Using Video as an Advance Organizer to a Written Passage in the FLES Classroom

We compared the effects of two visual advance organizers on comprehension and retention of a written passage in a FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) Program: (a) Video and (b) Pictures + Teacher Narrative. Sixty-two English-speaking students enrolled in fifth grade in a parochial elementary school served as subjects. Investigators randomly assigned students to one of two conditions. Students in both conditions read 12 identical passages in French. The two groups differed only in their introduction to the passages. For students in the video group, a short video clip presented the narration of the advance organizer while for the comparative group, the teacher presented the identical narration by reading it aloud and showing four pictures related in context. Findings indicated that Video was a more effective advance organizer than Pictures + Teacher Narrative. The investigators interpreted these results as evidence of video's potential to enhance comprehension and enrich instruction.

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