Design of Multimedia Elements: Dual-Coding in Designing Listening Software.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In interactive multimedia environments (IMEs), a wide range of digital elements (i.e. video, audio, text, still or motion visuals – pictures/images/graphics/figures/animations-, captions, glossaries, icons, help, feedback, activities, instructions, tasks, hyperlinks and so on) can be combined and delivered on the same digital platform. Such environments also enable immediate as well as simultaneous access (Turel, 2014a; ibid: 2014b). In IMEs, one learning element can be presented and taught through more than one element (i.e. dual coding), “which aims to teach one thing with two modes of input, one of which is redundant, provides more paths of recall and is therefore more effective in building recall-cues in memory” (Turel, 2014, p. 285). This study investigated the role and effect of dual coding in listening comprehension as a part of foreign language learning (FLL). The study also aimed to discover whether there were any correlations between the learners’ characteristics and the role and effect of dual coding in listening comprehension. The participants were 171 non-native speakers (NNSs). They were at intermediate and upper intermediate level in listening and were attending a four-year degree course of general Eng¬lish. They had been tested, grouped and placed by National University Entrance Exam Office (OSYM). All of the 171 participants participated in the experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: Control Group: 58 participants, Experiment Group 1: 56 participants, and Experiment Group 2: 57 participants. They voluntarily participated in the study. The study was both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The participants had both pre- and post-tests. The quantitative results were analysed with SPSS. The qualitative data were clustered according to the categories that were extracted from data itself and then examined for patterns. The qualitative data were interpreted in the light of output from the quan¬titative data and they were compared to produce the findings. Keywords: Dual coding, interactive multimedia, designing listening software.