Speaker
Description
This presentation summarizes initial qualitative phase from an exploratory mixed-methods dissertation titled, “Investigating the Graphic-Text Integration Effects on Reading Comprehension and Cognitive Load in Thai EFL University Students”. The study investigated how graphics were integrated with controlled linguistic elements in graded readers within an authentic Extensive Reading (ER) program, offering insights relevant to L2/EFL reading contexts.
Keywords
graphic-text integration, graded reader, Extensive Reading
References
Cohn, N. 2013. Beyond word balloons and thought bubbles: The integration of text and image. Semiotica. 2013(197): 35-63
Abstract
Graded readers being recommended as the main material in extensive reading are linguistically controlled, yet the accompanying graphics remain under systematic investigation. This qualitative study aimed to investigate types of graphic-text integration as a unified unit resource using Cohn’s (2013) integration framework across purposively selected top-rated graded readers used by university students participating in an authentic ER program. Content analysis was conducted in two steps: visual frame (n=802) and 30 booklets across CEFR Pre-A1 to B1 as specified by the publishers. The results revealed that at the individual visual frame level, three primary patterns emerged: Adjoined Integration (49.4%), in which text and images occupy separate spaces; Emergent Integration (12.5%), featuring speech balloons; and Inherent Integration (2.9%), in which text is part of the graphics. Importantly, "Combined Integration”, multiple integrations co-occurred in one single frame, emerged in the actual graphic-text integration graded readers. Across levels, analysis showed that lower difficulty texts used Adjoined Integration predominantly: Pre-A1 (87.6%); A1 (52.3%); A2 (26.4%); B1 (15.2%). Combined Integration was used dominantly in B1 texts (62.1%) suggesting that more complex integrations were used in higher-level texts, while simple integration was more applied in lower-level difficulty. This study reported only material-focused findings to offer evidence-based insight for multimodal material design and contributed to establishing a foundation for experimental study on reading in an L2 context, especially those using graded readers, such as an extensive reading activity.
Short summary
This presentation summarizes initial qualitative phase from an exploratory mixed-methods dissertation titled, “Investigating the Graphic-Text Integration Effects on Reading Comprehension and Cognitive Load in Thai EFL University Students”. The study investigated how graphics were integrated with controlled linguistic elements in graded readers within an authentic Extensive Reading (ER) program, offering insights relevant to L2/EFL reading contexts.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | Graphic-Text Integration in Graded Readers: A Systematic Analysis of Visua |