Visual and Spoken Texts in MCALL Courseware: The Effects of Text Modalities on the Vocabulary Retention of EFL Learners

Masoud Khalili Sabet,Hamed Babaie Shalmani

doi:10.5539/elt.v3n2p30

Abstract

The present study sought to explore the effects of Multimedia Computer-Assisted Language Learning (MCALL) programs drawing on two different text modalities on the vocabulary retention of Iranian EFL learners. The two groups under study received treatment on vocabulary items under two multimedia conditions: The first group received treatment on the vocabulary items using a multimedia environment comprising streaming video and visual texts, and the second group received treatment on the same items through a similar environment drawing on streaming video and spoken texts. After the experiment, the two groups took an immediate post-test and a delayed post-test. The study revealed that those students who received treatment on the items through visual texts and video outperformed the ones who received treatment on the same items through spoken texts and video. This appears not to corroborate the view that the modularity of the working memory always results in a more efficient learning.

Highlights

Through the years, a good many studies have shown the negative impact of the working memory limitations in information processing on performance on cognitive tasks (Norman & Bobrow, 1975; Just & Carpenter, 1992; Anderson, Reder, & Lebiere, 1996)
One rationale is that since vocabulary teaching in this experiment centered on introducing general vocabulary to the subjects, the visual memory was not overloaded, as the explanations given on the vocabulary items were easy to process and might not have consumed the memory resources excessively
This study showed that visual texts might prove more effective in the memorization and retrieval of vocabulary when combined with streaming video in multimedia environments

Summary

Introduction

A good many studies have shown the negative impact of the working memory limitations in information processing on performance on cognitive tasks (Norman & Bobrow, 1975; Just & Carpenter, 1992; Anderson, Reder, & Lebiere, 1996). In the absence of prior knowledge and schemata to guide the search process, cognitive overload is a serious menace to learning (Sweller, Van Merriënboer, & Paas, 1998). Another property of the working memory germane to multimedia learning is the existence of separate memory modules for different input modalities. According to Baddeley’s (1997) Multiple-Components Theory, the working memory comprises a “central executive” and two slave systems, the “visuospatial sketchpad” and the “phonological loop” While the former is dedicated to processing visual and spatial information, the latter is allotted to acoustic and verbal information. Relative to the available resources, the cognitive load of multimedia instruction is reduced

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