The Perception of Indonesian EFL University Students on Perceiving English Movies for Oral Communication Enhancement

This study investigates the perception of Indonesian EFL university at a state university regarding the use of English movies as a learning medium to enhance oral communication skills. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected from seven English students majoring in English language-related fields. The findings reveal that students perceive English movies as highly beneficial for developing oral communication, particularly in five core aspects: (1) speaking fluency, (2) pronunciation clarity, (3) lexical adequacy, (4) grammatical accuracy, and (5) pragmatic competence. Students reported increased motivation, confidence, and contextual language awareness after regular engagement with English movies. However, the exclusive use of movies also surfaced persistent challenges, including difficulty with fast-paced dialogue, unfamiliar accents, idiomatic or culturally embedded expressions, and technical issues such as subtitle dependence and internet access. Overall, the findings underscore the need for a balanced approach: integrating English movies with other communicative and formal resources, supported by explicit teaching and scaffolding, to fully optimize oral communication learning outcomes in EFL contexts.