STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE INTEGRATION OF MULTIMODALITY IN VOCABULARY CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Abstract

Teaching vocabulary in the context of the 5.0 Industrial Revolution demands an integrated strategy incorporating literacy abilities, 21st-century skills, and technology; however, teacher educators play a crucial role in preparing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to meet these issues. This study is part of a more extensive study on multimodality learning in a Vocabulary course; therefore, it examines EFL students' positive perceptions of multimodality integration proposed by Sakulprasertsri (2020) in teaching practices after a Vocabulary course. Multimodality is utilized in English language instruction to improve learning by integrating numerous communication modalities such as texts, images, sounds, gestures, and spatial and interactive technology. Fifty students participated in the English Education Program for the academic year 2022–2023. The study utilized a descriptive quantitative method, employing a Likert scale questionnaire with six alternatives and two open-ended questions using frequencies of keywords to explore modes of teaching and teacher educators' integration of multimodality into vocabulary teaching. The findings demonstrated that students generally had positive perspectives on incorporating multimodality into vocabulary classroom practices, mainly using images, sound, and interactive technologies such as Google Forms and Quizizz. These positive responses indicate the need for multimodal strategies for developing exciting and successful learning environments, especially when meeting the demands of the 5.0 era. The study emphasizes the relevance of teacher educators in promoting practical and engaging vocabulary learning through multimodality.