, different contents to investigate, various materials to

describe, analyze and compare, the research was developed

successfully.

6

METHODOLOGY

This research consists of identifying, analyzing and comparing

what supplementary materials are used by the teachers in EFL

classes during the teaching-learning process. So to perform this

study, it was necessary to collect data based on real situations in

order to get accurate information about the use of supplementary

materials. For this reason, two high schools were chosen as a sample

to gather information. The first one is a Public high school, which is

located in Manú from Saraguro Cantón. The other one is a Private

high school, which is located in the center of Santa Isabel city.

After knowing the topic and choosing the sample, it was

necessary to apply the qualitative and quantitative methods, different

techniques, instruments and resources to gather the bibliographical

information and perform the data collection. So techniques such as:

reading, note-taking and surveys were very useful tools to collect the

information. For instance, the reading technique was applied to read

various contents from different sources which helped to build the

Literature Review with important, accurate and real information

about the topic. Similarly, the Note-taking technique was applied to

write down the most relevant information and to take notes during

the data collection in the observed classes. Likewise, the survey was

used to get information from teachers and students during each one

of the five observed classes in eight, ninth and tenth grades. That is,

the surveys were applied to one student of each observed class and

7

teachers. They completed with their own information regarding the

reality of the high school and their opinions about the use of

supplementary materials.

Moreover, it was also necessary to access to bibliographical

sources such as books and internet, which were important because

they provided main information about the topic. For instance, books

and internet were used to investigate different contents and some

previous studies done related to the topic.

Also, there were some instruments such as: data collection

formats, observation formats and tables or charts which were used

during this research to collect the field information from the two

selected high schools. For example, observation formats were used in

each observed class in order to register what type of supplementary

materials teachers used in EFL classes.

After completing the data collection, it was required to make a

qualitative tabulation with all the gathered information. Therefore,

charts one and two show what supplementary materials were used in

eight, ninth and tenth grades in both public and private high schools.

Charts three, four, five, six, seven and eight indicate whether the

materials used by the teachers in public and private high school were

pertinent and appropriate or not. Then, charts nine, ten and eleven

were used to make the quantitative tabulation which demonstrate

how frequent the use of the supplementary materials was in EFL

classes at public and private high schools. Also, the chart twelve

8

presents a synthesis about the frequency of the supplementary

materials in eighth, ninth and tenth grades between the two selected

high schools.

Additionally to the qualitative and quantitative tabulation of the

collected data, there is also a descriptive analysis about each one of

the materials. That section contains a clear description about how

the supplementary materials were used in each class in terms of

pertinence, appropriateness and quality. Moreover, that description

helped to determine if teachers took into account the different

students’ learning styles in order to apply the best supporting

materials. Finally, there is a comparative analysis about the

frequency of the supplementary materials in eighth, ninth and tenth

grades between public and private high schools.

9

DISCUSSION

Literature Review

The teaching-learning process is a procedure that needs the

participation, and support of various factors to be successfully

accomplished. For instance, the use of supplementary materials,

which are considered as a crucial factor in the teaching-learning

process, because it helps, supports, and facilitates the students´

learning and comprehension, but it, depends on the type of materials

that teachers use in EFL classes, because teachers use materials that

are not appropriate for the student´s level, understanding and style.

For this reason, it is important to get information about certain

contents related to this topic. So, this section will contain different

assumptions about teaching a foreign language, learners, learning

styles, teaching techniques, different teaching contexts, definition,

importance and role of supplementary materials. Also, there are some

previous studies which will show information about what, how, and

how often these materials are used by the teachers in EFL classes.

As an English teacher, it is important to know clearly the

meaning, implications, and importance of teaching a foreign

language; therefore, Araya (2007) states that teaching a foreign

language is not only a process to develop certain linguistic skills or

teach a set of grammatical rules which students require to dominate,

but to take into account the ideological implications related to

language, because one thing is to be able to learn and know terms of

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phonology, syntax and grammar, but another different thing is to be

able to use the language to develop oneself with a critical discourse

and correct attitudes to communicate. Moreover, Araya affirms that

there are multiple situations and several factors that students have

to face in order to learn a foreign language. These factors are the

diverse learning styles, students´ motivations and needs, the different

teachers´ and students´ expectations about a foreign language, and

the validity and appropriateness of the supporting materials used by

the teachers in EFL classes.

Also, teachers must take into account that in the classroom,

there are learners with different characteristics. Therefore, Saville-

Troike (2006) considers that learners’ differences are related to age,

sex, aptitude, motivation, cognitive style, and personality and

learning strategies. Thus, she focuses on age and affirms children are

more successful when learning a foreign language because they have

good brain plasticity and can simplify input better. However, they are

not able to make analytical analysis and develop pragmatic skills as

adult learners, because adults have a better analytical capacity, are

able to develop pragmatic skills, and relate their knowledge with the

real world. Also she refers to adolescent learners who are able to

learn a language as adults because they have the same capacity and

are able to develop the language skills in the same manner.

Then, Saville-Troike talks about motivation which is useful

because it facilitates the learning process. For example, if students

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have a good level of motivation, they will effort and sacrifice

constantly on the different stages of the learning.

On the other hand, Brown (2002) also affirms that age is an

important factor into the teaching-learning process. So he considers

that children are successful learners because they always exercise a

great deal of cognitive and affective effort which helps them to

internalize their native language with their second language. Also,

adolescent learners learn as children or as adults because they have

a great deal of intellectual capacity, too. The difference is that adult

learners have more of a superior cognitive ability to retain much more

vocabulary, have a good level of self-esteem and abstract thinking

which permit and help them to understand, learn, and comprehend

better than children or adolescent learners.

Also, this author considers that motivation is another factor,

which could be useful, because it stimulates, encourages and interest

the students so they learn better. Furthermore, he suggests that

teachers should use games, role-play activities, group work, and the

total physical response method in the class. In addition, Brown

(2002) states that motivation is the key to acquire the language

learning; because when students are motivated they have clear

purposes and objectives; they dedicate much more time and effort to

learn. Additionally, he divides the motivation into two types: the first

type is Instrumental Motivation, which refers to students who are

learning a language because they desire to have a career, professional

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improvement and have better opportunities into their job. The second

type is Integrative Motivation. It consists on learning because they

need to integrate into other different cultures, social groups, religions

and customs.

It is also important to notice that students learn in different

ways; these ways are known as learning styles. Identifying such

styles in the classroom and using the best strategies according to

each student´s learning style will make this student successful.

Therefore, Plasher, et al (2008) define learning styles as a manner of

instruction or study that learners consider is the most effective, easy

and motivating way to learn; moreover, they suggest that teachers

should make a diagnosis test in order to identify the students’

learning styles and apply the best teaching strategies according to

their needs.

Considering the different learning styles, Miller (2000) identifies

four learning styles and each one has its own strategies to be applied

in the EFL classes. The first one is the Visual/Verbal learning style.

It refers to learning through visual presentations and written

language formats in which students learn fast and easy. The students

with this learning style prefer to study alone in a quiet room. The

most appropriate materials for these students are the board,

overhead projector, pictures, diagrams, illustrations and class notes

materials. They usually use color coding or highlighting pens to

highlight information. Also, they make flashcards with the new

13

vocabulary or concepts that are important to memorize, and when

they have to take an exam, they make illustrative reminders with

important information and stick them on visible places.

The second is the Visual/Nonverbal learning style which is

similar to the first one, because they learn through visual

presentations, like to work in a quiet room, and use the same

strategies to learn, too; however, they do not like written language

texts. They learn and work better with films, videos, maps, charts

and pictures or diagrams from the textbooks. And they usually use

symbols, pictures and diagrams to translate some words and ideas.

The third is the Tactile/Kinesthetic learning style where they

learn better through the concrete manipulation and physical contact

with the different materials. That is, they prefer hands-on activities,

and like to use textbooks, flashcards, notes, highlighter pens, tables,

cards, graphics and audio tapes to illustrate information because

these materials allow them to remember the information easily. And

sometimes, they use audio tapes to listen and memorize information

while exercising.

The fourth is the Auditory/Verbal learning style; this is the

ability to learn better through audio presentations, listening and

speaking exchange or any other another oral language format. For

this reason, they always use audio tapes, lectures, and group

discussions. As a consequence, they work in groups or with a

partner. Listening and speaking activities are useful for them. Also,

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some students record their notes and textbook information in a tape

recorder. Then, they listen to this information whenever they can, so

they memorize certain contents easily.

