2.1 Authentic Reading
After a careful review of literature, I find that Gilmore’s definition of authentic materials is similar to ของ มอวโรว
(1977, cited by Gilmore, p. 98), both claiming that authentic materials contain ‘real language, produced by a real
speaker or writer for a real audience and designed to convey a real message of some sort’. The texts generally
produced by native speakers could be comprehended rather effortlessly by native speakers. Gilmore also points
out that authentic materials had been used for language learning several decades ago and have regained their
popularity due to the rise of the communicative approach (Gilmore, 2007). The goal of the communicative
approach is to develop language competence for communication in real life. Textbooks are often written with
classroom dialogue practices that are artificial, thus presenting a gap from real life language. But, unfortunately,
with perhaps inadequate understanding of the method, some instructors have not recognized the value of using
authentic materials.