Five Possible Advantages of Watching TV Series over Movies for Autonomous Learners of English

Abstract

This research paper is intended to demonstrate the possible superiority of watching TV series over movies for autonomous EFL learners for an extended period of time by identifying and discussing the following five potential advantages: 1) Learners save time and expend less energy; 2) Development of a wider repertoire of learners’ vocabulary; 3) A further deepening or supplementing of learners’ subject matter knowledge; 4) A greater improvement in learners’ listening comprehension; and 5) Motivating learners for a longer period of time. To maximize these advantages, an autonomous learning model through TV series is proposed with the following five steps: 1. Viewing & Note-Taking (Listening); 2. Discussion (Speaking); 3. Script-Reading & Vocabulary Check (Reading); 4. Writing Comments (Writing); and 5. Making Vocabulary Lists (Recording). Finally, some limits on the practice of this learning model and what is expected from EFL teachers to promote learner autonomy will be discussed.