Exploring the Effects of Authentic Materials on EFL Students’ Reading Proficiency

English is not only an indispensable language but also very useful tools for people’s life. There are four skills of English learning: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and reading play an important role in English learning. In Taiwan, most teachers used academic materials such as textbook in EFL classroom. It could be difficult for students since textbook usually with many formal vocabulary words. Unlike academic materials, authentic materials are close to real life, and they make students understand easily. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether authentic materials affect students’ learning motivation, and improve EFL students’ reading ability. The study applied quantitative and qualitative research method. The participants were 100 EFL students in the Department of Applied English in Taiwan. The result of this study indicated that authentic materials can improve EFL students’ reading ability and intrinsic learning motivation. The implication of this study will provide the information for students to know which authentic materials can improve their English reading ability. Teachers can also use appropriate materials in EFL classroom to increase students learning motivation.