Students’ Perceptions of Intersemiotically Cohesive Teaching Materials Designed for English for Agriculture
Main Article Content
Abstract
Multimodal materials have become ubiquitous in language teaching classes. However, growing evidence suggests that misalignments between multimodal elements can mislead or even confuse students. To explore such concerns, this paper focuses on the design and pedagogical application of intersemiotically cohesive multimodal materials in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context. Specifically, utilizing a classroom-based intervention with two groups of Thai undergraduates (N = 41) enrolled on an English for agriculture course, we employed think-aloud protocols and video recordings to capture their interactions with multimodal materials we designed. The video recordings were then used for video-stimulated focus group interviews with six representatives from each group. This allowed us to explore how these students perceived and interacted with our designed materials and enabled us to investigate how a congruence between written text, visuals, hyperlinks to translations and audio, and consciousness-raising questions affected their learning experience. The findings revealed that well-integrated multimodal resources supported vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. However, students reported challenges with the abstraction of text and usability of hyperlinks, suggesting areas for further material refinement. Based on our results, we make recommendations for multimodal material design and underscore the critical need for cohesive educational resources to ensure learning effectiveness and accessibility.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Aithal, V. (2023, February 19). When is it OK to use students’ L1 in the English classroom? Cambridge. https://rb.gy/tvhez
Al-Musawi, N. M. (2014). Strategic use of translation in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) among Bahrain University students. Comprehensive Psychology, 3, Article 4. https://doi.org/10.2466/10.03.IT.3.4
Almusharraf, A., & Bailey, D. (2023). Machine translation in language acquisition: A study on EFL students’ perceptions and practices in Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 39(6), 1988–2003. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12857
Alyousef, H. S. (2021). Text cohesion in English scientific texts written by Saudi undergraduate dentistry students: A multimodal discourse analysis of textual and logical relations in oral biology texts. SAGE Open, 11(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.117/21582440211032194
Archer, E. (2019). Design research: Developing effective feedback interventions for school-based monitoring. In S. Laher, A. Fynn & S. Kramer (Eds.), Transforming research methods in the social sciences: Case studies from South Africa (pp. 317–336). Wits University Press. https://doi.org/10.18772/22019032750.25
Attar, M. M. (2014). Inter-semiotic cohesion analysis of multimodal elements in Iranian English textbooks [Doctoral dissertation, University of Malaysia], Universiti Malaya Research Repository. https://studentsrepo.um.edu.my/5414/
Bowen, N. E. J. A., & Teedaaksornsakul, M. (2024). Designing localized and intersemiotically cohesive material: Teaching agriculture through visual-verbal interfaces. In V. Lim & J. Pun (Eds.), Designing learning with multimodality for English-Medium Instruction in Asia. Bloomsbury.
Bowen, N. E. J. A., & Thomas, N. (2020). Manipulating texture and cohesion in academic writing: A keystroke logging study. Journal of Second Language Writing, 50, Article 100773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100773
Bowen, N. E. J. A., Insuwan, C., Satienchayakorn, N., & Teedaaksornsakul, M. (2023). The challenge of teaching English writing in Thailand: A tri-ethnography of Thai university lecturers. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 16(2), 482–498. https://so04.tcithaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/article/view/266967
Bateman, J. (2014). Text and image: A critical introduction to the visual/verbal divide. Routledge.
Bezemer, J., & Kress, G. (2010). Changing text: A social semiotic analysis of textbooks. Designs for Learning, 3(1–2), 10–29. https://doi.org/10.16993/dfl.26
Bezemer, J., & Kress, G. (2016). Multimodality, learning and communication: A social semiotic frame. Routledge.
Blagojević, S. (2013). Original texts as authentic ESP teaching material – The case of philosophy. ESP Today, 1(1), 113–126. https://www.esptodayjournal1.org/pdf/ vol11/7.%20SAVKA%20BLAGOJEVIC-%20full%20text.pdf
Bogaards, P., & Laufer, B. (Eds.). (2004). Vocabulary in a second language: Selection, acquisition and testing. Benjamins.
