Multi-modal design of PowerPoint oral presentations: A case study from Spanish L2 Literature classroom

Abstract

PowerPoint presentations have become a main instrument for sharing knowledge in academic context. However, presentation is a multimodal event where speakers use a combination to artifacts to achieve a certain communicative goal. This means that gradually multimodal competence is becoming an essential skill to develop in students for an effective teaching-learning process. Previous literature adopting the Social Semiotic Approach has focused the research on moving and still image in L1, but analyzed categories were changeable from one study to another.
 For this reason, in this study Communicability Theory (Parodi, 2011, 2014) has been adopted for analyzing fourteen PowerPoint presentations in Spanish L2 Literature classes in an Exchange Program in a Chilean University. An exploratory qualitative approach is applied where all sessions have been observed and recorded for content analysis. Also, multimodal elements have been classified using the Multimodal Element Analysis Instrument (MEAI) which has been created based on Parodi's (2010) taxonomy of multisemiotic systems. Results show a predominance of verbal system that is beneficial for the specific context of Literature teaching in second language. Which means that strategic use of verbal semiotic system could help students achieve a certain learning goal set for their oral presentation.