This study tests whether brief learner-generated multimodal production improves L2 vocabulary retention beyond viewing the same materials and beyond teacher-led instruction. 164 Chinese university EFL learners learned 39 unfamiliar B2-C1 English words in one of three conditions: (1) video creation: each learner created only two short videos (under one minute each) for two assigned words, combining on-screen text and images with spoken narration and embodied, situational cues; (2) video viewing: learners watched videos but did not create any; and (3) traditional instruction: teacher-led pronunciation, explanations, and examples. In class, both video groups learned all 39 words by watching the same instructor-selected set of 39 student-generated videos (one per word), with matched in-class time across conditions. Retention was measured with immediate and 5-day delayed multiple-choice tests of form–meaning recognition; items self-reported as known prior to instruction were excluded. To minimise practice on produced items, analyses focused on non-produced words (i.e., words creators did not produce and learned through in-class viewing). Trial-level accuracy was analysed using binomial generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs) with random intercepts for participants and items, controlling for English proficiency and working memory. Results showed a multimodal advantage over traditional instruction and a creation advantage. On non-produced items, creators outperformed viewers at both time points (Immediate: 82.6% vs 73.2%; Day 5: 73.8% vs 59.2%), and both video groups exceeded traditional instruction (Immediate: 50.9%; Day 5: 30.9%). These findings suggest that even minimal multimodal production can strengthen later learning from peers’ videos, supporting more durable form–meaning mappings than viewing alone.

Authors:
Chao Xu, University of Padova, Italy
Yan Gu, University College London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Xu Chao is a PhD candidate at the University of Padova. He studies multimodal learning and translanguaging in L2 education, and is currently investigating learner-generated multimodal vocabulary videos and vocabulary retention.

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