Theories of multimedia learning suggest that learners can form better referential connections when verbal and visual materials are presented simultaneously. Furthermore, the addition of auditory input in reading-while-listening conditions benefits performance on a variety of linguistic tasks. However, little research has been conducted on the processing of multimedia input (written text and images) with and without accompanying audio. Eye movements were recorded during young L2 learners’ (N = 30) processing of a multimedia story text in reading-only and reading-while-listening conditions to investigate looking patterns and their relationship with comprehension using a multiple-choice comprehension test. Analysis of the eye-movement data showed that the presence of audio in reading-while-listening conditions allowed learners to look at the image more often. Processing time on text was related to lower levels of comprehension, whereas processing time on images was positively related to comprehension.

WhatsApp is a powerful tool for L2 learning because of its capacity to promote interaction between teacher and student, as well as among students. Its use has also been shown to support ubiquitous learning. In an attempt to extend language learning beyond the classroom, this study reports on the use of instant messaging through WhatsApp by a group of EFL learners (n = 23) who were regularly sent optional language-learning tasks by their teacher during an intensive summer course. By the end of a five-week-period, 764 messages had been produced, which are explored through a qualitative analysis in the present study, with particular attention to changes of participation as a result of time. Most of the messages in the WhatsApp group were produced by the students in the context of the teacher-initiated tasks and through them students had the chance to practice the language as well as engage in real communication, even though student participation tended to decrease over time. The WhatsApp group was also used for informal communication among the students and with the teacher (a total of 289 off-task messages) which, in contrast to on-task messages, grew over time. The nature of the interactions also tended to be more spontaneous and symmetrical, at times with more of a presence of textese. Negotiation of form and content was scarce, but both on-task and off-task messages turned out to be equally productive in engaging students to use English beyond the walls of the classroom.

Reading while listening, i.e. simultaneously reading and listening to a text, has been shown to be an efficient procedure for foreign language learning. It has also been considered a way of increasing the quality and quantity of L2 input as well as a form of engaging readers in the process of reading. However, little research has been conducted about this mode of reading with young, inexperienced EFL learners. The present study reports on primary students’ levels of engagement and perceptions after participating on a one-year reading programme at school. The results reveal that the reading-while-listening mode seems to contribute positively to the students’ perceptions and level of engagement when reading in English.

Comparative studies in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) often show CLIL students to be at something of an advantage over their non-CLIL peers. However, such studies are often difficult to interpret given problems of cross-group comparability (different schooling systems, different number of instructional hours, bias attributable to selection/self-selection, etc.). This study focuses on a single group of schoolchildren (n = 22), aged eight years old, that were exposed to English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction in the fall term and to CLIL instruction (Science) in the winter term. The main objectives are to analyze the vocabulary of the class materials and to examine gains in productive lexical knowledge. Our results show that students were exposed to a greater number of words and to more abstract and technical vocabulary in the CLIL materials, but that they made significant progress in vocabulary learning in both contexts. The study also reveals that learning English through Science proved to be a more challenging experience than learning English in the EFL class.

This study examines the results of an intervention conducted with adult EFL learners in Barcelona, Spain, to foster engagement with the target language outside class time. As part of the programme, the messaging service WhatsApp was used to carry out a range of voluntary communicative tasks, in learners’ own time. Familiarity with this tool made it easy to use, and learner feedback was positive. Analysis of the resulting chat transcript indicated that (1) off-task participation increased as learners appropriated the space as a vehicle for their own communication, (2) off-task interactions fell predominantly into two categories: administrative and social, and (3) despite being voluntary and unevaluated, with minimum teacher intervention, English was overwhelmingly the language of choice within these interactions. We hope this study can serve as an example of the possibilities offered by the WhatsApp medium in an EFL context.