Does ‘WOW’ translate to an ‘A’? Exploring the effects of virtual reality assisted multimodal text on Chinese Grade 8 EFL learners’ reading comprehension

Purpose In recent years, the incorporation of multimedia into linguistic input has opened a new horizon in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). In the reading aspect, the advent of virtual reality (VR) technology extends the landscape of reading repertoire by engaging learners with auditory, visual and tactile multimodal input. This study aimed to examine the pedagogical potential of VR technology in enhancing learners’ reading comprehension. Methods Three classes including 131 Chinese 8th grade EFL students participated in this study. This study adopted mixed methods methodology and triangulated pre-post-retention tests, questionnaires, learning journals and interview data to compare three modes of text input on learners’ reading performance and cognitive processing. Results The results indicated that VR-assisted multimodal input significantly improved learners’ macrostructural comprehension in the short term, whereas there was no significant difference in retention performance. The findings revealed that reading multimodal text did not exceed learners’ memory capacity or impose extraneous cognitive load. Participants mainly reported favorably on the efficacy of multimodal input in assisting their reading. Conclusion This study was the first attempt to integrate VR technology with input presentation and cognitive processing and offered a new line of theorization of VR-assisted multimodal learning in the cognitive field of SLA.

An analysis of note-taking strategies: The effect of translanguaging on content comprehension and knowledge retention

Purpose This study investigates the effectiveness of using translanguaging for note-taking on students’ lecture comprehension and retention by measuring their scores on two tests administered two weeks apart. Methods The participants were English L2 Chinese graduate students (n = 101) studying in English-language programs in various English-speaking countries at the time of the study. The study used a quasi-experimental three-arm parallel groups design to compare the relative effects of three alternative approaches to note-taking (Chinese, English, and translanguaging). All participants watched a five-minute English-language video without subtitles and took notes using their assigned strategies. Then participants immediately took a comprehension test. After two weeks, participants took a retention test. Results The results showed that those taking notes in English only outperformed those taking notes using Chinese only on low-level, fact-based questions in the comprehension test. There was no significant difference found among the three language groups (Chinese, English, and translanguaging) in other types of questions (main topic questions and numerical questions) and the overall score. In the retention test, those taking notes in English outperformed those taking notes in Chinese in the overall score and all question types except for number-based questions, with the translanguaging groups also outperforming the Chinese group in fact-based questions. In addition, students’ previous study abroad experience was not found to impact students’ comprehension and retention of the video lecture content. Conclusion It seems that translanguaging does not aid advanced L2 learners in immersion contexts; instead, translanguaging may be more helpful for lower proficiency L2 learners.

Explicit and implicit vocabulary learning: A comparative study based on EFL textbooks in Mainland China and Hong Kong

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the vocabulary settings in two English textbooks used in Mainland China and Hong Kong respectively, and provide useful suggestions for teachers to choose or adapt English as a foreign language (EFL) textbook. The study centers on two English textbooks for grade-nine/ JS3 EFL learners in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Methods The two textbooks will firstly be compared and contrasted at the macro-level, covering perspectives such as organization, visual aids, glossary, and supplementary materials. Next, to study the treatment of vocabulary further at the micro-level, the study will focus on one unit in the two selected textbooks sharing the same theme. Results At the macro-level, the two textbooks are both clear and colored printed, theme-based, glossary included, visual aids provided, and practice given. They mainly differ in module components and word load in the glossary. At the micro-level, both of them give pre-teaching of new words before reading/listening, present words in context, provide scaffolding, follow a sequence of difficulty, integrate well with the development of other language skills, but they are different in some ways. Conclusion In terms of vocabulary treatment, results showed that both textbooks generally follow similar organization and presentation but differ in suggested teaching approaches. The textbook used in Mainland addresses on the word meaning while the textbook in Hong Kong follows a more implicit approach. In order to facilitate the evaluation of the vocabulary section in EFL textbooks, a new checklist and teaching implications for teachers are proposed in the thesis.