1. Mul$media
presenta$on
• Multimedia aids for foreign language instruction are known to promote
intentional or explicit learning of L2 vocabulary (e.g., Chun & Plass, 1996).
• Multimedia presentation is broadly supported by the dual-coding theory
(Paivio, 1986): two symbolic systems (imagery system and verbal system)
mediate cognitive activity.
Rationale: Research has examined multimedia effects mostly on beginner/
intermediate level L2 vocabulary. The present study investigated video effects on
high-level infrequent words: words tested on the GRE.
Research
ques$on
Will the use of video clips in addition to traditional textual information facilitate
L2 vocabulary acquisition of high-level, low-frequency English words among
Korean learners of English?
Methodology
• Participants: 15 Korean learners of English preparing for the GRE
• Test items: 40 vocabulary items (frequency beyond 14,000)
• Treatments: Text-only (n = 7) vs. Text+Video (n = 8)
• Tests: Pre-test, Immediate Post-test, 2 Delayed post-tests (meaning translation)
Results
• Higher mean scores for the Text+Video group, yet no statistical
significance (ANOVA)
• No significant relationships between English proficiency level/age of
onset/word frequency and test results (Pearson’s correlation
coefficient)
Interpreta$ons
• Trend towards significant difference between the Text-only and
Text+Video groups
• A vocabulary size test would be a more reliable indicator that may
have an effect on learners’ progress in vocabulary learning.
Euna
Cho
Linguis'cs,
CUNY
Graduate
Center
References
"
Chun, D. M., & Plass, J. L. (1996). Effects of multimedia annotations on vocabulary acquisition. The Modern Language Journal, 80(2),
183-198.
Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. New York: Oxford University Press.
Materials
• Text-only:
• Text+Video:
Test
items
"
Contact Euna Cho: echo@gradcenter.cuny.edu (PhD candidate Linguistics, Graduate Center, CUNY)
Follow-­‐up
research
• In order to achieve a statistically significant result, more subjects will
be tested (n = 100+).
• More conditions will be tested: Text-only, Text+Audio, Audio+Video,
Text+Audio+Video
• Different types of video input (i.e., linguistic vs. visual features) will
be examined to determine effectiveness.
Source: www.wordcount.org
Paivio’s dual coding theory (p. 67, Paivio, 1986)