The Impact of Multimodal Communication on Second Language Comprehension among Kurdish EFL Learners.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the impact of multimodal communication on Kurdish EFL learners listening comprehension. It is undeniable that traditional methods are no longer effective, and learners do not learn from these methods any more. Thus, the need for multiple modes to be used instead of only one mode is growing rapidly. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of multimodal communication on Kurdish EFL learners’ comprehension. Furthermore, it is set out to identify the most effective modes of multimodal communication among Kurdish learners, and the type of nonverbal communication cues Kurdish learners prefer their teacher to use. To conduct the study, 40 second stage learners of English department, faculty of education at Soran university are chosen as sample. The study is an experimental study. Second stage students are consisted of three groups. After taking a listening test, two best groups are selected to be experimental and control groups, and the other group is used to take a pilot study. The instructor is guided to follow some instructions for both groups provided by the researcher. The experimental group students are taught being exposed to multimodal communication, and the control group are taught with no multimodal communication. Plus, a questionnaire is distributed to experimental group only, and this indicates that the study is a mixed method study, which is both quantitative and qualitative. The results revealed that multimodal communication has positive impact on Kurdish learners’ comprehension, and subtitled videos are most effective mode that enhance their comprehension.