As it is observed, there are different learning styles which can

be identified in the foreign language classroom. For this reason, it is

also important to know information about the most appropriated

teaching techniques to teach adolescent learners, which must be

taken into account by all the teachers in the different areas of

knowledge.

Therefore, Schreiner (2009) focuses on adolescent learners and

considers that they are in a stage of physical and psychological

changes, so teachers must take account the learners´ capacities and

limitations to use the most effective techniques. Thus, they could

guarantee a meaningful teaching- learning process for the students.

For this reason, he suggests the scaffolding as a useful technique

because this permits teachers to support students at the beginning

but then little by little withdraw this support; that is, when students

have already acquired the language skills and be able to complete

tasks independently.

Similarly, Brown (2000) states adolescents are in a process of

transition, confusion, self-consciousness, growing and changing

bodies and minds. Therefore, teachers ought to have a special

consideration when teaching them. They have to prevent students

from competing among them. Also, they should motivate and

15

highlight students´ talents and strengths. Consequently, the author

considers that adolescents work well with the following techniques; (I)

individual work, which is a technique in which students work alone

to complete and develop activities. (G-P) Group or pair work where

they discus a topic, complete grammatical exercises, or brainstorm.

Then, they share their work with the whole class. Finally, (C) whole-

class discussion is a technique in which teachers asks all students to

discuss about certain topics to get new ideas and interact one

another.

On the other hand, Bowman, Burkhart & Robson (1989)

express that there are several teaching methods used according to

the students´ need and level. Therefore, they describe some teaching

methods with their best teaching techniques. For instance, the

Grammar Translation Method, which focuses primarily on the

translation of words, reading and writing, and a little on listening or

speaking. For this reason, the techniques used with this method

include asking questions of reading comprehension where students

have to answer in oral way then in written form; thus, they deduce

and learn the grammatical rules.

Unlike this method, the Direct Method does not use translation

and focus on expressing or communicating directly in the target

language and on speaking skill. For this reason, teachers use

conversations, questions and answers, dictation, controlled

compositions, listening comprehension, mime, demonstrations, realia

16

and visual aids as teaching techniques to help students deduce,

understand and learn grammar or new vocabulary.

On the other hand, the Audio-Lingual method centers on the

development of the four language skills through a natural order of

acquisition by practicing the listening, reading, speaking and writing

skills. For this reason, this method uses memorizations, listening,

dialogs and repetitive drills.

Also, these authors talk about the Communicative Approach,

which is very useful to learn to give advice, complain, give, and ask

for any information, so students learn to communicate correctly. For

this reason, the techniques such as: interaction between listeners

and speakers, role play, information sharing, group work and

problem solving are useful to work with adolescent learners.

Furthermore, there is also the Total Physical Response, which

is a coordination of speech and action. That is, students respond with

physical activities according to what they listen. Thus, students focus

on listening comprehension and understanding the language instead

of learning to speak. Therefore, the best techniques to work with this

method are mime, drawing and oral commands because through

these, students can respond physically.

Another important method is the Silent Way, in which students

are forced to learn by themselves. In other words, they discover the

structures of the target language by themselves, applying those

structures in order to understand and use the target language;

17

instead of following and repeating what the instructor says. In this

method, teachers usually speak little and participate only when it is

necessary.

Next, there is the Competence-Based Approach that centers on

teaching a language in relation to the social context in which learners

use the target language. For example, in the United States, an

immigrant has to learn English because he needs to communicate

with others. Thus, they could improve their lives into their social,

cultural, economic, personal, and professional aspect. Also, it is

important to point out that this method uses the interaction, real

tasks, pair or group work, problem solving and filling gap information

as practical techniques for working with the students.

In addition, another method is known as the Community

Language Learning, which creates an affective setting or a friendly

community, where students overcome their fears, become interested

and enthusiastic to interact, exchange ideas and collaborate. Also,

this method focuses on listening and speaking skills, for this reason,

questioning, answering and discussion are useful techniques to work

with this method.

The last method is Suggestopedia which focuses on teaching a

language in a relaxed way, by reducing the learners´ anxiety and fear

to failure. This method needs a quiet, clean, ordered and cozy

environment in order students to feel secure, positive, convinced,

18

relaxed and motivated. The best techniques to work with this method

are role-pay, questions, answers, and colors.

Additionally to these methods and techniques, it is important to

consider different teaching contexts. Therefore, Brown (2000, p. 115-

121) identifies several types of contexts. He states, “Sociopolitical

context refers how dominant are the social roles of language,

interaction, negotiation, interpretation, intended meaning,

misunderstandings and pragmatics underscore those roles. When

these considerations are extended into countries, religions, nations

and continents, the political side of language becomes evident”. Next,

there is institutional context, which refers to the type of educational

institution in which we are teaching.

Moreover, Carrie (2005) identifies the social and cultural

context. So he states the social context is the setting, group,

background and social condition in which students live, study and

develop. Cultural context refers to the customs, habits and education

level that each student has.

Following this literature review, there is another important

factor that participates in the teaching-learning process. It is the use

Supplementary materials. Moreover, it is the primary content of this

research, so it is going to be detailed carefully.

In fact, Tomlinson (2004) considers supplementary materials

are additional tools that teachers use to complement and make easier

the learning process; furthermore, these materials help to increase

19

the students´ knowledge. Therefore, he identifies cassettes, videos,

CD- ROMS, dictionaries, grammar books, workbooks, photocopied

exercises, newspapers, food package and photographs as important

and useful materials for EFL classes.

Likewise, Spratt (2005) defines supplementary materials as

materials used additionally to the course-books or notebooks which

teachers need in the classroom for teaching a target language.

Furthermore, he affirms that these materials support and improve

the teaching-learning process because they help the teachers´ work,

motivate students to complete more activities and develop the

language skills easier. Therefore, he suggests the following materials,

newspapers, magazines, videos and articles.

Also, Araya (2007) states supplementary materials are

instrumental objects, which inform students through symbolic,

graphic or concrete representations. In addition, they are important

because they may stimulate the learning and develop a more critical

thinking so achieve the proposed goals in the teaching learning

process. Also, she express that the role of supplementary materials

consist on attempting to minimize the level of difficulty of students´

learning, facilitate the instructors´ teaching process and try to elicit

and build pictures on students´ minds, so they may associate these

imagines with what they are learning in the classroom.

In the same way, Trujillo, Torrencillas & Salvadores (2004)

believe that materials are crucial elements into the teaching-learning

20

process. So they identify several type of materials, for this reason,

they divide them into three categories.

The first category, considered as the old ones, are traditional

materials that have been used many years ago to support learning.

They are boards, visual aids, and textbooks.

The boards have been considered for a long time as “Teacher-

centered” because only the teacher could be standing up in front of it.

But now, it is considered as the “students-centered”, too because

students can also stand up in front of the board and talk with the

teacher. Moreover, the previous authors consider that the board must

be used rational, careful and creatively. For example, the teacher

should divide the board into sections, write down relevant

information, be ordered, write legible, highlight relevant information,

use the board not only to write on, but to stick or project things and

drawings;

The visual aids (realia, flashcards, wall charts and posters).

These materials are also considered as traditional material. The realia

are real objects that may be into the classroom or could be brought

by the teachers and students to complement the writing and

speaking. Nevertheless, the flashcards are materials made with

cardboard and pictures. Unlike the flashcards, there are wall charts

which are used to show a sequence of events. Also, there are the

posters which are maps, posters with letters or numbers, but they

are not sequential as wall charts.

21

The last one materials considered as old is the textbook, which

is an important material nowadays, too because it has topics,

objectives, evaluations and activities about the lesson to complete

with students.

Second category, the new which include the Audio/ Visual

resources, these are the electrical and electronic materials which

have been acquired and implemented few years ago. The first one is

the OHP (Over Head Projector) which is an audiovisual material that

is used to project information onto a screen, white wall or white

board, so the audience focuses attention on it; the next is the audio

player, and this is used very often in the EFL classes to complete

listening activities, listen to stories, songs, interviews and dialogues,

so it stimulate students to work into the classroom and practice the

activities at home, too; the others are video player and the video

camera, these are a combination of pictures and sounds, where the

language is presented in a complete and communicative situation.

Thus, students are able to infer meanings according to the context.

Also, it is important to know that teachers must be careful to select

the best films; in other words, they must choose a film according to

the students´ age, level, interest and knowledge.

Third category, the newest or the ICT (Information and

Communication Technologies), these are all the innovative materials

which are implemented nowadays; that is, the most modern materials

that are integrating and changing our lives. For instance, the building

22

of a physical setting: An ICT classroom. This is not concrete or

tangible material as flashcards, but it consists on building or

improving the physical setting of the classroom through using the

most modern technologies; for example, building a laboratory for

teaching English with all the ICT.

