Testing L2 Vocabulary Recognition and Recall Using Pictorial and Written Test Items

This article describes two studies that examined the effects of pictorial and written annotations on second language (L2) vocabulary learning from a multimedia environment. In both studies, students were randomly assigned to one of four aural multimedia groups: a control group that received no annotations, and three treatment groups that provided written, pictorial, or both written and pictorial annotations while listening. In the first study, students in the three treatment groups recognized English translations or pictorial representations of French keywords better than the control group that received no annotations during listening. In the second study, students produced English translations of French keywords best when the mode of testing matched the treatment mode. These results add to the growing body of literature on the beneficial effects of annotations on L2 vocabulary recognition and recall.