Testing Beyond Words: Multimodal Assessment in the English Classroom

by Caroline Chan and Suzanne Choo

Our students today are exposed to a wide range of media-rich texts on a daily basis. Teaching and assessment can no longer just be focused on the printed word.

Article highlights

Why is there a need for multimodal assessment in language learning?
How can a multimodal assessment framework be applied to reading comprehension?
What are the key outcomes of this assessment?

Our examination of secondary English language comprehension passages raised two key concerns: rigidity in the choice of reading passages, and a lack of emphasis on critical thinking skills in the type of questions asked.

We need to consider other forms of texts, which have a combination of words, images, sound and video. We propose a framework for multimodal assessment of reading comprehension.

A Multimodal Assessment Framework

When assessing multimodal texts, there are three key outcomes that students must demonstrate: text analysis, author analysis, and context analysis.

Consider the following TV commercial:

Figure 1. TV commercial “Tan Hong Ming in Love”. (If you are unable to view the video, click here.)

Text Analysis

The first stage of analysis begins with students demonstrating knowledge of the given text.

Theme/subject. This question deals with students’ understanding of the main subject matter. The answer is usually obvious.

Question (Q): What is the main idea highlighted/key message propagated?
Possible response (R): Being “blind” to race.

Obvious content. This question goes beyond a general understanding of the text and requires students to look for evidence. This is still considered lower order as students are only required to identify one or two keywords.

Q: Identify the main target audience of this commercial.
R: Adults.

Inferred content. This question requires students to think about the connotative meaning of particular words or phrases in the text. Students have to infer the reasons or intention behind a particular statement made by a character or the author.

Q: Why does the producer choose to deliver her key message via children?
R: To highlight that our children are “colour-blind” and that adults can learn from them.

Connected content. For this question, students need to locate information from different parts of the text. They may need to find more than one example to support their point.

Q: The producer focuses on questions like, “Why do you like her?”, “What do you wish to say to her?” Highlight other phrases that promote her key message.
R: “She is pretty/has a ponytail/wears earrings.”

Connected-inferred content. Students are required not only to find the evidence but, more importantly, interpret the evidence by suggesting the reasons or intention implied behind what is observed.

Author Analysis

While text analysis centres on the text and the information derived from it, author analysis moves a step out of the domain of the text to consider the influence of the author.

Identification of explicit claim. Here, students have to identify the explicit claim the author is making through the text. The answer is usually obvious.

Q: What is the explicit message of the commercial?
R: Human beings are basically born innocent and change (positively/negatively) with exposure to differing experiences, mindsets, values and time.

Identification of implicit claim. Sometimes a claim may be manifested in more subtle ways, such as through visuals, colour, setting or word associations in the text.

Q: What is the implicit message of the commercial?
R: We need to be more aware that there is a tendency for some adults to be narrow-minded and have prejudices which are insensitive and unnecessary.

Analysis of arguments. Analysis of the author’s claims may reveal the following:

Assumptions and speculations: where there is insufficient supporting evidence
Generalizations: where people or situations are stereotyped into general categories
Logical fallacies: where there is an absence of a logical link between the evidence given and the point made

Q: Give two reasons and explain why you may find the claims in the commercial debatable/problematic.
R: The portrayal via children is rather simplistic, especially when dealing with a sensitive and potentially explosive issue of race. It highlights the problem of racial fault lines but does not quite offer a solution. It assumes that most adults are biased and need to be made aware of this problem. However, this claim is not supported with evidence. Impact and change on the target audience is highly dependent on the individual person.

Analysis of style. This requires students to identify the stylistic techniques in the areas of language (e.g., figurative language and word order and design) and the link between images and words used to convey an intended effect.

Q: Discuss how the producer attempts to make the commercial appealing to the target group through the use of language and design.
R: The producer employs the image of children and the concept of irony to depict the key message of the commercial. It is ironic that in the eyes of an adult, the two children are worlds apart. However, children do not have deep-seated prejudices. The protagonist, a Chinese boy, sees no issues with declaring his “feelings” towards a Malay-Muslim girl to the producer. The children’s innocence is reflected in their facial expressions and responses.

Context Analysis

The final component of the assessment framework moves beyond the text and its author to view historical influences, the present society and the larger world.

Analysis of audience representation. Students must first identify the target group and their respective category (e.g., age group, gender, race, political association).

Q: What ideals does the producer associate with the target audience and which group has been excluded in these ideals?
R: The commercial appears to highlight that people want to change; they just need to be made aware of the fact that they are being racially biased. It is positive and embracing, though somewhat naive and idealistic.
We hear the voice of the producer via the children. Excluded are the voices of others who might hold differing perspectives on racial issues. Like most commercials, it lacks a sense of “balance”.

Analysis of thematic representation. Students could examine this in the light of these questions:

Product association: What value, habit, skill or lifestyle is this commercial associated with?
Possible effects of the commercial: What are some of the positive as well as harmful effects this commercial may have on consumers who overuse/ subscribe to it?
Alternative perspective: How can this text be given a more balanced perspective, providing both the pros and cons of the commercial? What other information has been excluded but should be included.

Q: Design 6 storyboards of a commercial for the Ministry of Education, targeted at teenagers, emphasizing that all humankind regardless of colour, creed or religion must see each other as part of a global Singaporean family. Submit your commercial in both print (i.e., storyboards) and non-print form (i.e., the completed commercial clip).

A Paradigm Shift

The inclusion of a framework for multimodal assessment involves a shift in the mindset of educators. But we will find that our students are better able to critically read other forms of texts in the real world, as they apply reading skills learned and assessed in the classroom.

Resource
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