Multimodality and multiliteracies: analysis of reading activities in a digital environment

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses multiliteracies - digital, visual, and critical - in multimodal reading activities in English, which are available in websites. This discussion is grounded in theories that discuss multimodality and multiliteracy, such as social semiotics (KRESS; VAN LEEUWEN, 2006), as well as concepts of multiliteracies (STREET, 2012; OLIVEIRA, 2006) and the reading of hypertext (XAVIER, 2005). In an attempt to diagnose a possible congruence between the reading of English language texts and these theories, this study focuses on pedagogical practices identified in instructions, announcements, contents, and types of questions proposed in five online reading activities. Preliminary results show an incongruence between pedagogical practices and the promotion of multiliteracy.摘要：本文探讨可在各类网站中开展的英语多模态阅读活动所涉及的多元读写能力（multiliteracies），具体涵盖数字型、视觉型与批判型多元读写能力。本研究以多模态与多元读写能力相关理论为研究基础，例如社会符号学（social semiotics）（KRESS; VAN LEEUWEN, 2006），同时吸纳多元读写能力相关概念（STREET, 2012; OLIVEIRA, 2006）以及超文本阅读（hypertext reading）相关理论（XAVIER, 2005）。为诊断英语文本阅读与上述理论之间是否存在契合性，本研究聚焦于五项线上阅读活动中教学指南、公告、阅读内容及题型所体现的教学实践。初步研究结果显示，现有教学实践与多元读写能力的培养之间存在不一致。