Similarly, the internet is not a physical material, but it is a

useful tool where teachers and students may access to search, play

and practice the language because on the internet are several

activities and courses in English which are very helpful.

After detailing different opinions, definitions and importance

about some contents related to the use supplementary materials, it is

time to describe some previous studies, which demonstrate the

usefulness and importance of using supplementary materials in EFL

Classes.

Therefore, Cabrera & Chamba (2007) developed a study at

“Manuel Cabrera Lozano” high school, with the objective of

determining if the didactic materials used by the teachers help

students to achieve a meaningful learning. To accomplish this study,

the researchers focus on 3 English teachers and 75 students, whom

researchers observed to collect data. And then the researchers

analyzed and explicated these data carefully.

According to the collected data, the supplementary materials do

help to illustrate contents, motivate and keep students´ attention.

Therefore, these materials must be real, clear, exact and attractive for

23

students and they have to be used every day. Also, it points out that

the teachers use the most common materials such as: tape recorders,

flashcards, laboratory, charts, books, and realia. On the contrary, the

students state that teachers sometimes use didactic means, because

there are some days when they don´t use any type of materials.

Finally, the authors conclude that materials do support and

facilitate the students´ learning. But in this case, teachers just

sometimes use them; moreover, they only use traditional materials.

Consequently, the students are not receiving a meaningful teaching.

For this reason, they suggest that teachers should get informative,

audiovisual, illustrative and experimental means to improve the

teaching-learning language.

Similarly, Tafani (2009) accomplished a research to analyze the

importance of using Mass Media in the classroom and finding the

ways how to use Printed and Audio-Visual Media (Mass Media). For

this reason, she focus on the use of radio, tape records,

newspapers, movies, books, magazines, television and internet,

which are known as Mass Media. These materials are used to read

and discus in groups or whole-class; moreover, teachers and

students always find interesting topics as follows: political, science,

fashion, entertainment, sports and culture which are useful to work

in the class. Therefore, these materials are useful because they

motivate students to speak and help them to dominate the listening,

reading, reading and writing skills through different activities. Also,

24

she explains that these materials could be used in different ways

according to the students´ needs and how creative the teachers are.

In short, Tafani affirms that Mass Media materials are

important because they provide teachers and students creative and

practical ideas, entertain, motivate and encourage students to work

inside and outside the classroom. Moreover, these materials help

students to improve their thinking, imagination, listening, speaking

and observation; so they dominate the language in an accurate and

fluent way.

Likewise, Chuquimarca & Peña (2004) did a research at “Carlos

Montufar School” whose objective was identifying the didactic

resources that this school has to develop the teaching-learning

process and observe the way that these resources are used.

Thus, he researcher took as sample to the 5th, 6th and 7th of

basic education and 12 teachers from this school. According to the

analyzed, theaters usually use television, boards, maps, video,

projector and data show materials. On the contrary, the information

which were given by the students show that teachers don´t use these

materials, but teachers affirm that they sometimes don´t use

materials because there is not time enough in the classroom to use

materials; however, they know that, lacking of using these materials

is a cause of the students´ learning difficulty.

In conclusion, researchers affirm that this school has excellent

didactic materials, but teachers are not using them appropriate and

25

frequently. As consequence, students are not getting an excellent

level of learning.

Also, there is a study accomplished by Kelsen (2009) whose

purpose is exploring the use of You Tube in an EFL situation. Indeed,

this study took as sample 69 students from two sophomore

conversation classes at private university in northern Taiwan, whom

the researcher applied a questionnaire to collect information about if

the students use You Tube as a source of entertainment, or they use

You Tube to education matters.

Therefore, the results indicate that 32.25 % of the students use

You Tube as a tool for studying English and the 80. 64 % of them use

this source for entertainment. However, students consider that You

Tube is interesting, relevant, beneficial, and a motivating

supplementary material to be used in the class through interesting

and creative activities.

Finally, Kung & Chuo (2002) developed a research whose

objective was investigate the effectiveness of ESL/EFL websites from

the internet as means, which help students learn English and how

students perceive learning English through these websites. In fact,

researchers have taken as a sample forty-nine students who

experiment five websites as an instrument to do homework and self-

study because at the time of this research, these students were

taking an English course about: conversation, writing, reading and

listening; therefore, this research focused on conversation and writing

26

to help students speak fluently through the conversational topics and

to write carefully, too.

Consequently, the results pointed out that the most of students

had computers at home and they visited the websites from six to

seven days between one or two hours to complete the given asks.

However, some students do not know the different websites; for this

reason, they can´t use them correctly, so they need the teachers´

instruction.

According to how students perceive the learning by using these

materials, the results illustrate that students consider them as

effective, useful and interesting ways for learning English because

these materials facilitate their comprehension and help them to

dominate the language skills successfully.

In brief, the authors conclude that internet websites are useful

tools to supplement in-class instruction, but some students do not

use them for educational matters; therefore, teachers should instruct

students about where the best websites are.

As a general conclusion about some previous studies that have

been done in different educational institutions and various

assumptions about contents related to the topic, it is important

consider that supplementary materials have an important role into

the teaching-learning process because they motivate students,

facilitate their comprehension and help teachers to work effectively,

and so students could receive an education of quality.

27

RESULTS

Qualitative tabulation

Chart one: Type of Supplementary material used in Public high

school

Variable Indicators Yes No

Visual Flash cards

Power point presentations

Maps

Pictures

Charts

Handouts

Posters

Word cards

White/black board

Audio Songs

Dialogues

Stories

Tales

Audiovisual Videos

Movies

Documentaries

Realia Objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online Websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 8th, 9th, and 10th grades

28

Chart two: Type of Supplementary material used in Private high

school

Variable Indicators Yes No

Visual Flash cards

Power point presentations

Maps

Pictures

Charts

Handouts

Posters

Word cards

White/black board

Audio Songs

Dialogues

Stories

Tales

Audiovisual Videos

Movies

Documentaries

Realia Objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online Websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 8th, 9th, and 10th grades

29

Chart three: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 8th grade

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

30

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 9th grade

Chart four: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

Flash cards. x

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

31

Chart five: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 10th grade

32

Chart six: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

x power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 8th grade

33

Chart seven: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

Flash cards. power point

presentations

maps

pictures

X

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

x x

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 9th grade

34

Chart eight: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable

Indicators 1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Flash cards

Power point

presentations

maps

pictures charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

x X

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author: Mayra Macas

Source: 10th grade

35

Quantitative tabulation

Chart nine: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 8 th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

Flash cards. 1 20,00 2 28,57 power point presentations - - - - Maps - - - - Pictures 1 20,00 1 14,29 Charts

- - -

Handouts - - - - Posters - - - - word cards 1 20,00 2 28,57 white / black board 2 40,00 1 14,29 - - - -

Audio

Songs - -

- Dialogues

- 1 14,29

Stories - - - - Tales - - - - - - - -

Audiovisual

Videos - - - - Movies - - - - Documentaries - - - - - - - -

Realia objects (toys, plants, fruits) - - - -

Online Websites - - - -

TOTAL 5 100,00 7 100,00

Author: Mayra Macas

36

Chart ten: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 9 th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

Flash cards. 2 40,00 1 20,00 power point presentations - - - - Maps - - - - Pictures 1 20,00 1 20,00 Charts - - - - Handouts - - 1 20,00 Posters - - 1 20,00 word cards - - - - white / black board - - 1 20,00

Audio

Songs - - - - Dialogues - -

-

Stories - - - - Tales - - - - - - - -

Audiovisual

Videos - - - - Movies - - - - Documentaries - - - - - - - -

Realia objects (toys, plants, fruits) 20,00 40,00 - -

Online Websites - - - - TOTAL 5 100,00 5 100,00

Author: Mayra Macas

37

Chart eleven: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 10th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

Flash cards. - - 1 20,00 power point presentations - - - - Maps - - - - Pictures 2 400,00 1 20,00 Charts - - - - Handouts 1 20,00 - - Posters - - - - word cards 1 20,00 - - white / black board 1 20,00 1 20,00

Audio

Songs - - - - Dialogues - - 1 20,00 Stories - - - - Tales - - - - - - - -

Audiovisual

Videos - - - - Movies - - - - Documentaries - - - - - - - -

Realia objects (toys, plants, fruits) - - - -

Online Websites - - - - TOTAL 5 100,00 4 80,00 Author: Mayra Macas

38

Chart twelve: Synthesis about the frequencies.

