Making Meaning with Multimedia in Secondary English Language Arts: A Multiple Case Study

The purpose of this multiple case study was to learn about how secondary English language arts (ELA) teachers help students to make meaning with multimedia. The study focused on how and why teachers plan and implement meaning-making learning experiences. The cases represent the experiences and perspectives of five ELA teachers who use digital and non-digital multimedia texts to help their students develop skills in meaning making. The results of this study define a set of principles that the teachers use to guide planning and implementation processes that focus on authentic, student-centered learning. The teachers value learning that has relevance to the students’ interests, goals, and lived experiences outside of the classroom. Adaptable planning, a focus on the needs of students, mitigating barriers through accessing outside resources, and setting learning goals that go beyond content-area standards characterize the teachers’ approaches to helping students make meaning. Multimedia texts were an embedded and pervasive aspect of students’ learning experiences