Using Infographics in the Teaching of Linguistics

Information graphics (infographics) are visualizations of ideas & information in a type of picture. Infographics combine data with design in order to communicate information to an audience in a comprehensible manner. This study is motivated by the lack of resources that directly study the influence of infographics on linguistics. It aims to investigate the impact of using information graphics in the teaching of linguistics on Saudi students. The researchers seek to answer the following questions: (i) What is the Saudi female EFL students' perception of using infographics as a tool for learning linguistics and semantics? (ii) What are the advantages & disadvantages of using infographics as a tool for learning linguistics and semantics? To this end, 186 Saudi female college students from the Department of Translation at the College of Languages in Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) took part in this study. They designed infographics as a project in two linguistic courses: Introduction to Linguistics and Introduction to Semantics. They were provided a 26-item questionnaire. The questionnaire was analyzed by using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The participants’ responses were analyzed according to quantitative data analysis procedures. The findings show the students’ positive attitude towards using infographics even though the majority were not familiar with them. While creating infographics, the participants found practicing various skills such as higher thinking skills beneficial. However, issues such as technical problems were perceived as a hindrance. A number of implications and suggestions are presented based on the results of this research.