Visual Literacy in Vocabulary Teaching and Learning in Foreign Language

Authors

  • Renata Bittencourt Procópio Cultura Inglesa - Juiz de Fora-MG, Minas Gerais, Brasil
  • Patrícia Nora de Souza Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora-MG, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Keywords:

visual resources, visual literacy, vocabulary teaching and learning, foreign language

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the use of visual resources in foreign language vocabulary teaching based on a pedagogical orientation which explores the reading of visuals elements. Firstly, it presents a theoretical refl ection contextualizing the debate about visual literacy. A vocabulary activity from an EFL textbook was selected for the empirical experiment. This activity was used in data collection, which involved two groups of students. The fi rst group carried out the activity proposed by the students’ book. The second one carried out the same activity, however, with some additional questions exploring the visual resources. The results obtained in vocabulary tests show that the second group had a better performance, providing evidence of the importance of turning students able to explore the visual resources.

Author Biographies

Renata Bittencourt Procópio, Cultura Inglesa - Juiz de Fora-MG, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Renata Bittencourt Procópio, MA in Linguistics – UFJF, Juiz de Fora. Teacher at Cultura Inglesa. Main areas of interest: visual literacy, teaching and learning of vocabulary, foreign language.

Patrícia Nora de Souza, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora-MG, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Patrícia Nora de Souza, PhD in Applied Linguistics – Unicamp, Campinas. Professor at the Department of Modern Languages and the Pos-Graduation Program in Linguistics of UFJF. Main areas of interest: reading, vocabulary teaching, foreign language, computer mediated teaching and learning, digital literacy.

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Issue

Vol. 31 No. 1 (2010)

Section

Papers

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