Grades Public (f) Private(f)

8th 5 7 9th 5 5

10th 5 4

TOTAL 15 16

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8th 9th 10th

Public (f)

Private(f)

39

Description, Analysis and Interpretation of Results

After observing five English classes in eighth, ninth and tenth

grades at public and private high schools, it is time to make a

descriptive analysis about the materials which were identified during

each observed class. Therefore, this section is very important because

through this description, it is possible to determine the materials’

characteristics in terms of pertinence, appropriateness and quality.

Also, this section contains a comparative analysis in relation to the

frequency of using these supplementary materials in eight, ninth and

tenth grades between public and private high schools.

Descriptive Analysis

Public high school

8 th Grade

Flash cards

Flash cards were used in the third class whose topic was

“special occasions”. In this class, the objective was to make students

express ideas about special occasions using prepositions and

cardinal numbers correctly. The teacher started the class with these

visual presentations which contained pictures related to special

occasions such as: Birthdays, Fathers’ Day, and Mothers’ Day,

Christmas and Happy New Year, which people usually celebrate. The

teacher presented the flashcards to students pronouncing them

clearly. The students looked at the flash cards, listened to the

description of these materials carefully and repeated the information

40

they heard. Thus, the students could memorize the new words. Once

the students knew new information and understood the topic, the

teacher asked them to complete the task in the workbooks, which

was easily completed. These materials were useful tools for students

because they permitted them to understand better the topic and

easily memorize the new information about the topic of the lesson. As

consequence, the students developed their language skills and

learned successfully.

Also, these materials were appropriate to students’ level, age

and understanding because these visual presentations contained

simple, appropriate and clear information about the topic. Moreover,

the students already had this information in their first language so

they internalized that information with the second language, which

facilitated their comprehension and learning; thus, they learned in a

real and creative manner. Also, the quality of these materials was

very good because they had different colors, seemed very striking and

they were sufficiently big. Consequently, the students were motivated

and interested to learn.

Pictures

Pictures were used in the first class to talk about

“occupations”. The principal objective was to learn to express

information about peoples’ occupations using verbs and nouns

correctly. The teacher took the pictures and described them in front

of students who listened and took notes about the information what

41

they heard. Next, the teacher pointed out the pictures and the

students looked at them and pronounced aloud. Then, some

volunteer students placed the pictures on the board, and other

students wrote a description under each picture using new

vocabulary and the correct grammatical structures. Once students

acquired knowledge, the teacher asked them to complete activities in

the workbooks to practice what they learned in class. So I consider

these materials were pertinent because they contained clear

information about the different peoples’ occupations which helped the

students to achieve the objective of the class effectively.

Moreover, these materials were appropriate for the students

because they showed information about the most common

occupation such as: teacher, secretary, farmers, mechanics,

electrician, etc... This information was related to the students’

previous knowledge, age and understanding because the materials

contained information related to the students’ background so these

materials helped them to understand better the topic and learn new

information easily. Also, it is important to say that the teacher chose

the best pictures to create these materials according to what students

needed to understand and learn better the topic. In other words,

these materials had good quality because they were colorful, big,

clear and original and the teacher created them carefully.

42

Word cards

These materials were used in the fifth class whose topic was

“my school”. Here, the teacher and the students talked about the

different places of the school using the word cards, which contained

vocabulary about the topic. Also, it is important to say that in this

class, the teacher and students worked inside and outside of the

classroom. The teacher presented the word cards to students, who

observed the materials and listened to their teacher. Then, students

took the word cards, pronounced them and explained where is

located the place that the word card indicated. After that, the teacher

and the students went out, sat down on the playground and formed a

circle. The teacher passed out the materials to each student and they

pronounced those words aloud. Next, they took the materials and

glued each word card in the correct places around the school. Finally,

the students went back to the classroom to complete the activities in

their English books. The use of these materials was important

because they contained information related to the topic. So these

materials were useful to support to the class’ development. The

students comprehended better the topic, practiced the language

through a creative and dynamic manner. They learnt how to give

information about specific school places.

The use of these materials was appropriate to students’ level,

age and understanding because they had information about the

school where the students were learning. That is, these materials

43

were related to the students’ context and knowledge. The students

liked the materials because they contained information about what

the students already knew in their first language. The students were

motivated and their interest to learn was awakened because the class

was about their school reality. In addition, all those word cards were

eye-catching because they were big and clear. The teacher used

different colors to write the letters.

White/black board

The white/ black board is different to other materials such as

flash cards, pictures, handouts, etc… because it always stays in the

classroom and it is not created, bought or brought by the teachers or

the students. However, it is very important and useful in the

classroom. Many teachers use it daily. Therefore, it is also important

to describe it in terms of pertinence, appropriateness and quality just

like the other types of materials. For this reason, it will be described

according to how teachers use it in each class.

In the first class the teacher used the board to write examples

giving information about occupations such as: teacher, secretary,

farmers, mechanics, electrician, etc.... She explained the grammar

and the correct use of new vocabulary. The use of the board was very

significant because it permitted the students to practice what they

learned. The students understood the class better and retained the

information easily.

44

This material was also used in the fourth class, whose topic

was “birthdays”. Here the students learned to give and ask for

information about peoples’ birthdays using the months of the year

and cardinal numbers correctly. The teacher drew a chart on the

board and divided it into twelve parts. Next, each student wrote the

months of the year in each box of the chart. Then the teacher asked

questions to the students about their birthdays. The students wrote

their answers under the correct month. After that, the students

completed some activities in the workbook. I consider that the board

was important because it permitted the students to practice

vocabulary about the months of the year and grammar by writing

clear examples about themselves and other peoples’ birthdays.

After describing all the materials according to how they were

used in each class it is important to mention that in this grade the

teacher chose the supplementary materials considering the

Visual/Verbal learning style. She used visual materials which

facilitated the students’ comprehension and learning. However, the

teacher did not take into account that there were students with

different learning styles who need other supplementary materials to

learn better such as audio, audiovisual, realia and online materials.

This ensures that all the students receive the information and learn

the language through different techniques and materials. Moreover,

according to the students’ survey, the students stated that they liked

the materials used by their teacher, but that they would like the

45

teacher use other materials such as songs, movies, real objects,

stories, handouts, videos, charts, and websites because they are

more striking and motivating. The teacher mentioned that she always

finds the best materials according to the students’ learning styles

because the supporting materials help the students to understand

the topic better, learn new vocabulary, guess meanings and interact

in class. However, she says that sometimes it is difficult to use the

most appropriate materials because the school does not have other

materials available. For example, she would like to have an English

laboratory.

9th Grade

Flash cards

These materials were used in two classes in this grade, so they

will be described according to each class.

In the first class, the teacher introduced a new topic using flash

cards to talk about “English signs”. First, the teacher asked students

to imagine they are visiting different public places such as:

supermarkets, buildings, restaurants, cyber, offices etc. Next, the

teacher showed the flashcards which contained information about

English signs such as: emergency exit, on, off, don’t smoking, don’t

throw garbage, hand dryer, etc… The students looked at the flash

cards and listened to the teacher’s pronunciation carefully. Then the

teacher and the students worked together to stick the flashcards on

the wall. Once the students knew the new topic, the teacher asked

46

them to work in workbook activities. These materials were pertinent

because they contained information related to the topic, thus they

helped to develop the class better and the students achieved the

objectives.

Moreover, the teacher considered the students’ level, age and

understanding because the flash cards contained information about

English signs which the students had already seen in different

places. In the class, the teacher explained the signs meaning and

use. In other words, these materials were appropriate to students

because they had previous knowledge about the topic and they

helped the students to reinforce their knowledge and practice the

language expressing ideas correctly and using new vocabulary. Also,

it is important to say that the teacher worked hard to create these

flashcards; as a consequence, the materials were multi-colored, big,

new, clean and attractive for the students.

The second time, flashcards were used in the fifth class to talk

about “food and health” using vocabulary and grammar correctly. The

teacher started the class with visual presentations, which contained

pictures about healthy/unhealthy food. First, the teacher showed the

students each flash card and the students looked, listened and

repeated the information aloud until understand the topic. Next, the

teachers took a big card, draw on a big pyramid and divided it into

six parts. Then, each student chose a flashcard, looked at the

information and described it pronouncing appropriately; formed

47

sentences using can/can’t correctly and glued the material on the

pyramid according to the group of food that each word belonged. For

example, the student chose a flash card with the word “carrot”; he

glued it on vegetables group, so on. Thus, the students formed

sentences to talk about food people can/can’t eat to be healthy. I

consider these materials were important tools in this class, because

they contained specific information about the topic.