Brod, G. (2021). Toward an understanding of when prior knowledge helps or hinders learning. npj Science of Learning, 6, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00103-w
Busà, M. G. (2010). Sounding natural: Improving oral presentation skills. Language Value, 2(1), 51–67. https://repositori.uji.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10234/28328/Maria_Grazia_Busà.pdf
Busà, M. G. (2015). Teaching learners to communicate effectively in the L2: Integrating body language in the students’ syllabus. Lingue e Linguaggi, 15, 83–98. https://doi.org/10.1285/i22390359v15p83
Camiciottoli, B. C., & Fortanet-Gómez, I. (2022). Towards developing multimodal literacies in the ESP classroom: Methodological insights and practical applications: Introduction to the SPECIAL ISSUE Multimodal approaches in ESP: Innovative research and practice. Multimodal Communication, 11(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1515/mc-2021-0021
Calis, E., & Dikilitas, K. (2012). The use of translation in EFL classes as L2 learning practice. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 5079–5084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.389
Chen, C., & Jamiat, N. (2023). A quantitative study on the effects of an interactive multimodal application to promote students’ learning motivation and comprehension in studying Tang poetry. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1189864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1189864
Chen, Y. (2010). Exploring dialogic engagement with readers in multimodal EFL textbooks in China. Visual Communication, 9(4), 485–506. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357210382186
Coccetta, F. (2018). Developing university students’ multimodal communicative competence: Field research into multimodal text studies in English. System, 77, 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.01.004
Cotton, D., & Gresty, K. (2006). Reflecting on the think-aloud method for evaluating e-learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37(1), 45–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2005.00521.x
Danielsson, K., & Selander, S. (2016). Reading multimodal texts for learning – A model for cultivating multimodal literacy. Designs for Learning, 8(1), 25–36. http://dx.doi.org/10 .16993/dfl.72
Derakhshan, A. (2021). Should textbook images be merely decorative? Cultural representation in the Iranian EFL national textbook from the semiotic approach perspective. Language Teaching Research, 28(1), 79–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168821992264
Duke, N. K., Martin, N. M., Norman, R. R., Knight, J. A., Roberts, K. L., Morsink, P. M., & Calkins, S. L. (2013). Beyond concepts of print: Development of concepts of graphics in text, preK to grade 3. Research in the Teaching of English, 48(2), 175–203. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24398654
Elmiana, D. S. (2019). Pedagogical representation of visual images in EFL textbooks: A multimodal perspective. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 27(4), 613–628. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2019.1569550
Engebretsen, M. (2012). Balancing cohesion and tension in multimodal rhetoric. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of semiotic complexity. Learning, Media and Technology, 37(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2012.655745
Fadel, C. (2008). Multimodal learning through media: What the research says. Cisco Systems.
Fernandez-Fontecha, A., O’Halloran, K., Tan, S., & Wignell, P. (2019). A multimodal approach to visual thinking: The scientific sketchnote. Visual Communication, 18(1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357218759808
Giron-Garcia, C., & Fortanet-Gomez, I. (2023). Science dissemination videos as multimodal supporting resources for ESP teaching in higher education. English for Specific Purposes, 70, 164–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.12.005
Guichon, N., & McLornan, S. (2008). The effects of multimodality on L2 learners: Implications for CALL resource design. System, 36(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2007.11.005
Guo, N. S., & Feng, D. (2015). Infusing multiliteracies into English language curriculum: The visual construction of knowledge in English textbooks from an ontogenetic perspective. Linguistics and Education, 3, 115–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2015.07.001
Hadjiconstantinou, S. (2021). Multimodal texts in support of linguistic and critical thinking in English for specific purposes. In S. Paapdima-Sophocleous, E. K. Constantinou & C. N. Giannikas (Eds.), Tertiary education language learning: A collection of research (pp. 29–45). Research-publishing.net.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1976). Cohesion in English. Longman.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. N. I. M. (2014). An introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge.
Haryyadi, J. C. A., & Rohmah, Z. (2023). Pr e-service teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of multimodal texts in microteaching classes. Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya, 51(2), 255–269. http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/jbs
Iedema, R. (2003). Multimodality, resemiotization: Extending the analysis of discourse as multi-semiotic practice. Visual Communication, 2(1), 29–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357203002001751
Jewitt, C. (2006). Technology, literacy and learning: A multimodal approach. Routledge.
Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2023). Multiliteracies: Life of an idea. The International Journal of Literacies, 30(2), 17–89. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0136/CGP/v30i02/17-89
Khalid, S., Malik, M. A., & Butt, M. (2017). An Intersemiotic analysis of verbal and visual cohesion in primary-level textbooks. Pakistan Languages and Humanity Review, 1(1), 38–47. http://doi.org/10.47205/plhr.2017(1-I)1.4
Kress, G., & Selander, S. (2012). Multimodal design, learning and cultures of recognition. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(4), 265–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.12.003
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006) Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2020) Reading images: The grammar of visual design (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Laadem, M., & Mallahi, H. (2019). Multimodal pedagogies in teaching English for Specific Purposes in higher education: Perceptions, challenges and strategies. International Journal on Studies in Education, 1(1), 33–38. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonse
Lim, F. V. (2018). Developing a systemic functional approach to teach multimodal literacy. Functional Linguistics, 5, Article 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40554-018-0066-8
Lim, F. V., & Nguyen, T. T. H. (2022). Design-based research approach for teacher learning: A case study from Singapore, ELT Journal, 76(4), 452–464. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccab039
Lim, F. V., & Tan-Chia, L. (2023). Designing learning for multimodal literacy. Routledge.
Lim, F. V., Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2022a). A Metalanguage for learning: Rebalancing the cognitive with the socio-material. Frontiers in Communication, 7, Article 830613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.830613
Lim, F. V., O’Halloran, K. L., Tan, S., & E, M. K. L. (2015). Teaching visual texts with the multimodal analysis software. Educational Technology Research and Development, 63, 915–935. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9395-4
Lim, F. V., Toh, W., & Nguyen, T. T. H. (2022b). Multimodality in the English language classroom: A systematic review of literature. Linguistics and Education, 69, Article 101048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101048
Lim, F. V., Towndrow, P. A., & Min Tan, J. (2021). Unpacking the teachers’ multimodal pedagogies in the primary English language classroom in Singapore. RELC Journal, 54(3), 729–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882211011783
Littlewood, W., & Yu, B. (2011). First language and target language in the foreign language classroom. Language Teaching, 44(1), 64–77. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444809990310
Liu, X., & Qu, D. (2014). Exploring the multimodality of EFL textbooks for Chinese college students: A comparative study. RELC Journal, 45(2), 135–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688214533865
Liu, Y., & O’Halloran, K. L. (2009). Intersemiotic texture: Analyzing cohesive devices between language and images. Social Semiotics, 19(4), 367–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330903361059
Mayer, R. E. (2014). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp. 43–71). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369.005
McDonald, P. (2014). Sustainability in CALL learning environments: A systemic functional grammar approach. The EUROCALL Review, 22(2), 3–18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574679.pdf
Mhlongo, S., Mbatha, K., Ramatsetse, B., & Dlamini, R. (2023). Challenges, opportunities, and prospects of adopting and using smart digital technologies in learning environments: An iterative review. Heliyon, 9(6), Article e16348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16348
Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847692092
Misa, M. (2023). Multiliteracies pedagogy: A case study of critical reading in ELT classroom by implementing situated practice. Journal of English Education, 11(2), 489–500. https://journal.uniku.ac.id/index.php/ERJEE/article/view/7918/3708
Morell, T., Fernandez-Pacheco, N., Natalia, N., & Beltran-Palanques, V. (2020). How do trained English-medium instruction (EMI) lecturers combine multimodal ensembles to engage their students? In R. Roig-Vila (Ed.), La docencia en la Enseñanza Superior. Nuevas aportaciones desde la investigación e innovación educativas (pp. 308–321). Octaedro. https://rua.ua.es/depace/bitstream/10045/110190/1/La-docencia-en-la-Ensenanza- Superior_31.pdf
Motteram, G. (2011). Developing language-learning materials with technology. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development of language teaching (2nd ed.) (pp. 303–327). Bloomsbury.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press.
New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–93. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.66.1.17370 n67v22j160u
O’Halloran, K. L. (2005). Mathematical discourse: Language, symbolism and visual images. Continuum.
O’Halloran, K. L., Podlasov, A., Chua, A., & K. L. E, M. (2012). Interactive software for multimodal analysis. Visual Communication, 11(3), 363–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357212446414
O’Halloran, K. L., Tan, S., & Smith, B. A. (2016). Multimodal approaches to English for academic purposes. In K. Hyland & P. Shaw (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of English for academic purposes (pp. 256–269). Routledge.
