فاطمه نعمتی

Abstract words form a significant component of any language's vocabulary, yet their detachment from perception, action, and emotion systems presents challenges for EFL learners. Research highlights the role of collocating abstract adjectives with concrete nouns to aid learning, but the most effective instructional modality for teaching these words remain underexplored. Advances in technology offer tools like videos, apps, online games, and digital texts, to increasingly integrate multimedia into vocabulary instruction. Such tools address the pressing need to enhance students’ vocabulary, ultimately improving literacy outcomes. Harnessing these technologies enables educators to scaffold learning more effectively. This study investigated the effects of two instructional modalities—visual imagery (pictures) and performance-based instruction (videos)—on learning abstract adjectives by EFL learners. Sixty adjective-noun collocations were selected, controlling for the frequency, length, and abstractness of adjectives, while collocated nouns were high-frequency, familiar. Thirty intermediate young EFL learners were randomly assigned to two equal groups, each receiving a different instructional treatment. Findings revealed that performance-based multimodal instruction led to significantly better retention and understanding than static visual imagery. Videos effectively contextualized abstract concepts within dynamic, real-world scenarios, helping learners bridge the gap between abstract language and concrete experiences. These results, aligned with the indexical hypothesis, emphasize the pedagogical value of integrating performance-based multimedia to teach abstract vocabulary. The study provides practical insights for educators and curriculum designers aiming to enhance EFL instruction through multimodal and technology-driven approaches.