Esl Teachers’ Views on Visual Language: a Grounded Theory

_______________ This paper describes a qualitative study in which English as a second language (ESL) teachers’ views on the innovation of visual language (the use of both words and graphics, images, placement, etc. to make meaning) were explored. The researcher carried out interviews with seven experienced instructors who taught ESL to adults in intensive English programs. Five teaching sites in the Pacific Northwest were included in the study. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to the grounded theory method. It was discovered that teachers viewed the graphics, images, placement, symbols, etc. that appears on visualizing technologies as separate from the linguistic text rather than viewing it as visual language. They demonstrated ambivalence by talking about the graphics, images, placement, symbols, etc. positively when they appear to enhance second language acquisition and negatively when the graphics, etc. seem to distract students from understanding the linguistic message. Teachers viewed reading on-line as a technical skill and responded with different teaching strategies than they use with print texts. _______________ Visualizing technologies are everywhere. A trip to a department store, for example, yields televisions (playing music videos) suspended from the ceiling; built-in cameras relaying images of customers to the security staff; and spreadsheets on computer screens able to generate information about merchandise in stock. Mirzoeff (1999) describes this phenomenon: Human experience is now more visual and visualized than ever before from the