Critical Inquiry into an ELICOS Writing Programme: Exploring multimodal pedagogies through action research

This action research study critically investigated the introduction of multimodal pedagogies into an English language intensive course for international students (ELICOS) in an Australian university. The analysis reveals the dominance of traditional linguistic approaches to the teaching of writing, which do not enhance students’ meaning-making potential or their overall writing experience. The study calls for a re-examination of current monomodal practices in ELICOS. In particular, it advocates for the implementation of multimodal pedagogies in writing classes that more appropriately recognise the funds of knowledge international students bring to their writing and better address their linguistic, cultural and social needs.