Audiovisual content as a learning aid for Business English learners: developing and validating a Matrix

Abstract

Audiovisual content (AVC) consumption, namely in Online Collaborative Platforms (OCP), like YouTube©, has been growing, mostly for entertainment purposes. Additionally, AVC has been regularly used to support educational contexts, either in formal local scenarios or to support online courses. But educational practitioners lack a structured place to find which AVC to use for each learning objective. This context provided the opportunity to develop an OCP to support crowd mapping of AVC and to serve as an online AVC aggregator for teachers and learners. This paper reports on a proposal for Business English training. This OCP needs to be sustained by a Matrix which crosscuts AVC according to parameters identified in the literature review. Experts in the fields of English as Foreign Language Didactics and Educational Technologies were asked to validate the Matrix in its cataloging and searching features. Data was gathered via semi-structured interviews and treated by means of content analysis. The data analysis suggests that, even though it may be improved, the Matrix allows for accurate cataloging. The concept of the OCP was validated and deemed as a learning aid with potential. The following steps include the design and construction of a prototype of the OCP.