Fostering the Use of Multimedia in Language Classes

The perceptions of native English-speaking teachers toward the use of multimedia were probed through semi-structured interviews. Despite a general consensus on the potentially stimulating effect of multimedia, there were disagreements among the teachers about its applicability and benefits. Consequently, only a few of the teachers made use of audiovisual materials to complement their teaching; others solely relied on the course textbook and written supplementary materials in presenting course content and/or leading activities. Based on the teachers' viewpoints toward using multimedia content for engineering students at a Korean university, suggestions are made to promote the use of multimedia for language teaching and learning. More specifically, facilities equipped with modern technology, adequate technical training and support, and appropriate teaching materials should be made readily available for the language teacher and students if the potential of multimedia content is to be realized. Insights gained in the present study can help enhance our understanding of these teachers and their ways of teaching, which can in turn help improve the quality of English education.