ERIC Number: ED155890
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978
Pages: 44
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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"Plaza Sesamo" and Spanish Language Learning.
Pearson, Sulamita R.
The Spanish version of "Sesame Street" was used in a project in a class of 12 students in the second semester of first-year Spanish at Phillips Exeter Academy, and an attempt was made to evaluate the usefulness of the series in second language acquisition. This account of the project has five parts: (1) a history of the production of "Plaza Sesamo" in Latin America; (2) a description of Exeter Academy -- its history, curriculum, and student population; (3) an analysis of the data derived from questionnaires on the students' motivation, needs and interests in their study of Spanish; (4) a description of "Plaza Sesamo" films, indicating similarities to and differences from the English- language version; and (5) some preliminary conclusions. The students believed that the greatest benefits of the films were improvement in vocabulary, especially through visual representation of words, and improvement in listening comprehension skills. Association with visual images occurred within the students' own cultural concepts and role models; they reacted more favorably to dubbed segments taken directly from "Sesame Street" than to segments produced live in Mexico. It is hypothesized that cognitive concepts must be taught, on the introductory level, in terms and images that are culturally recognizable to the audience. (AMH)
Descriptors: Animation, Audiovisual Aids, Cartoons, Childrens Television, College Bound Students, Concept Teaching, Cultural Context, Cultural Education, Educational Media, Educational Television, Films, Foreign Language Films, Instructional Films, Language Instruction, Language Skills, Listening Comprehension, Media Research, Private Schools, Second Language Learning, Secondary Education, Secondary School Students, Spanish, Student Attitudes, Student Motivation, Teaching Methods, Television Curriculum, Visual Learning, Vocabulary
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Sponsor: N/A
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Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A