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Exploring a social semiotic approach to multimodal composition in the classroom
Author
Lee, Joyce Mui Kwang
Supervisor
Guo, Libo
Abstract
This study draws on New Literacy Studies and a social semiotic theory of Multimodality to explore the impact of integrating out-of-school and school literacy practices, specifically in the area of multimodal analysis and production. Building on research that lay claims to the potential of multimodal composing as resources students could draw on to develop and represent their ideas in new and powerful ways (Hull & Nelson, 2005; Kress, 2003, 2010; Lemke, 1998; Millard, 2003, 2005), this study focuses on examining the literacy practices of four focal students in a Secondary One Normal Academic class in order to first, examine what characterizes students’ literacy practices when popular cultural and multimodal texts are introduced into the classroom, second, to examine the impact an explicit teaching of a meta-language for multimodal meaning making on the students’ capacity of engaging in multimodal practices, and third, to examine the impact of multimodal transduction on students’ multimodal text production. Data collected included survey, interviews and lesson observations. The findings from this study point to the potential of leveraging on students’ out-of-school literacy practices and involving students in multimodal analysis and production. Another finding suggests that students’ meaning making repertoire is expanded when meta-language is taught explicitly.
Date Issued
2011
Call Number
P99.4.M6 Lee
Date Submitted
2011