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

Yudan Su

doi:10.54475/jlt.2021.015

Authors

Yudan Su Shenzhen Middle School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54475/jlt.2021.015

Keywords:

multimodal input, virtual reality, reading comprehension, cognitive load

Abstract

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.

References

Altarriba, J., Knickerbocker, H., Trofimovich, P., & McDonough, K. (2011). Acquiring second language vocabulary through the use of images and words. Applying priming methods to L2 learning, teaching and research, 21-48. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.30.06alt

Antonenko, P. & Niederhauser, D. (2010). The influence of leads on cognitive load and learning in a hypertext-assisted learning environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 140-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.10.014

Atif, A., Richards, D., & Bilgin, A. (2013). A student retention model: empirical, theoretical and pragmatic considerations. In 24th Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS) (pp. 1-11). RMIT University.

Azevedo, R., Greene, J. A., & Moos, D. C. (2007). The effect of a human agent’s external regulation up-on college students’ hypermedia learning. Meta-cognition & Learning, 2, 67- 87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-007-9014-9

Berg, B. L. (2007). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. London: Pearson.

Brinton, L. J. (1991, August). The origin and development of quasimodal ‘have to’ in English. In Workshop on the Origin and Development of Verbal Periphrases, 10th International Conference on Historical Linguistics (ICHL 10), Amsterdam.

Chow, A., Andrews, S., & Trueman, R. (2007). A ‘Second Life’: can this online, virtual reality world be used to increase the overall quality of learning and instruction in graduate distance learning programs. In Proceedings of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Convention (Vol. 2, pp. 75-83). Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Bloomington, IN.

Clark, R. E. (2001). Learning from media. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K., & Morrison, R. B. (2007). Research methods in education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203029053

Crabtree, B. F. & Miller, W. L. (1999). Doing Qualitative Research. London: Sage

Creswell, J. W., Plano Clark, V. L., Gutmann, M. L., & Hanson, W. E. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research, 209, 240.

DeHaan, J., Reed, W. M., & Kuwanda, K. (2010). The effect of interactivity with a music video game on second language vocabulary recall. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 74-94. https://doi.org/10.9762/digraj.4.2_47

Dewey, J. (1998). The essential Dewey: Pragmatism, education, democracy (Vol. 1). Indiana University Press.

Duffy, J. (1985). Effects of instruction in noting and using an author's pattern of writing on sixth graders' understanding and memory of expository text (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Ellis, N. (1999). Cognitive approaches to SLA. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 19, 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190599190020

Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International journal of qualitative methods, 5(1), 80-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107

Garrison, D. R., Cleveland-Innes, M., Koole, M., & Kappelman, J. (2006). Revisiting methodological issues in transcript analysis: Negotiated coding and reliability. The Internet and Higher Education, 9(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2005.11.001

Gass, S. (1997). Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner. Mahwah. NJ: L. Erlbaum.

Gottlieb, M. (1999). The language proficiency handbook: A practitioner's guide to instructional assessment. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Board of Education.

Grundhauser, E. (2016). Did a Silent Film About a Train Really Cause Audiences to Stampede? Atlas Obscura.

Hitchcock, G., & Hughes, D. (1995). Research and the teacher: A qualitative introduction to school-based research. Psychology Press.

Hwang, G. J., Yang, L. H., & Wang, S. Y. (2013). A concept map-embedded educational computer game for improving students’ learning performance in natural science courses. Computers & Education, 69, 121-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.07.008

Jamaludin, A., Ho, C. M. L., & Chee, Y. S. (2007). Argument-Based Negotiation and Conflict Resolution through Enactive Role Play in Second Life. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, 162, 561.

Jones, L. C., & Plass, J. L. (2002). Supporting listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition in French with multimedia annotations. The Modern Language Journal, 86(4), 546-561. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00160

Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. New York: Prentice Hall.

Krashen, S. (1985). The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. Harlow: Longman.

