Children are exposed to English as a foreign language from an early age. Contact with a foreign language occurs through various media, with cartoons being one of the most prominent. Cartoons in a foreign language are a leisure activity and an essential source of unconscious foreign language acquisition, especially vocabulary and language structures, at an early age. Research shows that several factors can influence English vocabulary acquisition when watching cartoons. In this Master's thesis, we focused on the following factors: amount of cartoon viewing, attitudes towards cartoons, type of cartoons, motivational factors for learning English and the use of subtitles when watching cartoons. The research was designed to obtain basic information on Year six primary school students watching English cartoons employing a questionnaire, and information on their knowledge of English vocabulary was obtained using an English vocabulary test. Analysis of the survey data showed that the amount of English cartoon watching has a statistically significant effect on Year six students’ English vocabulary knowledge. More frequent viewing of English cartoons resulted in higher scores on the vocabulary test. The results also showed that a more positive attitude towards watching cartoons contributes to higher scores on the knowledge test. Different types of cartoons did not have a statistically significant effect on vocabulary knowledge. Watching cartoons as a motivating factor for learning English had a positive but not statistically significant relationship. A statistically significant relationship was found between the motivating factor of travel and the motivating factor of songs and films. Statistically significant differences in the knowledge test were also found between pupils who watched English cartoons using different subtitles. Pupils who watched English cartoons with English subtitles performed best on the English vocabulary test. The lowest performers were pupils who watched cartoons with subtitles in Slovene. Our findings, therefore, show that watching English cartoons can, to some extent, influence the incidental acquisition of English vocabulary, and it makes sense to pay more attention to watching cartoons in a foreign language. Some other factors could be explored in the future. Vocabulary knowledge could be tested at different ages, and differences between towns and villages or regions around the country could be compared. We could also look more closely at the impact of watching English cartoons on English grammar or listening comprehension.
|
