comprehension, as it does not give the chance for paralinguistic features such as
gestures and facial expressions to be clearly expressed. Moreover, as Parker and
Parker (1997:185) stress, good illustrations enhance children’s understanding of the
text not only because they are motivating, but also because they help learners activate
relevant schemata (see Williams and Moran 1989:219).
The visuals contained in the Fun Way series
facilitate comprehension
Strongly
disagree
11%
Disagree
30%
Agree
35%
Uncertain
24%
Figure 6. The respondents’ attitude concerning the effectiveness of the visuals contained in the ‘Fun
Way’ series
Finally, as it is shown in figures 7 and 8 below, although most respondents
either disagree, or are uncertain about the appropriateness of the teaching material to
provide students with the chance to work collaboratively, or to develop their writing
skills, more than four out of ten respondents express a positive view concerning the
above two questions.
The activities contained in the Fun Way series
give students the chance to work in groups or
pairs
Strongly
disagree
5%
Disagree
22%
Agree
41%
Uncertain
32%
Figure 7. The respondents’ attitude concerning the chances provided by the teaching material
for collaborative work.
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