Non-Authentic Sources: a Way to Boost Sociolinguistic Competence in Undergraduate English Students

Abstract

The study analyzed the elements of sociolinguistic competence in the MasterMind I digital textbook, a non-authentic source, and its use by five female students belonging to the 9th and 10th semesters of the Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Language English (BDFLE) program at Universidad Santo Tomás. The research arose from the students' dissatisfaction with the textbook, particularly its lack of oral and real context activities. Using a qualitative case study approach, the study collected data through questionnaires and a checklist and analyzed it through triangulation, which included the following procedure: collecting data from the instruments, then dividing the data into three categories according to the constructs taken from checklist models of Lei, W & Soontornwipast (2020) and Sándorová (2020): content, cultural items, and sociolinguistic items, and establishing two subcategories for each category by grouping with colored items with similar characteristics. Subsequently, connecting the data findings with the theory or preposition presented in the theoretical framework. The results revealed that the MasterMind I book included many sociolinguistic and sociocultural elements, but lacked local cultural context and cross-cultural connections. Despite these shortcomings, the online collaborative tasks included in the material helped students overcome these gaps. Overall, it was concluded that the textbook fostered students' sociolinguistic competence, although there was still room for improvement. Keywords: Sociolinguistic competence, linguistic markers, non-authentic sources, digital textbooks, distance learning.