VISUAL MATERIALS IN THE EFL CLASSROOM AT UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the results of a small-scale study of student perceptions and opinions on the use of visual materials in the EFL  classroom at university. Teaching new generations of students who grew up with smart phones in their hands and social media accounts implies the need for more integration of visual materials in university classes, and this need is particularly visible in foreign language classes. Visual literacy has become one of the objectives of education in general and must not be neglected at university. The study was conducted after two EFL elective courses, which were largely based on visual assignments, were completed (two semesters) and the students who took the courses were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Their responses were then analyzed and positive and negative aspects of the visual assignments were identified and discussed in order to understand their potential in working with new student groups. The paper looks at both the students’ responses and the EFL instructor’s expectations and class observations, and provides suggestions for future work with university students.