Paul F. Merrill

Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Using a Diglot Reader or a Computer-Based Drill and Practice Program.

This research study compares the impact of a computer-based diglot reader with that of a sophisticated, computer-based, drill and practice program on second language acquisition. The affective benefits as well as depth and breadth of vocabulary development were examined. The diglot method, originally conceived by Burling, introduces second language vocabulary within the context of a familiar first language text, thus allowing the reader to acquire the second language incidentally while lowering the affective barrier to language acquisition. This research study reaffirmed the positive affective benefit of the diglot method and showed that the diglot reader was equally as effective as the drill and practice program in facilitating vocabulary acquisition.

Designing video narratives to contextualize content for ESL learners: a design process case study

In this paper we discuss how the Brigham Young University Technology Assisted Language Learning Group (BYU TALL Group) develops video-based dramatic narratives to increase the amount of context we provide to English as a second language (ESL) learners. First, we discuss the problem of decontextualization in education, the contextualism alternative, and how narrative can provide crucial context. Next, using ESL instruction as a case study, we compare non-narrative video-based language models with narrative models and discuss some of the potential benefits of narrative models. We then discuss issues to consider when using narrative models, and outline a narrative-focused design and development process with particular attention to those aspects critical to creating narratives that are simultaneously pedagogically sound, aesthetically credible, and engaging for learners to watch.

Preliminary Guidelines for Employing Graphics in Instruction

The purpose of this article is to propose some guidelines, based on instructional design theory and empirical findings, for employing various types of graphics under specified conditions. The guidelines are directly related to Gagné’s types of learned capabilities: concepts, discriminations, rules, problem solving, verbal information, motor skills, and attitudes. A categorization scheme is proposed for different types of visual displays. The role of these different kinds of graphic visual displays within each of Gagné’s types of learned capabilities is discussed.