Teaching English Using the Film The Intern: An Analysis of Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Culture

Abstract

This study investigates the pedagogical potential of the film The Intern (Meyers, 2015) for English language teaching and proposes a context-based instructional model for EFL classrooms. To this end, a three-stage analytical procedure was employed to systematically select ten pedagogically relevant scenes from the full-length film. The selected scenes were analyzed across four domains: grammar, vocabulary and expressions, pronunciation, and culture. The findings indicate that films, as authentic audiovisual materials, provide rich, meaningful, and contextualized input that supports the integrated learning of linguistic form, meaning, and use. Based on the analysis, this study proposes four instructional frameworks: a context-driven grammar teaching model, an interactive vocabulary learning model, a suprasegmental-focused pronunciation instruction model, and a learner-centered cultural inquiry model. These frameworks promote active learner participation, encourage meaningful interaction, and enhance communicative competence through contextualized language use. The study contributes to English language education by operationalizing key goals of Korea’s 2022 revised English curriculum, particularly communicative language teaching, learner-centered instruction, and intercultural understanding. Unlike previous studies examining isolated linguistic features of films, this study integrates multiple linguistic and cultural domains within a unified pedagogical framework. The findings suggest practical ways of systematically using feature films as effective instructional resources in EFL classrooms.