The Role of Multimedia in Motivating EFL Learners in The Classroom. Case Study: First Year Master Applied Linguistics and Social Semiotics Students in the Department of English at Mouloud Mammeri University.

Abstract

This study is concerned with investigating the role of multimedia in motivating first year Master Applied Linguistics and Social semiotics students in the department of English at Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi Ouzou. Its aim is to check whether the multimedia technique is used by teachers of Applied Linguistics and Social Semiotics, and if it could help motivating students. To reach this aim, the cognitive theory of multimedia learning suggested by Richard. E. Mayer is used as our theoritical framework. The investigation is based on the mixed method research. It combines between the quantitative and the qualitative methods. In fact it combines a questionnaire that is addressed to first year master Applied Linguistics and Social Semiotics students and an interview that is conducted with their teachers. It uses a statistical method to elicit statistical data, then adopts a qualitative content analysis for the interpretation and the explanation of the results. After the discussion of the results, it was found out that the teachers of semiotics in the department of English Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi Ouzou use multimedia with the first year Master Applied Linguistics and Social Semiotics students. Also, the results provide evidence that multimedia is a technique that could help increasing the students’ motivation and promote their learning.