Knowledge and multimodal interaction in textbooks of Chinese as a foreign language: A multimodality perspective

Abstract

This thesis conducted a comparative study of two series of CFL textbooks, which was undertaken to explore the textbook content and its effectiveness using a two-dimensional framework developed from Weninger’s work (2021). This multimodal framework integrates processability theory (Pienemann & Kessler, 2011), metafunctions (Bezemer & Kress, 2008; Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2021), and cognitive theories (Chen et al., 2023; Wickens, 2008) with the goal of enhancing the utilisation of modes in CFL textbooks. The analytic focus is on multimodal interactions between texts and visual images of varying complexity and on the ways in which the meanings of modes are integrated into cognition, in order to examine the impact of these modes on learners.

The findings reveal clear differences between a series of China-produced CFL textbooks (Developing Chinese—DC) and a series of U.S.-produced CFL textbooks (Integrated Chinese—IC). The DC series focuses heavily on grammar rules, offering only superficial engagement with Chinese culture and minimal examination of language and cultural intersectionality. In contrast, the IC strikes a balance between grammar and cultural knowledge and emphasises the importance of self-identity (gender and ethnicity) rather than social identities (institutional and relational), which are emphasised in the DC textbooks. The analysis also identifies and evaluates the visual strategies (schematic elements, layering and integration patterns) employed by textbook authors to shape learners’ perceptual and cognitive experiences.