The Roles of Non-Textual Elements in Sustaining ESL and EFL Learning: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This scoping review identifies the roles of non-textual elements and how these roles have changed in sustaining the teaching and learning of English as an additional language (EAL) in the last five years. Much of the research regarding non-textual elements has shown that they have significantly contributed to learners’ motivation, active participation, and communication. However, a systematic synthesis of how these roles have changed over the last five years, in terms of the types of non-textual elements used as a result of the growing access to technologies, is lacking. Following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, a scoping review of 50 studies from 2018 to 2022 was carried out, filtered from the ERIC, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. The studies were compiled considering two characteristics: the roles and types of non-textual elements in enhancing English as a second language (ESL)/English as a foreign language (EFL) in classrooms. The results show that 29 out of the 50 studies used non-textual elements in complementary roles and 21 studies used them in supplementary roles to enhance the teaching and learning of ESL and EFL in recent years. Educators prefer to utilize non-textual elements in dominantly complementary roles rather than supplementary roles to create a sustainable EAL (ESL and EFL) learning environment. Non-textual elements help learners capture and recall information far longer than texts alone. A revised dual method using non-textual elements in a combination of both supplementary and complementary roles, and also utilizing both technologically driven and traditional approaches, is the way forward in sustaining effective EAL learning

Investigating EFL Students’ Perceptions about the Use of Beyond Textbook Materials for University Courses

“…The beyond textbook materials comprise all such supplementary resources that are used together with a course's primary materials. Teachers worldwide utilize them to support language comprehension, add value to the learning process, enhance EFL students' performance, maintain high success rates, and achieve promising results (Lai et al 2022). Beyond textbook materials are beneficial resources that help students improve their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, as well as accelerate their language acquisition.…”

Analyzing the level of interest of high school students in solving mathematical problems in the modular and face-to-face learning

“…Visual aids are often regarded as a highly effective technique for enhancing the efficacy of teaching and facilitating the optimal distribution of knowledge [55][56][57] . The use of visual aids in educational instruction serves to augment lesson plans and help students in learning the subject matter [58,59] . The inclusion of visual aids in instruction and teaching can be highly advantageous in enhancing the learning of students.…”

New Perspectives in Utilizing Non-Textbook Resources in EFL Classrooms and Perceptions

“…Supplementary materials are defined as the materials intended to be used in addition to the primary materials of a course and not the core of the teaching content. These supplementary materials are used by educators globally, to bolster learners" comprehension of language skills, improve EFL learners" performance, give value to the learning process, maintain the success rate and generate positive outcomes (Lai et al 2022). Also, supplementary resources can be books or other materials containing tools for skills development, vocabulary and grammar, collections of communicative activities, phonological practice, teachers" resources, and web materials.…”