Lan, Y. F., & Sie, Y. S. (2010). Using RSS to support mobile learning based on media richness theory. Computers & Education, 55(2), 723-732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.03.005

Legros, D., Crinon, J. (2002). Psychologie des apprentissages et multimedia. Armand Colin, Paris.

Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. Handbook of second language acquisition, 413-468. New York: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012589042-7/50015-3

Lorenz, B., Green, T., & Brown, A. (2009). Using multimedia graphic organizer software in the prewriting activities of primary school students: What are the benefits?. Computers in the Schools, 26(2), 115-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380560902906054

Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2011). Research methods in second language acquisition: A practical guide. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444347340

Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2013). Stimulated recall methodology in second language research. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410612564

Mangen, A., Walgermo, B., & Bronnick, K. (2013). Reading linear texts on paper versus computer screen: Effects on reading comprehension. International Journal of Educational Research, 58, 61-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2012.12.002

Mason, L., Tornatora, M. C., & Pluchino, P. (2015). Integrative processing of verbal and graphical information during re-reading predicts learning from illustrated text: An eye-movement study. Reading and Writing, 28, 851-872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-015-9552-5

Mayer, R. E. (2002). Multimedia learning. In Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 41, pp. 85-139). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(02)80005-6

Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational psychologist, 38(1), 43-52. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_6

Mayer, R. E. (2005). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning, 43. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816819.004

Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the science of learning: evidence-based principles for the design of multimedia instruction. American Psychologist, 63(8), 760-9. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.8.760

McCormick, S., & Zutell, J. (2015). Instructing students who have literacy problems (7th ed.). Bos-ton, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Moon, J. (1999). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning. London: Routledge.

Moreno, R. (2006). Learning in high-tech and multimedia environments. Current directions in psychological science, 15(2), 63-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2006.00408.x

Morgan, D. L. (2014). Pragmatism as a paradigm for social research. Qualitative Inquiry, 20(8), 1045-1053. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800413513733

Neo, M., & Neo, T.-K. (2009). Engaging students in multimedia-mediated Constructivist learning – Students’ perceptions. Educational Technology & Society, 12 (2), 254-266.

Nunan, D. (1992). Research methods in language learning. Cambridge University Press.

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGrawHill.

Paas, F. G. (1992). Training strategies for attaining transfer of problem-solving skill in statistics: A cognitive-load approach. Journal of educational psychology, 84(4), 429. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.84.4.429

Paas, F., Tuovinen, J. E., Tabbers, H., & van Gerven, P. W. M. (2003). Cognitive load measurement as a means to advance cognitive load theory. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_8

Plass, J. L., Chun, D. M., Mayer, R. E., & Leutner, D. (2003). Cognitive load in reading a foreign language text with multimedia aids and the influence of verbal and spatial abilities. Computers in Human Behavior, 19(2), 221-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0747-5632(02)00015-8

Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17, 249-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x

Roehling, J. V., Hebert, M., Nelson, J. R., & Bohaty, J. J. (2017). Text structure strategies for improving expository reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1590

Rost, M. (2002). Teaching and Researching Listening. Longman, London.

Saldaña, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.

Segers, E., Verhoeven, L., & Hulstijn‐Hendrikse, N. (2008). Cognitive processes in children’s multi-media text learning. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 22(3), 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1413

Son, J. B. (2003). A hypertext approach to foreign language reading. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics. Supplement Series, 17(1), 91-110. https://doi.org/10.1075/aralss.17.07son

Sweller, J., Van Merrienboer, J. J., & Paas, F. G. (1998). Cognitive architecture and instructional design. Educational psychology review, 10(3), 251-296. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022193728205

Tomasio, D., Chang, L., Caparellia, E. C., & Ernst T. (2007). Different activation patterns for working memory load and visual attention load. Brain Research, 1132, 158-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2006.11.030

Walsh, M., Asha, J., & Sprainger, N. (2007). Reading digital texts. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 30(1), 40.

Yvonne, M. (2010). Doing mixed methods research pragmatically: Implications for the rediscovery of pragmatism as a research paradigm. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 4(1), 6-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689809349691