Effects of Contextual Cues and Support Requirements of Multimedia Animation on Children´s English Learning

This study sought to explore the effects of contextual cues and support requirements of multimedia animation on children´s English learning. Existing English multimedia animations were divided into two types: rich contextual cues and limited contextual cues. Support requirements for design were also put into two categories: no support requirements vs. support through display of key images before listening and English description and the display of key images after listening as well as printing materials. A two-factorial integrative experimental design study found: 1), contextual cues play an extremely important role in the process of children´s learning via multimedia animation, which means children are more dependent on contextual cues; 2) the design of support requirements needs to provide or complement relevant and specific contextual cues in order to help children´s comprehension and match the audio to the context.