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ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education ISSN 2301-7554
Vol. 1, Issue 2, June 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE

ENHANCING STUDENTS’ INTERACTION SKILLS AND
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING THROUGH MOVIES

Agelyia Murugan
Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia

E-mail: agelyia082@ppinang.uitm.edu.my

Wan Noorli bt Razali
Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia

E-mail: wannoorli093@ppinang.uitm.edu.my

APA Citation: Murugan, A. & bt Razali, W. N. (2013). Enhancing students’ interaction skills and
critical and creative thinking through movies. English Review: Journal of
English Education, 1(2), 216-222

Received: 10-03-2013 Accepted: 23-04-2013 Published: 01-06-2013

Abstract: In the context of higher education in Malaysia, the aims are to produce competent
and confident language users in the students who learn English as their second language.
By incorporating movies in English language teaching, it will enable the students to learn
English more actively, meaningfully and interactively. This study seeks to explore the
potential use of movies as a teaching and learning tool in encouraging active participation
and critical thinking in the English language classroom. The existence of technology in
movies has made ways for the educators to do segmentations of the important parts in the
movies for the limited classroom time. Critical thinking plays a vital role in education
simply because of the personal and language enrichment. It also allows the students into
self-directed thinking in making decisions more carefully, clearly and logically. It is
important to incorporate the Universal Intellectual Standards of Critical Thinking Theory
into the crucial foundation in encouraging active participation of students. It is believed that
critical thinking will enable the students to engage themselves in their own pace of learning
and provide greater freedom for expressing and arguments. This is because critical thinking
is aimed at making wise decisions on what to believe and do and also presenting claims,
actions and practices into the real-life contexts.
Keywords: movies, active participation, critical thinking, universal intellectual standard

INTRODUCTION
Malaysia is in the mid-point of its

journey towards Vision 2020 and is in the
process of transformation to become a
developed nation by year 2020.
Everything in this world has changed
tremendously especially in the education
system. In Malaysia, English Language is
used as the second language and has
been introduced as the medium of
instructions in higher institutions.
English Language has a functional role
by virtue of its use as an international

language of communication in the
economy of the nation, particularly for
Malaysia to remain globally competitive.
Sadly to say, there were less exposure
and the usage of English Language
among our students because the
language is only limited in the language
classroom. Due to this, educators should
varies their teaching strategies in
teaching the language because English
Language is essential and very important
in the employment opportunities and is a
necessity for Malaysians of various

mailto:wannoorli093@ppinang.uitm.edu.my


AGELYIA MURUGAN & WAN NOORLI BT RAZALI
Enhancing Students’ Interaction Skills And Critical And Creative Thinking Through Movies

ethnics to rise up the socioeconomic
ladder.

The standard of the English
Language is still at the declining stage
where there the language competence
and performance of our Malaysian
students are deteriorated due to the lack
of exposure to the language at home and
also across the curriculum. This resulted
in students of being underachievers and
not proficient in the language when it
comes to the employment matters. Being
an expert in the field of study is just not
enough because students must also
possess good communications skills
which could be used globally. Besides
that, graduates’ employability is also
based on how they can use the language
and able to think creative and critically.
This is because by having the ability to
think critically, they may possess the
potentiality in finding solutions with the
problems with which he or she is
confronted. Apart from that, the tool that
is used in teaching the English Language
plays an important role in instilling
motivation for the students to enhance
and develop their interaction skills in
English Language.

UiTM is known as the largest
university in Malaysia with the largest
amount of students in the country. Due
to that, the graduates of UiTM are
expected to perform successfully in
interacting with others locally and
globally in English Language. The
university’s aspiration of being
recognized as the ‘world class’ standard
university lies solely on the performance
of the graduates locally and
internationally. But there are still
problems arise due to the students’
proficiency and attitude towards English
Language. Students are still lack of
sufficient motivation and determination
and also the skills in interacting in
English.

