Multimodal Interaction in a Foreign Language Class at Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine

Abstract

Multimodality is implemented to the modern learning environment in line with trends towards multidisciplinarity. In the current study, multimodal interaction is based on the mutual integration of understanding of multimodality in philological and pedagogical perspectives. The purpose of the article was to analyze and compare the results of learning a foreign language (German) for professional purposes (German for Economists) with an emphasis on multimodal interaction and without it (in a way of traditional language learning with a predominance of classical methods of classroom and extracurricular activities). There were universal scientific and specific methods used: a controlled-type educational experiment; Likert-scale type questionnaire; reliability test: Cronbach’s alpha using IBM SPSS Statistics 28.0.0.0; qualitative-quantitative interpretation and contrastive-comparative analysis of the obtained experimental data; statistical-mathematical interpretation of empirical data; comparative analysis; the functional analysis. Respondents of empirical intelligence were students of the Faculty of Management and Marketing, specialty 073 “Management”. Averagely in the experimental group, almost all the assessing criteria of the effectiveness of multimodal interaction outreached 4 points. These data were also confirmed by the results of self-reflection-questionnaire. The novelty of the research is in the principle of theoretical substantiation and practical application of the content of multimodal interaction as an umbrella term that integrates the most fundamental concepts of modern pedagogy in general and, in particular, methods of teaching a foreign language.