The current research examined the effects of digital, multimodal literary texts on the motivation, anxiety, and reading comprehension of university-level EFL students. The quasi-experimental design was mixed-methods, involving 60 learners divided into a control group (using print as the medium for literature reading) and a CALL-based literature-reading group. Standardised motivation and anxiety scales, reading comprehension tests and semi-structured interview protocols were used to collect data. The members of the digital group were exposed to literary documents with audio, glosses, and images, while the members of the control group received the same texts in print. Findings indicated that the digital group reported higher motivation, lower anxiety, and greater improvement in comprehension than the control group. According to the interview data, the learners perceived the multimodal supports to be helpful for vocabulary comprehension, narrative comprehension, and managing emotional arousal during reading. These results indicate that digital literary sources can help overcome affective barriers and promote a better understanding of complex texts. The findings provide practical recommendations for teachers planning to employ literature and technology in EFL learning settings, especially those aimed at improving engagement and reading achievement among learners.
Anjum Mishu* Gaus Chowdhury Hana Al-Hudaithy (Sat,) studied this question.