Thus, there is a need for a tool or
medium which can be utilized by the
lecturers in enhancing the students’
speaking skills in English. The tool or
medium used in teaching the language
should be a yardstick to promote positive
and motivational factors towards the
students in learning the language. It
should be not a chalk and board talk
which used to be the teaching method in
those days. As such, lecturers too play an
important role in choosing the right
medium to teach the language the huge
emphasis must be placed on the
creativity and innovation.

This study investigated the
potential of movies in enhancing the
students’ interaction skills in English
Language and how movies may
encourage the students in creative and
critical thinking in using the English
Language. Using movies in the English
Language Classroom is one of the
methods that can be used to teach our
students the skills in learning the
language. By this way, learners are being
emphasized based on their sensory
learning styles where it helps the
learners to acquire, retains and retrieves
in formations based from their learning
preferences. According to Hazita &
Noorizah, they stated that ‘A prepared
educator can use movies to stimulate
discussions, facilitate learning on
particular topics, or reemphasizing
material being presented through
textbooks or classroom lecturers’. They
also posit that learning English by
movies promotes learners’ skills.

Besides, Raymond Wolkowski
(1987, as cited by Hazita & Noorizah)
stated that teachers are responsible in for
motivating the students, whether
intrinsically or extrinsically by using the
various tools in teaching. According to
him, ‘Movies have both audio and visual
components that may lead to motivation’.



ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education ISSN 2301-7554
Vol. 1, Issue 2, June 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE

He also added that watching movies is
surely stimulating and followed by
discussions which will connect the
students’ feelings with the learning
environment. Showing movies therefore
is a successful approach to students
because movies offer an entertainment
factor from which many ideas can spring.
It is also believed that movies can add
color to a lesson, highlighting themes
and projects and illustrating concepts
and ideas for knowledge and creativity
(Lever, 2010).

King (2002) believes that the use
of authentic materials like movies will
intrinsically motivates language learners
to stay focus as it brings the learners to a
new experience, different from the
ordinary classroom setting. Lieberman
(2002) reiterates that when film is used to
illustrate a topic, it has the power to
initiate an interactive classroom activity
which may then bring to a motivating
and interesting learning experience. The
immersion power and familiarity aspects
in films, adds, Lieberman will activate
learners’ participation and permits active
learning.

According to Wappel (2010, p. 76),
‘Video streaming is another high-tech
tool used in the ESL classroom. To
introduce or reinforce materials visually,
teachers download clips or entire videos
to make their classroom alive and spark
active participation in the classroom. In a
nutshell, the usage of movies in the
English Language classroom promotes
more active participation from the
learners in order to prepare them for
functional roles in the society as well as
employability.

Creativity is very important in
the English Language classrooms
because creativity means ‘transforming
one thing into another’. Arthur Koestler
(as cited by Feher, 2007), describes
creative thinking as ‘double-minded’

thinking that ‘operates on more than one
plane’. He also added that it can be best
described as a ‘transitory state’. It is
believed that creative thinking should be
integrated in the lesson because it can
create a relaxed and exciting classroom
environment which is essential in the
learners’ learning process. Feher (2007)
further posits that creative thinking
improves the learners’ self-esteem as
they can look at their own solutions to
problems and their own products and
see what they are able to achieve. Apart
from that, creative thinking also can lead
to a genuine communication and co-
operation. It prepares the learners to use
the language instrumentally outside the
classroom. In a nutshell, creative
thinking is considered as part and parcel
of our life because it plays an important
role in the personal growth and also in
the development of the culture and
society.

Critical thinking skills are
increasingly important in facing the
world today. Film usage in encouraging
critical thinking skills is a widely
acceptable notion (Bluestone, 2000;
Lieberman, 2002; Waalkes, 2003; Weerts,
2005). Students today make judgments
on certain issues more experientially
than conceptually. Critical thinking
encourages the students to act as a
practitioner rather than as an observer.
Dressel and Mayhew (as cited in Young,
1980) proposed that critical thinking can
serve as ‘a principle for integrating the
curriculum as a point of view towards
problems and their solutions and a way
of thinking about basic problems faced
by the mankind’. As such, they further
summarized the five skills that is
essential in critical thinking:
a) The ability to define a problem.
b) The ability to select pertinent

information for the solution of the
problem.



