Teachers’ perceptions of implementing digital multimodal composing in tertiary classrooms: Voices from Chinese EFL teachers

Abstract

In language education, digital multimodal composing (DMC) pertains to a new literacy practice in which students use digital tools to produce texts incorporating multiple semiotic modes. Despite that many scholars advocate for implementing DMC in language classrooms, it remains marginal in mainstream classrooms, with scant attention being paid to teachers’ perceptions concerning the use of DMC. Situated in Chinese universities, this research probes into the perspectives of five English teachers on implementing DMC as a pedagogical innovation. The analysis of data collected from multiple sources reveals that the teachers perceived DMC positively due to its affordances for students, namely, cultivating digital and multimodal literacies, improving speaking and writing abilities, fostering collaboration and communication skills, and enhancing learning interest and motivation. Teachers themselves harvested benefits regarding deeper insights into students’ learning potentials, enhanced digital literacies, a novel avenue for academic research, and an innovative teaching method. Nonetheless, the teachers expressed concerns about time constraints, students’ engagement in group work, potential plagiarism, assessment of students’ videos, and the long-term effect of DMC on students’ writing performance. Based on the findings, this research provides implications for integrating curriculum innovations like DMC into conventional curricula.