However, it is important to mention that these materials were

not much appropriated to students’ level, age and understanding

because the most materials contained information about the

products from other countries not about our country; therefore, the

students could not guess and understand the meaning of the words

easily. That is, the teacher did not take into account the students’

context, knowledge level and their age to use materials with easy

information to understand. As a consequence, these materials did

not help the students to learn and achieve the objective completely;

even some students could not participate in class because there were

not many flash cards to use. However, in spite of these materials

were not appropriate for the students, they looked very good, because

they were big, colorful and clear, but they were not very useful for

students. They needed materials with information according to their

knowledge.

48

Pictures

These materials are useful to work with the visual/verbal

learning style, because students who have this learning style learn

better with visual presentations. Moreover, these materials could be

used to describe and discuss with their partners in the class. So the

teacher used them in the first class to talk about “Occupations”. Here

the teacher used pictures to present the new topic. These materials

had information about the different peoples’ occupations. First, the

teacher showed the pictures to the students, described them using

grammatical structures correctly while students were looking at the

pictures and listening carefully. Next, the teacher asked questions

about the pictures and the students described them correctly. After

knowing and understanding the topic, the students completed the

activities in their workbooks. I can say that these materials were

important in this class, because they contained information very

related to the topic, which helped the students to memorize the new

words and facilitated their learning.

These visual materials were useful and appropriate for the

students, because they showed information easy to understand. The

students guessed the meaning of the words according to the context

of the information and they were motivated to learn. The class

became more interesting and made the students to comprehend

easily the lesson. Moreover, the teacher chose these materials

carefully regarding the topic and students’ needs, level, age and

49

understanding because they showed information about the most

common occupations such as: teacher, secretary, farmer, policeman,

driver, etc… Also, these materials had good quality because they were

multicolored, attractive, and big. The students worked creatively and

enjoyed these materials.

Realia (objects)

The teacher used this type of materials in the third class to talk

about “labels on products”. Here, the teacher asked students to bring

labels of different products. First, the teacher took the labels and

described them in front of the students, who looked, listened and

took notes carefully. Next, students glued the labels on a big

pasteboard and described each label using grammatical structures

correctly. The teacher corrected students’ mistakes regarding

grammar and pronunciation. After that, the students worked with

their workbooks to complete some activities which were easily

completed because the students were already familiarized with the

labels. These materials are considered important tools for this class

because they contained clear and relevant information about the

topic. As a result, they helped the students to comprehend the topic

better and learn to express ideas appropriately.

These materials were perfect and appropriate for the students’

level, age and understanding because the students already knew this

information in their first language. Moreover, the teacher asked them

to bring some labels according to what they usually find in different

50

products in their home, stores or in the markets. So in this class,

they learned to read the labels and describe them in a foreign

language using grammar correctly. Most of these materials were full-

size, understandable, new and colorful, but some of them were very

small because the students did not know how to choose the best

labels. However, this situation did not obstruct students´

understanding and learning because the students developed the

language skills, achieved the objectives and learned successfully.

Finally, these realia materials were used in the fourth class

whose topic was “a scrapbook”. In this case, the teacher used the

same labels from the third class but with a different activity. Here the

teacher did a review of the last class to check the students´ learning.

She pointed out the pictures and the students remembered and

pronounced the words aloud. Next, the teacher explained the

students how to make a scrapbook and the students discussed the

process. Finally, all the students took the pictures and glued them on

their notebooks to make their own scrapbook. The use of these

materials was important because they helped the students to practice

what they had learned before.

Since these materials were the same as the third class, they

were appropriate for students because the labels showed information

about the products that the students usually buy or observe in

different stores or markets. Moreover, these labels were familiar to

the students because they were already used in the other class. In

51

this class, the materials helped the students to remember vocabulary

and express their ideas correctly. In spite of some materials were

small, the students worked actively, interacted in class and practiced

the language successfully.

In this grade, the teacher considered some of the learning styles

but not all of them because she only used visual and realia materials

in the five classes. The teacher did not use other different materials

such as Audio/Audiovisual or Online materials, which are useful to

work with the Auditory/Learning because with this style the students

learn better through audio presentations and listening and speaking

activities. The teacher did not take into account that students have

their own and different ways to learn; for this reason, they need

different types of supporting materials to learn better. Even the

students said that they would like their teacher to use different

materials everyday such as videos, songs, graphic organizers, posters

and handouts. However, the teacher mentioned that she uses good

materials but sometimes it is not possible to work with audiovisual

materials because the other teachers use the TV or the radio. Also,

she mentioned that there is not enough time to use additional

materials in class; for this reason, sometimes she only uses the book

or the board.

52

10 th Grade

Pictures

These materials were used in two classes but in different ways,

so they will be described according to how they were used in each

class. In the first class the teacher used the pictures to teach a class

about “natural disasters”. The teacher started the class with pictures

which contained information about an earthquake in Chile. First, she

showed the pictures and talked about them with the students. Then,

the students asked questions and exchanged ideas with their

classmates and their teacher. After that, the students completed the

activities in the English books, those activities were easy to complete

because the students had already acquired knowledge through the

pictures. So these materials were essential in this class because they

contained clear and relevant information about the topic.

Furthermore, these materials motivated the students and woke

up their interest and curiosity to talk about this topic. In other

words, these materials were perfect for the students´ level, age and

understanding because these materials contained information that

the students had already watched, read and listened on the different

Medias; that is, the students had previous knowledge about the topic.

Therefore, these materials helped them to guess and deduce the

meaning of the words according to the context of the information. As

a consequence, they understood and learned the topic better. These

materials were created by the teacher according to the topic and

53

students´ needs. She chose the best pictures from different

newspapers, magazines and the internet to create the materials. As a

result, these pictures were big, clear, multicolored and attractive for

students.

The second time the pictures were used in the fifth class, whose

was “crime”. The teacher and the students brought various pictures

about the different types of crime which are affecting to the society.

First, the teacher took the pictures and placed them on the board

and the students looked at them and described using the present and

past tense. Then the teacher corrected their mistakes regarding

grammar and pronunciation. Finally, they worked in their notebooks

to describe crime which they have seen on the TV or listened to on

the radio. This activity was easy for the students because they had

practiced beforehand describing the pictures. These materials were

useful tools for this class because they helped the students to acquire

the information better.

These materials were perfect for the students´ level, age and

understanding because they showed information what the students

usually look at in the newspapers or watch on the TV. They

understood the information and learned the new words according to

the context in which the teacher presented the language;

consequently, the students practiced the language and learned

successfully. However, the quality of these materials was not good

because they were brought by the students who found them on the

54

internet or in newspapers. Some of the materials were neither big nor

colorful, but that did not affect the development of the class and

students´ learning.

Handouts

Handouts were used in the second class in which the topic was

“natural disasters”. The primary objective was to learn how to give

and ask for information using the present and past tense. The

teacher used two articles from the internet. The first article was

about an earthquake in Chile and the other one was about the

Tungurahua volcano. While the teacher was reading each article, the

students listened and took notes about unknown words. Next they

wrote the words on the board and deduced the words’ meaning

according to the context of the reading. Then the students discussed

the content of the articles applying the present and past tenses with

questions and answers. The handouts were very important because

they helped the students to acquire knowledge about the topic and

understand the new vocabulary.

The teacher chose these materials according to students´ level,

age and understanding knowing that the students were able to read

and infer meaning according to the context. Moreover, these articles

contained simple but important vocabulary about the topic which

facilitated students´ learning. These materials were very good because

55

they contained clear and important information, known words, and

the letters were big enough.

Word cards

Word cards were used in the first class whose topic was “eating

out”. The teacher created word cards with the new vocabulary related

to the class. First, she presented each word card to the students, and

then she placed the materials on the board and pronounced the

words aloud. The students listened carefully and repeated the words

until memorize each one. Then, the teacher put together all the

pictures in a box. The students chose a word card and explained how

to prepare the food indicated by the word card. The teacher

monitored the students to ensure correct vocabulary and grammar

usage.

Also these materials were perfect for students’ level, age and

understanding because the students of this level have the capacity of

read words correctly and understands their meaning. These materials

permitted the students to know how to write and pronounce those

words correctly. These materials were created by the teacher

according to the vocabulary of the topic and students’ needs. She

used different colored markers, big pasteboards and big letters so

that students could visualize and memorized the words easily.

