Abstract
Multimodal literacy—the ability to effectively interpret and create texts that integrate diverse semiotic resources (images, sounds, and written language)—has become essential in today’s communication landscape. Multimodal literacy remains high in Hong Kong’s English language education agenda (Curriculum Development Council, 2017) and English teachers are expected to teach multimodal literacy with GenAI in their classrooms. Yet how English teachers, particularly those in secondary contexts in Hong Kong, perceive and engage with multimodal literacy in their classrooms remain underexplored. To explore secondary English teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices of multimodal literacy, this study draws upon Cope and Kalantzis’s (2015) Learning by Design as the theoretical framework. The literature reveals that policy frameworks advocate for multimodal literacy integration in education. However, there exists a significant gap between these aspirations and classroom implementation. Teachers feel inadequately prepared to teach multimodal literacy due to insufficient training and limited access to technological resources. In addition, how the emergence of generative AI tools might transform multimodal literacy instruction in Hong Kong secondary English classrooms remains relatively unexplored, particularly regarding teachers’ perceptions and classroom practices in this evolving technological landscape. Using a mixed-method approach, this research is anticipated to have significant implications for English language education in digital environments. The findings deliver: 1) a contextual framework mapping Hong Kong secondary English teachers’ perceptions and practices of multimodal literacy; 2) insights into how teachers integrate AI tools in multimodal instruction; and 3) recommendations for teacher training programmes and policy-making to support multimodal literacy development in secondary English classrooms.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MULTIMODAL LITERACY, DIGITAL LITERACY, AI INTEGRATION, GENERATIVE AI, ENGLISH LANGUAGE
