Multimodality in English for specific purposes: Reconceptualizing meaning-making practices
Keywords:
English for Specific Purposes, Multimodal Pedagogy, Meaning-making Skills, New LiteraciesAbstract
The rapid evolution from print-based to multimodal information has still not received sufficient attention from the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This paper advocates the need to re-conceptualize ESP through multimodal practice for new opportunities of interactive learner engagement. For the purpose, qualitative, exploratory research was conducted on multimodal ESP practice carried out with post-graduate students at the University of Calabria in Italy. The study addresses the issues of how multimodal environments can affect ESP and how a multimodal assignment can influence learner motivation, engagement and awareness. A theoretical multimodal semiotic approach was combined with multimodal pedagogy to investigate the benefits of learners’ engagement in creating artefacts with content-specific language, as well as developing awareness of their meaning-making processes. A questionnaire survey revealed learners’ active involvement determined by intrinsic, extrinsic and achievement motivation of working in a multimodal environment. Learner artefacts showed their ability to produce content-specific language in specialized contexts of use and to creatively combine the linguistic elements with other semiotic resources. In their explanations of meaning-making processes, learners further manifested their awareness of how multimodality can stimulate motivation in learning, foster critical thinking and decision-making skills, enhance natural and flexible language learning, as well as the use of prior specialized knowledge in switching between linguistic and other semiotic modes. The study suggests that ESP development can benefit more from a multimodal pedagogy which is grounded in the principles of learner-centredness, constructivist learning and social interaction compared to the traditional instructivist approach.
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