A Study On The Effectiveness Of Software-assisted College English Vocabulary Learning From The Multimodal Perspective

As the cornerstone of any language learning,vocabulary learning has attracted much attention in the academic field.Researchers have studied the effective approaches of vocabulary teaching from different perspectives.Based on the previous researches,this thesis intends to explore the effectiveness of software-assisted vocabulary learning from the multimodal perspective with reference to the theory of systemic functional linguistics and the visual grammar.The present study attempts to answer the following research questions.First,what are the multimodal characteristics of the input by the vocabulary learning software in comparison with the input from the traditional paper-based dictionaries? Second,which is more effective in improving the retention of target words,the use of the multimodal vocabulary learning software BaiCiZhan or the use of the traditional paper-based dictionary? Third,what are the learners' attitudes toward the use of English vocabulary learning software?This research compares two different vocabulary input approaches through quantitative analysis.The target word and its lexical presentation are selected from BaiCiZhan and the traditional paper-based dictionary respectively.Then comparisons are made to identify the uniqueness of software-assisted English vocabulary learning.A total of 83 freshmen of non-English majors from Xi'an FanYi University participated in this experiment.First,two parallel classes are selected to be the controlled group and the experimental group.The controlled group uses the traditional paper-based dictionary and the experimental group uses BaiCiZhan to learn the target words in class within a given time,and then a test is given and the grades are recorded immediately.Two weeks later,learners are given the same test,after which their grades are recorded.Comparisons are made to identify whether there are any differences between the two vocabulary input approaches in the two tests.Finally,questionnaires are distributed to participants to find out about their attitudes towards the two vocabulary learning tools.The results show that,learners' vocabulary scores in the experimental group are remarkably higher than in the controlled group.With a multimodal presentation of words which includes images,sounds,and colors,BaiCiZhan has a better effect on learners' word retention than the traditional paper-based dictionary.Results from the questionnaire show that the majority of learners have a positive attitude toward the use of multimodal vocabulary learning software BaiCiZhan.