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Investigating the Design Strategies of EFL Learning Videos from the Perspective of Social Presence

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Abstract

As Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are booming, the development of learning videos has become a crucial work. The designing of learning videos for learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) depends much on experience and lacks adequate theoretical guidance, which results in unsatisfactory learning outcomes. This study investigates the design of EFL learning videos from the perspective of social presence and proposes a few technology-incorporated design strategies, namely embedding instructor image, establishing visual social context and improving learner-video interactivity on both mental and operational levels. These strategies were adopted in the development of three EFL MOOCs. A quasi-experiment was conducted with the experimental group using videos from those MOOCs. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey measuring social presence, a group interview and a post-test. Results show that the experimental group perceived significantly higher social presence than the control group yet did not achieve better learning outcomes. Configuration of subtitles and arrangement of visual elements are considered as possible factors for not obtaining better learning outcomes, and suggestions are offered to improve the strategies.

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Funding

This study was granted by the National Social Science Foundation of China [National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences (CN)] (project number: 16ZDA210).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, National University of Defense Technology, No. 1 Fuyuan Road, Changsha, 410072, China

    Jun Ge, Xiaobo Liang & Tianxiao Peng

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  1. Jun Ge
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  2. Xiaobo Liang
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  3. Tianxiao Peng
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Correspondence to Jun Ge.

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Ge, J., Liang, X. & Peng, T. Investigating the Design Strategies of EFL Learning Videos from the Perspective of Social Presence. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 31, 243–252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00556-y

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