Exploring critical and visual literacy needs in digital learning environments: The use of memes in the EFL/ESL university classroom

Abstract

This paper draws from the need to approach 21st century university students as reflective viewers and thinkers able to read digital texts, thereby properly acquiring language, culture and literature as a continuum. We aim to explore and identify our 21st century EFL/ESL university learners’ viewing and thinking needs through the use of memes in the EFL/ESL classroom. Accordingly, we conducted a classroom-based study with 52 final year students on the Degree in English Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain. We developed and implemented a meme-based activity and a rubric for measuring the capacities of our students as effective critical and visual readers. Results point to the need for an emphasis on critical thinking and visual literacy skills in the EFL/ESL university classroom, as visual communication gains prominence in a competitive world while students remain to lack preparation in this area. The processing of multimodal texts remains on a superficial level. Essential needs were detected concerning the interpretation of the cultural meanings of the texts, and the identification of their supposed intentions.