| Summary: | 碩士 === 朝陽科技大學 === 應用外語研究所 === 97 === In the past decade, using American movies as a tool to enhance the English learning attitudes and motivation of EFL/ESL students has become one of the major trends in the field of TESL. However, few studies focus on elementary school participants. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of American movies on EFL elementary students in the areas of English learning attitudes and motivation, English proficiency, and knowledge of American culture. Study participants were comprised of 70 sixth graders in Taichung, Taiwan. These students were equally divided into two groups; a movie-watching group and a non-movie-watching group. Both groups were required to attend a regular 80-minute English class each week. Meanwhile, the movie-watching group received an extra 45-minute American movie treatment each week, for a total of one semester. The pre- and post-tests of STYLE were used to compare the English listening and reading proficiency improvement of both groups. Also, the pre- and post-questionnaires of English learning attitudes/motivation were used to explore the differences between both groups concerning their English learning attitudes and motivation. Additionally, the post-test of cultural knowledge comprehension test was employed to elicit American cultural knowledge comprehension of both groups subsequent to the American movie treatment. A post-questionnaire of self-reported American cultural knowledge improvement was conducted to explore the movie-watching group’s self-reported American cultural knowledge improvement. Finally, an in-depth interview was held for the movie-watching group after receiving the American movie treatment. It is hoped that the interview can obtained a more objective and well-rounded perspective regarding the participants’ thoughts toward the American movie treatment. The results of this study showed that the movie-watching group possessed significant positive attitudes and motivation toward English learning in comparison with the non-movie-watching group. Also, the movie-watching group received more American cultural knowledge than the non-movie-watching group. Furthermore, the movie-watching group reported a significant self-reported American cultural knowledge improvement after receiving the American movie treatment. The findings of this study could be useful to educators in the field of ELT as well as those in culture studies.
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