The Effects Of Multimedia-assisted Instruction On English Vocabulary Learning

Second language teaching via multimedia has received much attention over the past few years. Since multimedia-assisted instruction has been proved effective in improving language learning across a wide variety of instructional settings and subjects, it undoubtedly endues second language vocabulary learning with more advantages compared with the traditional vocabulary learning. This dissertation contrubtes to investigate the effects of using multimedia technology as a tool for facilitating vocabulary learning among ESL(English as a second language) students. The author first dicsusses the significance of the rapid developing multimedia technology in relation to the vocabulary learning of university and college students from the perspective of reforming language teaching and learning under the guidance of modern educational technology. Then, the effectiveness of multimedia-assisted instruction to improve vocabulary learning of university and college students is analyzed.The present study employs an approach to teaching that includes multimedia materials as a tool for delivering vocabulary instruction to help students understand word meanings, and master word knowledge in language classroom. Seventy non-English-major freshmen are randomly assigned to multimedia or nonmultimedia groups to learn 30 words in a 3-week period of instruction. In order to assess the efficacy of each method , a vocabulary test is designed and administrated to participants after each teaching period .In addition, a class observation is conducted. The vocabulary test yields the conclusion that multimedia-assisted instruction is more effective in teaching unknown vocanbulary than traditional teaching method. The differences of word acquisition between the two methods are both in quantity and quality. This finding proves that the multimedia-based vocabulary learning environment is effective. Class observation data shows that multimedia-assisted instruction is a good way to hold the interest of universities students and to motivate them to explore related information through the learning tasks in class or even after class.The suggested factors that explain such a result are that multimedia technology better builds a mental image, better curiosity leading to increased concentration, better understanding and embodies an advantageous combination of modalities(dynamic image, sound, and printed text).