| Most research in the area of Interactive Multimedia (IMM) technology and Second Language (L2) Acquisition attempts to assess the value of IMM as a learning tool. But instead of asking if IMM works, this project asks how teachers can best make use of this technology.;In the first part of the study, the listening comprehension of second-semester college French students was compared before and after using an IMM program, Nouvelles Dimensions (ND). Some students used the program individually while other students used the program as a group, watching on a large screen as the instructor operated the computer. Results suggest that the two conditions are equally beneficial in enhancing L2 listening comprehension.;A second goal of the study was to determine what students did when they used this program on their own and what effect this had on their listening comprehension. A video camera recorded what happened on the computer screen while students used ND individually. Students' profiles and strategies were then compared to their achievement gains during the study in an effort to determine which are the traits and strategies of successful IMM users. Results suggest that students who rely too much on linguistic aid offered by the program (transcriptions and translations) gain less from using the program than students who make more forthright attempts to understand video clips on their own. It was also observed that students using ND individually did not take advantage of all of its features and generally employed less than ideal strategies.;Finally, it was observed that individual student interaction with the IMM program depended in large part on the type of activity provided by the program. Pages that demanded active participation on the part of the learner received more interaction from learners. Pages that allowed students to remain passive received little if any interaction. |
