Criteria for Multimodal Texts in English Language Classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate multimodal texts and employ multimodaltexts in the curriculum of English classes. Due to the swift development of technology andglobalization since the late XX century, the growing multimodality of communication is evidentin education. Multimodal texts may be any written text which is followed by a large varietyof audio, visual, and other symbolic representations or some information from this text isaccompanied by images and sounds. Hence multimodal texts include picture books, textbooks,graphic novels, comics, and posters, conveying meaning to the reader through combinationsof visual written language and spatial modes. The article follows a qualitative paradigm. It isreferred to primarily two case studies which consist of recorded trailers and created multimodaltexts by students. The assessment criteria were also designed for the tasks presented in this article.Thus, the result found in the current study showed that students appeared to accept multimodaltexts in English foreign language teaching and this research is useful for teachers and studentsas a practical guide on how to implement multimodal texts based on the tasks introduced in thisarticle. And finally, we may say that the outcomes of the current article support and reinforceprevious research studies regarding multimodality in teaching and criteria for choosing theappropriate pedagogically designed multimodal texts.