Second Language Teaching in Elementary School with a Multimedia Gloss
Second Language Teaching in Elementary School with a Multimedia Gloss
Marilena Zoi 1, Ioanna Bellou 1 and Tassos A. Mikropoulos 1
1 The Educational Approaches to Virtual Reality Technologies Lab, The University of Ioannina, Greece
Abstract. This work investigates the effects of a special designed multimedia gloss on learning outcomes concerning vocabulary learning in German as a second language in elementary school pupils. The gloss involves annotations of unknown words in three different representations: text translation from German into Greek, presentation of the word in German and its translation pronounced in Greek, and word interpretation by using a picture. Thirty one pupils of ages 10-11 years interacted with the multimedia gloss and participated in computer-based learning activities. The outcomes on vocabulary learning were positive, with the majority of pupils to prefer the aural annotations of the unknown words. The attitude of all pupils towards use of the multimedia gloss and activities was also positive. Our findings support Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning in the field of language learning.
Keywords: L2, multimedia gloss, elementary school
1. Introduction
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are considered to be the most powerful tool for the support of teaching and learning processes. Their main contribution comes from their technological characteristics, the ways they record, represent, manage and transfer information. These characteristics concern the management of high volume of data and information in a short time, information presentation through dynamic interactive and multiple representations, as well as communication and motives they provide. The main contribution of ICT to the learning process comes indirectly, through their pedagogical exploitation and certain attributes that arise from the technological characteristics. This mainly involves processes and tasks for the active
Marilena Zoi 1, Ioanna Bellou 1 and Tassos A. Mikropoulos 1
1 The Educational Approaches to Virtual Reality Technologies Lab, The University of Ioannina, Greece
Abstract. This work investigates the effects of a special designed multimedia gloss on learning outcomes concerning vocabulary learning in German as a second language in elementary school pupils. The gloss involves annotations of unknown words in three different representations: text translation from German into Greek, presentation of the word in German and its translation pronounced in Greek, and word interpretation by using a picture. Thirty one pupils of ages 10-11 years interacted with the multimedia gloss and participated in computer-based learning activities. The outcomes on vocabulary learning were positive, with the majority of pupils to prefer the aural annotations of the unknown words. The attitude of all pupils towards use of the multimedia gloss and activities was also positive. Our findings support Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning in the field of language learning.
Keywords: L2, multimedia gloss, elementary school
1. Introduction
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are considered to be the most powerful tool for the support of teaching and learning processes. Their main contribution comes from their technological characteristics, the ways they record, represent, manage and transfer information. These characteristics concern the management of high volume of data and information in a short time, information presentation through dynamic interactive and multiple representations, as well as communication and motives they provide. The main contribution of ICT to the learning process comes indirectly, through their pedagogical exploitation and certain attributes that arise from the technological characteristics. This mainly involves processes and tasks for the active
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