IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite

Unembodied Multimodal Resources in Senior High School EFL Classrooms: A Multimodal Interaction Analysis

Mhd Reza Anwar (Master’s Program in English Education, Faculty of Tarbiyah Science and Teacher Training, State Islamic University of North Sumatra Medan)
Tien Rafida (Master’s Program in English Education, Faculty of Tarbiyah Science and Teacher Training, State Islamic University of North Sumatra Medan)
Maslathif Dwi Purnomo (Master’s Program in English Education, Faculty of Tarbiyah Science and Teacher Training, State Islamic University of North Sumatra Medan)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study examines how unembodied multimodal resources construct meaning in EFL classroom interaction at the senior high school level. Grounded in Sigrid Norris's Multimodal Interaction Analysis (MIA) framework and social semiotic theory (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001, 2006), the study investigates the meaning-constructing mechanisms through which non-bodily semiotic resources such as digital video media, projected presentation slides, physical material artifacts, and environmental spatial arrangements operate in authentic EFL instruction. Data were collected through video-recorded classroom observations of an experienced English teacher at SMA Kemala Bhayangkari, North Sumatra, Indonesia, across two classroom meetings covering procedure text and argumentative text genres. Analysis of nineteen video-captured still images reveal that meaning is constructed not through any single resource in isolation but through intermodal ensembles in which projected visual content, spoken teacher language, and embodied action converge. Five key mechanisms of meaning construction are identified: intermodal complementarity, indexical anchoring through gesture, compositional organization of projected layouts, temporal sequencing of resources, and kinesthetic affordances of physical objects. The findings demonstrate that unembodied resources serve multiple integrated pedagogical functions in EFL teaching, supporting content comprehension, enabling genre-level metalinguistic analysis, and structuring classroom participation. These results affirm the fundamentally multimodal character of EFL pedagogy and offer evidence-based implications for EFL instructional design and teacher education.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ideas

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

IDEAS Journal is published twice a year in the months of June and December (P-ISSN 2338-4778 and E-ISSN 2548-4192); it presents articles on English language teaching and learning, linguistics, and literature. The contents include analyses, studies and application of theories, research report, ...