Student Perceptions toward the Use of Media for Extensive Study Purposes

This study explores student interest in and familiarity with English media as well as student perceptions regarding its difficulty and usefulness. Furthermore, this study explores whether there are significant differences between learners in regards to gender and self-reported English proficiency. In total, 167 students taking English class at a university in South Korea participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete a 5-point Likert scale survey regarding their perceptions about English media viewership. Statistical analyses showed that there is strong correlation between student interest and familiarity with English media. Furthermore, the participants find slang, speed of speech, and media viewership without subtitles to be more difficult than the content, grammar and cultural references in media. In terms of learner differences, females were more familiar with online streaming services, and less proficient students were found to have higher perceptions of difficulty of media. Several pedagogical implications are presented based on the findings of the study.