Journal article reaction paper analysis

¶ … Students' Participation in Authoring of Multimedia Materials on Student Acquisition of Vocabulary" by Ofelia R. Nikolova

As the demand for second language acquisition continues to increase in recent years, the need for informed approaches to the provision of effective educational services has assumed new relevance and importance. To gain some additional insights in this area, this paper provides a summary of the professional journal article, "Effects of Students' Participation in Authoring of Multimedia Materials on Student Acquisition of Vocabulary" by Ofelia R. Nikolova regarding second language acquisition, followed by a personal reaction to the author's content and findings.

Summary of Article

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact that student participation had on student vocabulary acquisition, a goal that is essential to second language acquisition. To this end, Nikolova presents a comprehensive review of the relevant literature as well as her comparison of the effects of students who used multimedia materials based on course texts with those achieved by students who actively participated in the process both with and without the time required being considered.

Findings of the study

Perhaps not surprisingly, the results of the study showed that those students who actively participated in developing the multimedia materials experienced significantly higher rates of vocabulary acquisition compared to those who used materials developed by a teacher. Predictably, the study also found that student participation in the multimedia development process required more time compared to students who used teacher-prepared materials only, but only moderately so. The author concludes that, "The study showed that students can successfully participate in authoring of multimedia instructional materials based on foreign language texts. All subjects accomplished their task in a reasonable time and helped create high-quality materials" (Nikolova, 2002, p. 100).

Personal reaction

Because resources by definition are scarce, it is important to identify the most effective approaches to the delivery of second language acquisition skills in the classroom today. Although there were no earth-shattering results identified in this study, Nikolova does provide a useful point of departure for educators seeking better ways to engage their second language acquisition students. Many young people entering the high school and college classroom today want and expect to find the types of technology they are accustomed to at work and home, and using multimedia materials to deliver educational services just makes good sense. Indeed, many young people possess a valuable skill set with respect to computer-based applications that can be used to good effect in second language acquisition endeavors.

The so-called "Millennial Generation" is techno-savvy and fully understands and appreciates the usefulness of multimedia materials. Consequently, by drawing on what students already know, the use of multimedia resources in the second language acquisition classroom also just makes good sense. Furthermore, by actively engaging students in the multimedia development process, their critical thinking skills are put to good use, vocabulary retention is enhanced and students will likely enjoy the process far more than a traditional lecture format or simply reviewing what multimedia materials are provided by educators.

One of the overriding issues that emerged from this study was the fact that students were actively engaged in the educational material development process, but this did not mean that they were simply assigned a task and allowed the "muddle through" the process. Rather, this approach required extensive planning and preparation on the part of the second language educator to provide the framework that was needed for the students to succeed. This process is more challenging than might be expected, and involves far more than just placing existing course content online or on a CD/DVD format. Consideration must be given to how the course materials will be used, what supplementary materials should be included to augment the learning process and the time required to create and implement them, all of which require a comprehensive understanding on the part of the second language teacher.