White/black board

As mentioned before, the board is different from other

materials. For this reason, this material will be described according

56

to how the teacher used it. The board was used in the fourth class

whose topic was “flood”. The teacher only used this material to

develop the class. First, the teacher asked the students to remember

the vocabulary learned before and then she wrote the words on the

board. Next, some volunteer students wrote sentences on the board

using the vocabulary and correct grammar. Then the teacher and the

students corrected grammar mistakes and re-wrote the examples.

Finally, the students completed some activities in the workbooks to

practice what they learned in class.

In this grade, the teacher considered the visual/ verbal

learning style because she only used visual materials. In other words,

she did not take into account the other learning styles such as the

Tactile/Kinesthetic and the Auditory/ verbal. She did not apply other

kinds of supplementary materials which can be more motivating and

entertaining. The students said they like the materials used by their

teacher, but they need other materials such as charts, songs,

dialogues, objects, stories, movies and documentaries because they

are more motivating and bright. On the other hand, the teacher said

that she knows that the supplementary materials are helpful aids

because they help the students to understand the topics and work

better in class. Nevertheless, she always uses the same materials

which are not motivating enough. For instance, in the fourth class,

she only used the board, which was appropriate and pertinent but it

57

was not motivating and attractive as the other type of supporting

materials such as: audio, audiovisual and realia.

Private High School

8th Grade

Flashcards

Flashcards were used two times in this grade; therefore, they

will be described according to how the teacher used them in each

class. In the first class the topic was “Occupations”. The teacher used

flash cards to introduce the topic. First, the teacher presented the

flash cards to the students pronouncing them and the students

looked at them and listened carefully to the teacher. Then the teacher

placed the flashcards on the board and the students made

descriptions about the information illustrated in the materials. Next,

the students gave and asked for information about occupations with

their classmates pointing out the flash cards which were on the

board. The use of flashcards was important because they contained

relevant information about the topic. The students familiarized easily

with the new topic. As a result, they learned to express different ideas

about people´s occupations and both students and teacher achieved

the objective of the class successfully.

Since the flashcards showed clear and attractive information

about the topic, the students were able to guess the words´ meaning

easily. The materials supported and improved the teaching-learning

process and helped the teacher to motivate the students to learn.

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These materials are considered important and appropriate to the

students´ level, age and understanding because they contained

simple information about common occupations such as: teacher,

student, singer, actor, secretary, etc…. The students of this grade are

beginners; therefore, they need information that is easy to

understand. These materials awoke the students´ interest and

facilitated their comprehension and learning. They practiced and

developed their language skills successfully.

As for the quality of these materials, they were designed by the

teacher considering the students´ level and needs. The teacher

created the supplementary materials regarding what students knew

in their first language and what they needed to learn better. So the

teacher created visual presentations with different pictures which

were taken from the internet and glued on pieces of pasteboard. As a

result, these materials were big, colorful, interesting, attractive and

funny. The students enjoyed the class, worked and learned better.

The second class was “special occasions”, where the teacher

used flashcards to introduce the new topic. The teacher presented the

flashcards which contained pictures related to the topic of the class

such as: Valentine´s Day, Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day,

Mother´s and Father´s Day, etc. Once the students observed, heard

and practiced the new vocabulary and learned grammatical

structures, they worked in their workbook activities. These

flashcards were important because they pointed out important

59

information about the topic. However, they were not useful enough

because they did not fulfill all the students´ requirements and needs.

These materials were not appropriate to students´ level, age

and understanding because the information of the materials was

complex and difficult to understand. The students could not deduce

the meaning of the words because they contained information about

special occasions which are celebrated in foreign countries rather

than Ecuador. The students could not identify and guess the words´

meaning easily, they needed information according to their context,

culture, customs and a more simple vocabulary. As a result, they

could neither comprehend the topic well nor learn to express the

ideas using the new words and grammar. It would have been better if

the teacher had taught information about Ecuadorian’ celebrations;

thus, the students would have been motivated and interested to

learn.

However, as in the first class, these flashcards were created by

the teacher, who used good materials such as different colors,

various pictures and different types of cards. As a result, the flash

cards were big and attractive for the students but they were not

appropriate to the students´ level, age and comprehension. In

addition, they were not according to the context in which the

language was taught.

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Pictures

Pictures were used in the second class in this grade, whose

topic was “where do they work”. The teacher presented various

pictures about different places of peoples’ work. These pictures were

closely related to the topic. First, the teacher asked for a volunteer

student to give an example using the pictures while the other

students were looking and listening carefully. Next, the students

imagined that they were workers to describe their place of work

orally. Then, the teacher explained the grammatical structures to

build sentences using the new vocabulary. Finally, the students

worked in pairs to complete activities in the English book. Therefore,

these materials were important because they helped the students to

infer meaning according to the context. As a result, the students

learned to give and ask for information about occupations and places

of work.

All these pictures were helpful and appropriate for the

students´ level, age and understanding because they illustrated

information that was easy to understand. These materials contained

information about the most common places of work such as an office,

a school, a restaurant, a hotel, a hospital, a field, a bank, etc. The

students looked at the pictures and deduced the words’ meaning

easily focusing on the context of the information presented in the

materials. Moreover, they already knew about this topic in their first

language.

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These pictures were created by the teacher who used different

textbooks, magazines and newspapers to find pictures related to this

topic. These materials were nice-looking because they were big,

attractive, new and bright. The students liked and enjoyed the class

and learned the information successfully.

Word cards

Word cards were used in two classes, but they were used in

different ways, so they will be described according to how the teacher

used them in each class. In the first class the topic was

“occupations”. After presenting the flashcards, the teacher took the

word cards which contained vocabulary about occupations. She

shared the word cards with the students who observed the words and

pronounced them aloud. Then the teacher corrected any

pronunciation mistakes and the students wrote sentences using the

new vocabulary and grammar.

These materials were perfect and appropriate for the students

because the teacher presented the new words in a written way. This

was very important for the students because they learned not only

how to pronounce the new words, but also how to write them

correctly. Moreover, these students were able to read, learn the new

words and practice a long time with these materials. For example,

they pronounced the word cards aloud, placed them on the board

and formed sentences with each word.

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Moreover, these materials were created by the teacher who

used different marker colors, various pieces of pasteboard and drew

big letters in order that the students could observe clearly and easily

memorize. In other words, these materials were very good because

they were big, clear, and attractive for the students, which facilitated

their learning. As a result, the students understood, practiced and

learned the language without difficulty.

In the second class, the topic was “celebrations”. The teacher

focused on the use of the ordinal and cardinal numbers, which were

used to talk about celebrations such as Birthdays, Anniversaries,

Commemorations, Historic Days, etc. For this reason, the teacher

created word cards to present the new information in written form.

First, the teacher showed the word cards, and then the students read

and repeated the words aloud until memorize them. Next, the teacher

asked questions about students´ birthdays in order to explain the

correct use of the ordinal numbers. The students practiced the

vocabulary and grammar writing sentences correctly. Finally, they

completed the activities in their workbooks. These materials were

pertinent for the class because they contained relevant and clear

information about the topic.

However, the materials were not very appropriate for the

students´ level, age and understanding because the materials

contained written forms of cardinal and ordinal numbers. When the

teacher showed the materials, the students get confused because

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there were too many words to learn. These materials did not motivate

the students and the class was bored. The students did not enjoy the

class, but they felt pressured by the teacher because she asked them

to pronounce and memorize quickly each word. As a consequence,

the students did not achieve the objective of the class. May be it

would have been more interesting if the teacher had applied the

Auditory/Verbal learning style. She could have used songs or

dialogues to teach the new words and grammar.

However, in spite of the materials not being appropriate to the

students, the word cards looked very good because they were created

carefully by the teacher. The materials were big, attractive, long,

bright and colorful.

White/black board

The teacher used the white/black board to work with the topic

“where do they work”. Once the students knew and understood the

new words, the teacher used the board to explain grammar. She and

the students wrote different examples to practice the language writing

sentences and asking questions about people´s places of work.

Finally, the teacher corrected the students´ mistakes.

Songs

This type of material was used in the third class, whose topic

was “what does your father do”. Here the teacher worked with a song

to deepen the theme and to practice students´ pronunciation by

singing a song. The class became motivating and funny. Therefore, I

64

consider that this song was an important source to support the class

because it was closely related to the topic. The students enjoyed the

song and practiced the language actively.

Also, it is important to say that this song was perfect for the

students because it contained known vocabulary. The students

already knew the words from other lessons. The teacher chose the

best songs according to the students´ understanding, level, age and

knowledge. Also, it is important to mention that the quality of this

material was very good. It was clear, fluent and loud but there was a

problem with the radio because it turned off two times while they

were working with the song. However, it did not affect the

development of the class.