AGELYIA MURUGAN & WAN NOORLI BT RAZALI
Enhancing Students’ Interaction Skills And Critical And Creative Thinking Through Movies

c) The ability to recognize stated and
unstated assumptions

d) The ability to formulate and select
relevant and promising hypotheses.

e) The ability to draw conclusions validly
and to judge the validity of the inferences.

(As cited in Young, 1980)
To add more, Moore & Parker

(2001, p. 23) stated that ‘…..thinking
critically is not about attacking other
people but is more about helping others
about their ideas and also ourselves’. It is

understood that it is not a situation
where winning takes place but more too
in understanding the knowledge that is
being shared.

This study adopts the Universal
Intellectual Standards for critical
thinking and the theory of
communicative language teaching as its
crucial foundation. Paul and Elder (2007,
p. 57) defined the concept of critical
thinking as illustrated in the diagram
below:

Fairness

Significance

Logic

Breadth Depth

Relevance

Precision

Accuracy

Clarity

Universal
Intellectual
Standard of

Critical Thinking

Besides, this research also adopts
Communicative Language Teaching
Approach because this theory is
important in making the communicative
competence as the goal of language
teaching and acknowledging the
interdependence of language and
communication. Freeman (2000) posits
that Communicative Language Teaching
Approach promotes the linguistic
competence of the students as well as the
knowledge of forms and function of the
language and their meanings.

METHOD
This research is a qualitative and

quantitative study based from the
students who are undergoing their
studies in UiTM Penang. Those involved
students are from BEL 130 (English for
Communication Skills) class where they
are thought on the basic skills of
communication skills in the English
Language. The research design is as
follows:



ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education ISSN 2301-7554
Vol. 1, Issue 2, June 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE

Data collection:
Samples are asked to
watch the segments of
the movie and followed
by discussion based from
the questions given
among their group mates

Data analyses:
The data is recorded
manually as well as it is
video recorded to ensure
that the students
discussion is evaluated
based from standards of
critical thinking.

Before Data Collection:
The movies are being
segmented into few parts
and prepare the questions
for the task

Outcome of the
discussion:

Samples present their
views on the questions
given and the lecturer

acts as the facilitator for
the task given.

The step by step method:
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Before Data Collection
Preparing film segment

Preparing Questions for task
Film segment is extracted from the full version.
The critical questions are formed.

Data collection
Watching the film segment

1. Attention was gained through greetings and a slight
conversation on how the students feel and what they have gone
through that day.

2. The lesson outcome was shared where the goal for the day’s
lesson was to contribute and develop ideas for group discussion
using language functions which have been learnt in the previous
week.

3. The lecturer started by asking the students if they have any
family members or relatives who are disabled. Few students
responded.

Group discussion 4. The students were divided into an informal group of four as
suggested by Johnson, Johnson and Smith. Every group was
given a set of six questions and asked to read them all.

5. The students were given a little introduction to the background
of the movie and then they were instructed to watch segment of



AGELYIA MURUGAN & WAN NOORLI BT RAZALI
Enhancing Students’ Interaction Skills And Critical And Creative Thinking Through Movies

movies prepared to answer the given questions.
6. They were then given 30 minutes to discuss in the small groups.

The lecturer observed the group discussion form time to time
and assists them solve arising matters.

Presentation 7. They then merge into one big group for an open discussion.
Here, answers were elicited from every group and the lecturer
often probes to invite more discussion, justification and
arguments to create active participation and promote deep
learning. The open discussion was recorded by another student
who is familiar to the class. This is to lessen the nervousness and
fear. This class is used to few classroom recordings as some
activities in the previous weeks were recorded by their lecturer
and discussed for further improvement.

8. Finally, the students were asked to tick a simple questionnaire
which aims at accessing their perceptions on the learning
experiences during the lesson.

