| The purpose of this study was to explore English teachers' and learners' attitudes toward the use of television in language instruction. Two self-report questionnaires, a Teacher Survey and a Student Questionnaire, were administered to twenty-two English teachers and 195 students, respectively, in I-Lan, Northern Taiwan. The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 10.0 was used to analyze the data.; The results showed that 54.5% of the teachers and 61.5% of the students use television in teaching and learning ESL/EFL. The majority of the students (64.8%) and teachers (74.8%) had a positive attitude toward the use of television in English instruction. American movies appeared to be the preferred means for learning English by both the students (68.7%) and the teachers (50%). Most of the students (54.8%) and teachers (50%) felt that an hour or less daily was the optimum length of time to view English programs. Regarding the strategies used when facing unfamiliar words while viewing English programs, 51.3% of the students preferred "guessing." A combined total of students (55%) each gave the economy, job requirement, business communication, or a better future as the main reasons for learning through television.; The results revealed no statistically significant differences in attitude toward learning ESL/EFL through TV according to students' gender, age, types of programs enrolled, length of time studying English, academic performance, or English proficiency. The results also revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in attitude toward teaching ESL/EFL through TV according to teachers' gender, age, types of programs, years' experience in teaching, years of studying abroad, and mother tongue.; The results of the study indicated that there was a positive correlation between students' attitudes toward learning English through television and teachers' attitudes toward teaching English through television. Most of the teachers (43.5%) and students (55%) thought that the role of television should be as a tool, a supplement, and an instructional aid in English learning and teaching.; The recommendations of the present study encourage more research in this area. Studies involving different age groups, educational programs, geographical areas, and racial groups should be conducted. Other variables influencing attitudes toward television use in English learning and teaching should be explored. Workshops are also recommended to be held for presenting techniques of using television in language teaching. |