According to Miller (2000), there are four learning styles, which

must be taken into account by teachers in order to use the

appropriate supplementary materials. However, in this case, the

teacher only considered two of them because she used visual and

audiovisual materials. There were some materials which were not

appropriate for the students because these materials could neither

motivate the students nor awake their interest to learn. For this

reason, the students mentioned that they would like the teacher to

use other materials such as charts, objects, videos, handouts,

posters, stories and documentaries because they are the most

interesting and attractive. On the other hand, the teacher mentioned

that she knows that the supplementary materials help the students

65

to learn better, but she does not use all of them because sometimes

there is not time to create the supplementary materials according to

each learning style.

9 th Grade

Flashcards

Flash cards were used in the first class, whose topic was “food

and health”. Here the teacher used them to present the new topic.

These materials contained pictures about the six groups of food.

First, the teachers took the flash cards and pronounced them aloud;

the students listened and repeated those words. Then, the teacher

drawn a big pyramid on the board and asked the students to take the

flash cards, pronounce and place them into the pyramid. After that,

the students wrote sentences about the new words using the modal

can/ can´t. Thus, all students participated and practiced the

language creatively and learned to give information about this topic

using grammar appropriately.

Furthermore, these materials were appropriate for students’

level, age and understanding because they facilitated the students to

infer and understand the meaning of the words according to the

information presented on the materials. Moreover, the students

already knew this information, so they related their previous

knowledge with what they were learning in the foreign language.

These materials were designed by the teacher according to students´

66

level and regarding to the objective of the class. So these materials

were big, colorful and attractive for the students´ eyes.

Pictures

The teacher used pictures to illustrate information about the

different food people can find “In a restaurant”. The teacher and the

students brought various pictures with information related to this

topic, which were used to present new vocabulary. The teacher

showed the pictures, the students look at them and described aloud.

Also, the students used these materials to talk about their favorite

food, they asked and answered questions with their partners using

the modals would and should. All these pictures contained relevant

information about the theme of the class, so I believe that these

pictures were pertinent because they illustrated relevant information

about to the topic.

However, these pictures were not very appropriate for students’

level, age and understanding because these pictures were about

special dishes which were not known by the teacher and the

students. That is, these materials did not contain information about

what students knew in their first language. The information was

complex to understand so it was difficult that students could identify

and understand the meaning of the new words. As a result, they did

not learn all the words, they could not describe all the pictures, and

it was difficult to learn to express sentences using all the new

information.

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These pictures were created by the teacher and students with

materials from different sources, but they were not big enough to be

visualized by all students. Even some pictures were white/black

color. That is, they were not so colorful, attractive or bright;

moreover, some pictures were broken by the students in the class

because the students took these materials for playing not for working

or practicing the language.

Handouts

The topic was “look after yourself”, the teacher made a brief

review about the three last classes. Next, she gave students handouts

which contained different activities to complete. The students had to

remember the new vocabulary and grammatical structures to build

sentences, questions and answers correctly. Also, there was a

listening item in which students had to listen to their teacher and

write down the information correctly.

Also, these handouts were appropriate for the students because

they contained activities about vocabulary and grammatical

structures what students learned in class. That is, these materials

were according to the student’s level, age and knowledge; therefore,

these materials helped them to practice what they learned. Also, it is

important to say that these handouts were created carefully by the

teacher, so they had good quality. They contained clear instructions,

practical activities and known vocabulary.

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Posters

These visual materials were used in the fourth class to

introduce information about “healthy habits”. So both teacher and

students brought various posters with information about “healthy

habits”. First, the teacher showed and described the materials to the

students using modals and adverbs of frequency while the students

were listening and taking notes about the information they heard.

Then the students took the posters and shared with their partners

about the most important habits. Finally, once the students learned

new vocabulary and grammar, they completed the activities in their

English books. These materials were important in this class, because

they contained information related to the topic and they helped the

students to understand and learn better.

In other words, these materials were appropriate to students’

level, age and understanding because they showed information about

the most common healthy habits. The students identified their own

healthy habits on those posters. That is, these materials were

appropriate for the students because they were closely related to the

topic and the students’ previous knowledge; thus, these materials

helped the students to wake their interest to learn. These posters

were very good and attractive to students’ eyes because they were

understandable, big, multi-colored and new, which motivated the

students and made the class more interesting.

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White/black board

This material was used in the second class, whose topic was”

healthy eating”, so teacher used the board to write new vocabulary

from the reading of the English book. This reading was read by the

students in the class. Next, the teacher asked the students to find

out the meaning of the words according to the context of the reading.

Then, the students wrote sentences on the board using these new

words and adverbial phrases. Finally, the students completed the

activities in the English book.

As mentioned above, the teacher only used the boar as

supplementary material to develop the class. She did not use other

motivating or attractive materials. Therefore, students could not learn

effectively the language; that is, this material was neither pertinent

nor appropriated for the students because this material neither

awoke the students’ interest nor motivated them to learn. The class

was bored and tired.

After described each material, it is easy to understand that the

teacher did not take into account that students have different

learning styles because she only used visual materials in all classes.

Moreover, she mentioned that visual materials are easier to

remember and associate new knowledge. Also, she stated that a good

class management and methodology are important, too. On the other

hand, the students mentioned that they prefer maps, objects, movies

and stories to work in class because they are more attractive and

70

dynamic. In conclusion, the teacher did not consider the importance

of using diverse types of supplementary materials taking into account

all learning styles in order to give a good instruction; thus the

students would learn effectively.

10 th Grade

Flash cards

This class was about “sports”, so teacher used flashcards which

contained information about the different sports that people usually

practice. First, the teacher showed the flashcards and students

observed, listened and repeated carefully. Next, students took the

flashcards and expressed sentences about them, so on. Once

students acquired knowledge about the topic, the teacher asked them

to complete the activity on the book, which was easy to complete

because the material helped them to familiarize with the topic.

So these materials were appropriate for students because they

contained clear and important information about the most popular

sports, which were known by the students. Moreover, the students of

this age know those different sports because they usually watched on

the TV or practiced with their friends in their free time. Therefore,

they could relate their previous knowledge with what they were

learning in the class. Thus, these materials helped them to

understand and learn better the topic of the class.

These materials were created by the teacher, who had found

out pictures on the internet. Next, she glued these pictures on pieces

71

of pasteboard. Thus she created amazing, big and bright flashcards

which were brought to the class and the students enjoyed them

because they were very attractive.

Pictures

In this class the topic was “leisure activities”; so teacher

brought some pictures about the different activities people always do

in their free time such as: exercises, read, sleep, dance, sports, watch

TV, etc. these materials were useful for students because they were

close related to the topic and helped the students to understand the

new vocabulary.

These materials were appropriate to students’ level, age and

understanding because they showed information about the activities

that students or other people usually do in their free time. That is,

this information was according to the activities that students know in

their first langue. Thus, these materials awoke the students’ interest

to learn how to express this information in a foreign language.

Moreover, these pictures were created by the teacher regarding the

topic of the class and what students needed to learn better. These

pictures were big, eye-catching and multi-colored, which facilitated

the students to understand and learn easily.

White/black board

This material was used in the second class whose topic was” in

your free time”. Here the teacher used the board to write the

frequency adverbs and explain their differences. Then, the students

72

wrote sentences on the board using the adverbs in the correct order.

Finally, the students worked with the book activities. In this case, the

use of the board was important because the teacher could explain

grammar. The students observed and identified the difference

between the different adverbs of frequency. However, this material

was not very appropriate for the students because it was not

attractive nor awoke the students’ interest. Moreover, the students

always learn better with other materials which are more bright,

dynamic and motivating.

Dialogues

This material was used in the second class to talk about “in

your free time”. Here, the teacher introduced new words related to the

topic through an audio conversation. So the students listened to the

conversation twice. After that, they completed the task on the book

according what they had listened.

This dialogue was perfect for students because it contained

vocabulary that students had already learned in class, it facilitated

the students´ learning. Moreover, it was also appropriate because it

permitted the students to practice pronunciation and listening skill.

Also, the quality of this material was good because it was clear, loud

and fluent. So it permitted students listen clearly and understand its

content. Then, the students worked in pairs with examples similar to

the listened dialogue.

