Can visual representations facilitate EFL information processing and learning?

Abstract

Drawing is not a common activity in academic settings, especially in language learning departments. However, sketching a course or part of a course, could be a good way for students to recall key elements and to put together –­ create sense out of – what has been studied over a term. This research deals with the visual representations drawn by students enrolled in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) courses at university in France. Studying what and how students sketched course content provides a useful insight on what key elements they retained, and how they integrated language learning. Their visual representations are classified according to both form and content. Each category is then analysed to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of representations with regard to the goals of the courses.