Data analyses The recorded data including the short notes the samples have
scribbled on during their discussion will be analyzed based on the
given standards and instances of critical thinking will be scored

accordingly.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
It is found that the video

streaming of the movie have spark the
active participation among the students
because this teaching material has made
the classroom environment comes alive.
It encourages the students to speak
confidently in front of their peers as there
was a space for them to say their views
freely. The movie shown has proven to
stimulate the students’ interest towards
the lesson and it is a great beneficial tool
for communication interaction among
the students. Based from the students’
responses, it has been found that the
students’ ability in understanding a
particular topic has increased via their
discussions with the classmates and also
the lecturer, who was the facilitator
throughout the learning process.
Therefore, it is also found that the
students’ pronunciation and acquisition
of vocabulary has been improved. Apart
from being involved in the interaction
process, students were also being able to
proceed with their development of other
skills when they self-expressed through
their writing.

Example from the students’
discussion:
1. Lecturer: Do you think that being

disabled in some point, Sam was able to
raise Lucy?
Student: He is able to raise his daughter.
Basically what makes a father competent
from our point of view is that he can
provide shelter, love and education for his
daughter......................

Analysis: This question is post to the
students to make sure students use the
critical thinking standard which is ‘breath’
and ‘logic’. This is because the student’s
answer shows the liberal viewpoint which
gets deeply into the issue and provides
accurate and precise details

2. Lecturer: How does the society view Sam
as a disabled father?
Student 1: The society wanted to separate
them so that Lucy will have a better life
and education........but society is being
colder by on thinking what is best for
Lucy.
Student 2: We should not separate Lucy
and Sam because it gives negative impact
in Lucy’s personal development. So
society needs to provide support Sam;



ENGLISH REVIEW: Journal of English Education ISSN 2301-7554
Vol. 1, Issue 2, June 2013 http://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE

financially, guidance and also develop his
skill in learning.

Analysis: The question post to the students is
emphasizing more into finding the accuracy
and precision answers from the students.
This is because firstly, the students are asked
to list the details that they have watched from
the movie. Apart from that, they also tested
on the depth of their understanding to make
sure that they understand the complexity of
the issue given.

CONCLUSIONS
Although sometimes it is difficult

for the students to understand the
Western movies, it is better to have
English subtitles which may help the
students to understand the movie better.
It is believed that watching movies is
very important in increasing one’s visual
and critical awareness. The lesson should
be done interestingly by setting
questions after the premiering of the
movie, encourage healthy discussions in
small groups and later open discussions
with the lecturer and the students that
may invite argumentation, criticism and
also comments and feedbacks on various
pertaining matters. This type of lessons
should be student-centered and the
lecturers should act as the facilitator in
the discussions made.

REFERENCES
Bluestone, C. (2000). Feature films as a

teaching tool. College Teaching, 48(4),
141.

King, J. (2002). Using DVD feature films in
the EFL classroom. The Weekly Column
Article 88. Retrieved from
http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/
february2002/ art882002.html.
Accessed on January 4th 2010.

Lieberman, A. (2002). Use of film media as a
dictatic tool. Encounter, 15, 1-17.

Paul, R. and R. Elder (2007). A guide for
educators to critical thinking competence
standards. Retrieved from
http://www.criticalthinking.org.
Accessed on 10th May 2010.

Waalkers, S. (2003). Using film clips as cases
to teach the rise and the decline of the
State. International Studies Perspectives,
4, 156-174.

Weerts, S. (2005). Use of films to teach critical
thinking. Journal of Nutrition Education
and Behaviour. 37(2), 100 -101.

Young, R. E. (1980). New directions for teaching
and learning–fostering critical thinking.
Jossey – Bass Inc. Publishers: America.

Hazita, A., and M. N. Noorizah. (2010).
Theory and practice for ESOL-movies as
teaching and learning tools. Malaysia:
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Moore, B. N., and R. Parker. (2001). Critical
thinking, sixth edition. California:
Mayfield Publishing Company.

Freeman, D. L. (2000). Techniques and
principles in language teaching, second
edition. United Kingdom: Oxford
University Press.

http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/february2002/ art882002.html
http://www.criticalthinking.org