Multimodal input for vocabulary learning: Chinese EFL learners’ perceived effectiveness across input combinations, word types, and proficiency levels

This study investigated how Chinese learners of English perceive the effectiveness of different multimodal input for vocabulary learning. Forty participants perceived 14 combinations of visual, auditory, tactile, and gestural modalities across various word types and proficiency levels through an online questionnaire. Results revealed three key findings. First, adding more modalities did not automatically increase perceived effectiveness; what mattered was which specific modalities were combined. Visual-inclusive combinations consistently received the highest ratings, while gestural input alone was rated lowest. Second, learners showed distinct preferences for different word types: concrete words favored visual and auditory input, action words preferred visual and gestural input, and emotion words selected auditory and gestural input. Abstract words elicited no clear consensus. Third, proficiency influenced these patterns. Advanced learners rated multimodal input more favorably overall and showed convergence on visual and auditory combinations for abstract words, whereas intermediate learners remained divided and reported higher processing difficulty. These findings document systematic patterns in learner perceptions and provide a foundation for experimental studies testing whether such preferences correspond to actual vocabulary learning outcomes.