Pan, Y.-C., & Pan. Y.-C. (2010). The use of L1 in the foreign language classroom. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 12(2), 87–96. https://doi.org/10.14483/22487085.85
Paskins, Z., Sanders, T., Croft, P. R., & Hassell, A. B. (2017). Exploring the added value of video-stimulated recall in researching the primary care doctor–patient consultation: A process evaluation. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), Article 719623. https://doi.or g/10.1177/1609406917719623
Pertama, T., Rukmini, D., & Bharati, D. (2018). Implementation of three metafunctions in verbal language and visual image of students’ textbook. English Education Journal, 8(4), 418–431. https://doi.org/10.15294/eej.v8i4.2532
Plomp, T. (2013). Educational design research: An introduction. In T. Plomp & N. Nieveen (Eds.), An introduction to educational design research (pp. 9–35). SLO. https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/14472302/Introduction_20to_20education_20design_20research.pdf
Royce, T. (2002). Multimodality in the TESOL classroom: Exploring visual-verbal synergy. TESOL Quarterly, 36(2), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588330
Royce, T. (2007). Intersemiotic complementarity: A framework for multimodal discourse analysis. In T. D. Royce & W. L. Bowcher (Eds.), New directions in the analysis of multimodal discourse (pp. 63–109). Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Inc.
Salbego, N., Heberle, V., & Balen, M. (2015). A visual analysis of English textbooks: Multimodal scaffolded learning. Calidoscópio, 13(1), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.4013/cld.2015.131.01
Saldana, J. (2014). Coding and analysis strategies. In P. Leavy (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of qualitative research (pp. 581–605). Oxford University Press.
Sanchez-Stockhammer, C. (2021). Multimodal cohesion through word formation: Sublexical cohesive ties in online illustrated step-by-step cooking recipes. Discourse, Context & Media, 43, Article 100536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2021.100536
Schubert, C. (2021). Multimodal cohesion in persuasive discourse: A case study of televised campaign advertisements in the 2020 US presidential election. Discourse, Context & Media, 43, Article 100537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2021.100537
Shih, Y. C. (2014). Communication strategies in a multimodal virtual communication context. System, 42, 34–47.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.10.016
Sidabutar, U., Sinaga, N. T., Sitorus, N., & Lestari, F. D. (2021). A multimodal analysis on a Vocational English book and its effect on students’ English proficiency. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S3), 1651–1665. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5nS3.1951
Sueyoshi, A., & Hardison, D. M. (2005). The role of gestures and facial cues in second language listening comprehension. Language Learning, 55(4), 661–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0023-8333.2005.00320.x
Swain, M., & Lapkin, S. (2000). Task-based second language learning: The uses of the first language. Language Teaching Research, 4(3), 251–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/136216880000400304
Teedaaksornsakul, M. (2024). Design and development of intersemiotically cohesive teaching materials for English for agriculture [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Thammasat University]. Thammasat University.
Thomas, N., Bowen, N. E. J. A., Louwe, S., & Nanni, A. (2023). Performing a balancing act: A trioethnography of “foreign” EMI lecturers in Bangkok. In F. Fang & K. P. Pramod (Eds.), English-Medium Instruction pedagogies in multilingual universities in Asia (pp. 138–154). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003173137-12
Tomlinson, B. (2023). Developing materials for language teaching (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury.
Trisanti, N., Sukyadi, D., & Suherdi, D. (2022). Digital multimodal composing usage in EFL secondary classroom: A study of in-service EFL teachers’ perception. In W. Strielkowski, J. M. Black, S. A. Butterfield, C. Chang, J. Cheng, F. P. Dumanig, R. Al- Mabuk, N. Scheper-Hughes, M. Urban & S. Webb (Eds.), Advances in social science, education and humanities research (pp. 375–382). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.29 91/978-2-494069-91-6_59
Turnbull, M., & Arnett, K. (2002). Teachers’ uses of the target and first languages in second and foreign language classrooms. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 22, 204–218. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190502000119
Weninger, C. (2021). Multimodality in critical language textbook analysis. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 34(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2020.1797083
Yassine, S. (2014). Multimodal design of EFL textbooks: a social semiotic multimodal approach. Journal of the Association-Institute for English Language and American Studies, 3(12), 84–90. https://www.anglisticum.org.mk/index.php/IJLLIS/article/view/ 1523/2031
Yu, J., & Liu, X. (2022). Text first or picture first? Evaluating two modes of multimodal input for EFL vocabulary meaning acquisition. SAGE Open, 12(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221119469
Yulini, F. (2022). Multimodal learning material in an English-speaking class in Kampung Baluwarti. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning (JETLE), 3(2), 73–79. https://doi.org/10.18860/jetle.v3i2.15878