Learning Foreign Language through an Interactive Multimedia Program: An Experimental Study on the Effects of the Relevance Component of the ARCS Model

Abstract

This experimental study investigated effects of intrinsic motivation and embedded relevance enhancement within a computer-based interactive multimedia (CBIM) lesson for English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. Subjects, categorized as having a higher or lower level of intrinsic motivation, were randomly assigned to learn concepts related to criticism using a CBIM program featuring English language text, videos, and exercises either with or without enhanced relevance components. Two dependent variables, comprehension, as measured by a posttest, and perceptions of motivation, as measured by the Modified Instructional Material Motivation Survey (MIMMS), were assessed after students completed the CBIM program. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the collected data. The findings indicated that (a) the use of relevance enhancement strategies facilitated students’ language learning regardless of learners’ level of intrinsic motivation, (b) more highly intrinsically motivated students performed better regardless of the specific treatments they received, (c) the effects of the two variables were additive; intrinsically motivated students who learned from the program with embedded instructional strategies performed the best overall, and (d) there was no significant interaction between the two variables.