Multimodal mediation in EAL teacher education: Scaffolding meaning-making and interaction through picturebooks

This article explores the multimodal mediation strategies employed by student teachers during picturebook read-aloud performances in English as an Additional Language (EAL). The data for the present study was gathered during a postgraduate course at the University of Udine (Italy). Using Multimodal Interaction Analysis as an analytical framework, the study focuses on two self-video recordings of student teachers' read-aloud performances and employs an innovative approach to data visualization and analysis through TMA software to generate graphs for the visual representations of modal configurations. The article discusses the co-deployment of various semiotic resources, including spoken language, gestures, facial expressions, gaze direction, orchestrated by student teachers to scaffold meaning-making and engage an imagined audience of children. The findings reveal the central role of spoken language and prosodic features in student teachers' mediation strategies, these are complemented by the strategic use of visual modes in specific sequences. The results emphasize the need for developing student teachers' multimodal awareness and reflective practices for picturebook mediation. The study highlights also the value of Multimodal Interaction Analysis as a tool for understanding and assessing multimodal practices and offering teacher educators insights into designing activities that promote effective multimodal mediation strategies.