Effects of Collaboration and Multimedia Annotations on Vocabulary Learning and Listening Comprehension

Sixty-eight college students enrolled in a French course listened to a multimedia-based French passage in one of four groups to which they were randomly assigned: the listening text (a) alone, with no annotations; (b) in pairs, with no annotations; (c) alone, with written and pictorial annotations; and (d) in pairs, with written and pictorial annotations. The students identified or recalled vocabulary best when working with both annotation types either alone or in pairs. However, when they worked collaboratively with annotations available, they showed the highest level of aural comprehension. These outcomes suggest that accessing pictorial and written annotations in multimedia listening comprehension activities, while one is collaborating with a peer, results in relatively high vocabulary recall and recognition, as well as improved aural comprehension.