Design and development of intersemiotically cohesive teaching materials for English for agriculture

Multimodal materials are increasingly common in language classrooms, but their effectiveness varies. Misalignments between text and images can mislead or confuse students. This study employed a designed-based research approach involving preliminary research, prototype development, and assessment. In the preliminary phase, a need analysis and textbook analysis were conducted. Intersemiotically cohesive teaching materials were designed in the prototype phase, and a pilot study was conducted. In the assessment phase, the perceptions of three groups (control, A, and B) of representatives of undergraduate EFL students (n = 12) on the designed materials were explored using think-aloud videos and focus group interviews. The designed materials included the designed multimodal Consciousness-Raising (C/R) questions, integrated visuals, created Google Translate hyperlinks, and created hyperlinks to audio sounds to enhance undergraduate EFL students' comprehension in an English for Agriculture course. Thematic analysis revealed that the customized material enhanced students' vocabulary and reading skills while facilitating their English language learning of content knowledge in agriculture. However, participants reported challenges in understanding the abstraction and usability of the semiotic resources. This study contributes to the literature on multimodality and ELT by providing insights into implementing multimodal design theory in ESP classrooms while addressing challenges that require further design and development. The findings suggest that multimodal materials can promote language learning when carefully designed to be intersemiotically cohesive and address the target audience's specific needs.