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Finally, it is important to say that in this grade, the teacher did

not take into account that students learn of different ways, because

she only used three visual and one audio material to develop the

class. In other words, she did not use other materials such as:

audiovisual, realia and online materials, which are good to work with

the four learning styles; even there are two classes in which she did

not use any material. For this reason, the students said that their

teacher should use charts, word cards, objects, videos, stories tales

and documentaries; thus, the class would become more interesting

and attractive for them. However, the teacher said that she often uses

videos, stories or documentaries according to the topic of the lesson,

but some students could not understand the content because there

are many unknown words, complex grammatical structures and the

speaking is very fluent.

Comparative Analysis

8th Public vs. 8th Private

In the Public high school, the teacher used five times

supplementary materials such as: flashcards, pictures, word cards

and white board. This last material was the most used because the

teacher used the board in two classes and the others were used once

in this grade. On the other hand, in the Private high school, the use

of supplementary materials was more frequent and varied because

the teacher used seven times the materials such as: flashcards,

pictures, word cards, white board and dialogues and the more used

74

were the flash cards and word cards. Moreover, there is a class in

which the teacher used two types of materials to develop the class. In

conclusion, the use of supplementary materials is more frequent and

varied in the Private than in the Public high school.

9th Public vs. 9th Private

In the public high school, teacher used five times the

supplementary materials but she only used three types of materials

like: flashcards which were used twice; the pictures were used once;

finally, realia object were used in two classes in this grade. That is,

teacher did not use other different materials such as: Audio,

Audiovisual and Online materials in the teaching-learning process.

In the same way, in the Private high school, teacher used five

times the supplementary materials, but they were very varied

because the teacher used five different materials such as: flash cards,

pictures, handouts, posters and white board, which were used once

in each class. In other words, the frequency of using supplementary

materials is similar in both Public and Private high schools but in the

0

2

4

6

8

Public (f)Private(f)

8th

8th

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Private is more varied, because the teacher used different materials

from Visual and Audio variables, whereas in the Public high school

the teacher used the same materials from visual and realia variables.

10th Public vs. 10th Private

In the Public high school, the teacher used supplementary

materials five times. These materials were pictures, word cards, white

board and handouts, which were used once in each class and the

most used, were the pictures because they were in two classes. On

the other hand, in the private high school, the teacher only used four

times supplementary materials such as: flash cards, pictures, white

board and dialogues, which were used once in each class. In this

case, the frequency of using these supplementary materials is not

similar in both Public and Private high schools because in the Private

is less frequent than in the Public high school; even in the Private

high school is a class in which the teacher did not used

supplementary material to develop the class.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Public (f)Private(f)

9th

9th

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After making a comparative analysis about the supplementary

materials used Public and Private high school, there is also a last

chart which shows information about the entire sample. That is, this

chart indicates how frequent the use of the supplementary material

was in eighth, ninth and tenth grades in the Public and Private high

school. In the eighth grade was a frequency of five in the public

whereas in private was a frequency of seven. In the ninth grade, it

was similar because in both public and private high school was a

frequency of five. Finally, in the tenth grade was a frequency of seven

in the public and in the private was a frequency of four.

0

1

2

3

4

5

Public (f)Private(f)

10th

10th

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8th 9th 10th

Public (f)

Private(f)

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CONCLUSIONS

The types of supplementary materials most commonly used in

public and private high schools were visual and audiovisual

materials. For example, in the public high schools teachers

used flash cards, pictures, charts, word cards, white/black

board, dialogues and stories. Similarly, in the private high

school teachers used flash cards, pictures, handouts, posters,

word cards, white black board, songs and dialogues.

The majority of the used supplementary materials were

pertinent because they contained information closely related to

the theme of the class. These materials helped the students to

understand the topic, practice the language and learn

successfully.

Most of the analyzed materials were appropriate to the

students’ level, age and understanding because the students of

this level had a great deal of intellectual capacity, they were

able to relate their previous knowledge with the information

contained in the materials. The materials also contained simple

and easy vocabulary to learn and they were related to the

context in which the language was taught and learned. These

supplementary materials motivated and awoke students’

interest to learn. However, there were a few classes in which

materials were not appropriate because they had complex

78

vocabulary or the information was not related to the students’

background.

All the supplementary materials identified in the research were

created by the teachers. These materials were very good

because the teachers created them carefully. They were

multicolored, big, striking, new, attractive, and clear for

students. Thus the classes became more interesting and

motivating.

There were materials which were created by students that were

not very good in terms of quality because the students did not

know how to choose and create good materials.

According to the information gathered in the thirty observed

classes, the use of supplementary materials was almost similar

because in the Private high school there was a frequency of 16

and in the Public high school there was a frequency of 15. That

is, there was not much difference.

In the Public high school teachers usually used the same type

of materials but in the Private high school teachers used

different supporting materials. Even they used more than one

material in each class and in the public high school teachers

only used one supplementary material in each class.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Educational authorities should work together in order to

implement new materials such as: audio, audiovisual and

realia. For instance, they should solicit to some

organizations or the Ministry of Education to build an

English laboratory for each high school.

Each Educational Institution must appoint professionals to

observe the teachers in the classroom during the teaching-

learning process; thus, it would be possible to identify if

teachers are using the supplementary materials and to

know if these materials are being used correctly.

It would be very beneficial if each high school has at least

one English specialist who can demonstrate how to use the

materials correctly in a classroom. These specialists would

work directly with the teachers instructing and

demonstrating lessons and providing feedback.

Teachers should apply surveys to the students at the

beginning of the year in order to identify their different

learning styles. Thus the teachers can know the students’

needs and use the most appropriate supplementary

materials regarding the learning styles.

It is also important that teachers take into account the

methodology which they are applying in order to use the

80

materials effectively because each method has its own

techniques and the appropriate supporting materials.

When the class is finished, the teachers should talk with the

students about how useful and motivating the used

materials were. This would allow the teachers to know the

students’ opinions and the students could mention what

type of supporting materials they prefer for the next class.

81

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2007/materials.php

Bowman, B., Burkhart, G., & Robson, B. (1989).TEFL/ TESL;

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Loja.

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and 7º of basic education at “Carlos Montufar” school.

Universidad Nacional de Loja.

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Kelsen, E (2009). Teaching EFL to the iGeneration: A survey of Using

You Tube as Supplementary Material with College EFL Students

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resources for ELT. (pp.1-29). Granada: Editorial Universidad de

Granada.

Miller, S. (2000). The four learning styles in the DVC survey. Diablo

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fourls.htm

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London: Cambridge University Press.

ANNEXES

Chart one: Type of supplementary material used in Public high

schools

Variable Indicators Yes No

Visual Flash cards

Power point presentations

Maps

Pictures

Charts

Handouts

Posters

Word cards

White/black board

Audio Songs

Dialogues

Stories

Tales

Audiovisual Videos

Movies

Documentaries

Realia Objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online Websites

Author: Mayra Alexandra Macas Maldonado

Source: 8th, 9th, 10th grades.

Chart two: Type of supplementary material used in Private high

schools.

Variable Indicators Yes No

Visual Flash cards

Power point presentations

Maps

Pictures

Charts

Handouts

Posters

Word cards

White/black board

Audio Songs

Dialogues

Stories

Tales

Audiovisual Videos

Movies

Documentaries

Realia Objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online Websites

Author: Mayra Alexandra Macas Maldonado

Source: 8th, 9th, 10th grades.

Chart three: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

Flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys, plants,

fruits)

Online websites

Author:

Source: 8th grade

Chart four: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Chart five: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in public high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author:

Source: 10th grade

Chart six: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author:

Source: 8th grade

Chart seven: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

Flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author:

Source: 9th grade

Chart eight: Pertinence and Appropriateness of the supplementary

materials used in private high school.

Variable Indicators

1st. Class 2nd. Class 3rd. Class 4th. Class 5th. Class

Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp. Pert. Approp.

Visual

flash cards.

power point

presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black

board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys,

plants, fruits)

Online websites

Author:

Source: 10th grade

Chart nine: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 8 th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

Flash cards.

power point presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black board

English Book

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online websites

TOTAL

Author:

Chart ten: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 9 th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

flash cards.

power point presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia objects (toys, plants, fruits)

Online websites

TOTAL

Author:

Chart eleven: Frequency of use of supplementary material in 10th grade

Variable Indicators Public Private

f % f %

Visual

flash cards.

power point presentations

maps

pictures

charts

handouts

posters

word cards

white / black board

Audio

songs

dialogues

stories

tales

Audiovisual

videos

movies

documentaries

Realia

objects (toys, plants,

fruits)

Online websites

TOTAL

Author: Chart twelve:

Grades Public (f) Private(f)

8th 9th 10th TOTAL