Moving from theory to practice: Applying the four meta-literacy model to the business communication classroom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.1.12.1.3335Keywords:
MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION, MULTILITERACIES, DIGITAL LITERACY, MULTIMODAL LITERACYAbstract
The multiple mixed-method case studies approach responds to the need for multimodal literacy and multiliteracies assessment in higher education to address the current digital workplace communication gap. The 4ML theoretical model for digital multimodal communication provided the basis for a scoring rubric and an analytical framework for multimodal content analysis. The model was an effective tool for diagnosing multimodal composers’ literacy levels in digital literacy, multimedia skill literacy, multimodal design literacy, and rhetorical literacy. Additionally, the visual analysis of undergraduate multimodal slide decks provided qualitative insight into multiliteracies’ strengths and gaps. The findings support the use of the 4ML model in business and professional communication classrooms to enhance digital multimodal communication competencies.
References
Aguirre, Regina T., & Bolton, Kristin W. (2014). Qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis in social work research: Uncharted territory. Journal of Social Work, 14(3), 279–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017313476797
Andrews, Deborah C. (2022). Designing a Course in Business Communication. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 85(3), 349–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906221105286
Ball, Cheryl E. (2012). Assessing scholarly multimedia: A rhetorical genre studies approach. Technical Communication Quarterly, 2(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572252.2012.626390
Barthes, Roland (1967). Elements of semiology (Annette Lavers & Colin Smith, Trans.). Cape.
Bourelle, Tiffany, Bourelle, Andrew, Spong, Stephanie, & Hendrickson, Brian (2017). Assessing multimodal literacy in the online technical communication classroom. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 31(2), 222–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651916682288
Brent, Doug (2011). Transfer, transformation, and rhetorical knowledge: Insights from transfer theory. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 25(4), 396–420. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651911410951
Brumberger, Eva R. (2005). Visual rhetoric in the curriculum: Pedagogy for a multimodal workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 68, 318-333.
Brumberger, Eva R. (2007). Making the strange familiar: A pedagogical exploration of visual thinking. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 21(4), 376–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651907304021
Canva. (2024, June 5). CANVA report: AI and visual communication are booming. The Visual Economy Report 2024. https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/visual-economy-report-2024
Cazden, Courtney, Cope, Bill, Fairclough, Norman, & Gee, Jim (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60-92.
Cloonan, Anne (2011). Creating multimodal metalanguage with teachers. English Teaching : Practice and Critique, 10(4), 23-40.
Coffelt, Tina, Cosgrove, Samantha, & Vance, Bremen (2022). Measuring business and professional communication skills. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 85(2), 169–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906221082235
Coffelt, Tina A., Grauman, Dale, & Smith, Frances L. M. (2019). Employers’ perspectives on workplace communication skills: The meaning of communication skills. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 82(4), 418–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490619851119
Conklin, Heather (2022, April 8). How business can navigate the digital skills shortage. Fortune. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://fortune.com/2022/04/08/online-learningworkforce-training-digital-skills-gap/
Cook, Kelli C. (2002). Layered literacies: A theoretical frame for technical communication pedagogy. Technical Communication Quarterly, 11(1), 5-29. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15427625tcq1101_1
Deely, John, & Semetsky, Inna. (2017). Semiotics, edusemiotics and the culture of education. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(3), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2016.1190265
Dias, Patrick, Freedman, Aviva, Medway, Peter, & Par, Anthony (1999). Worlds apart: acting and writing in academic and workplace contexts (1st ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Eshet-Alkalai, Yoram (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106.
Feerrar, Julia (2019). Development of a framework for digital literacy. Reference Services Review, 47(2), 91-¬¬105. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-01-2019-0002
Gallagher, Phillip B. (2020). Technical communication as design: A design pedagogy study [Doctoral dissertation, Iowa State University]. Iowa State University Digital Repository. https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-20200624-64
Gilster, Paul (1997). Digital literacy. John Wiley & Sons.
Halliday, Michael A. K. (1978). Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. University Park Press.
Hung, Hsiu-Ting, Chiu, Yi-Ching J., & Yeh, Hui-Chin (2013). Multimodal assessment of and for learning: A theory-driven design rubric. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(3), 400–409. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01337.x
Knaflic, Cole N. (2015). Storytelling with data : a data visualization guide for business professionals. Wiley.
Knight, Lorrie A. (2006). Using rubrics to assess information literacy. Reference Services Review, 34(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907320610640752
Knight, Melinda (2015). The Ubiquitousness of PowerPoint. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 78(3), 271–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490615600840
Kress, Gunther R. (2010). Multimodality : a social semiotic approach to contemporary communication. Routledge.
Lauer, Claire (2009). Contending with terms: “Multimodal” and “multimedia” in the academic and public spheres. Computers & Composition/Computers and Composition, 26(4), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2009.09.001
Leary, Heather, & Walker, Andrew (2018). Meta-analysis and meta- synthesis methodologies: Rigorously piecing together research. TechTrends, 62(5), 525-534. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0312-7
Ledin, Per, & Machin, David (2020). Introduction to multimodal analysis (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic.
Liang, Wei J., & Lim, Fei V. (2021). A pedagogical framework for digital multimodal composing in the English language classroom. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 15(4), 306-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2020.1800709
Lodewick, Colin (2022, March 11). Tech skill gaps are decimating the global workforce and could put workers-and-companies in crisis. Fortune. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://fortune.com/2022/01/28/workers-are-grappling-with-a-major-tech-skills-gap/
Mackey, Thomas P., & Jacobson, Trudie E. (2011). Reframing information literacy as a metaliteracy. College & Research Libraries, 72(1), 62-78. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl-76r1
Makani-Lim, Bobbi, Agee, Ann, Wu, Diana, & Easter, Marilyn (2014). Research in action: Using rubrics to assess information literacy skills in business education. Journal of Business and Educational Leadership, 5(1), 3-17.
Mayer, Richard E., & Moreno, Roxana (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43–52. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_6
McGrail, Ewa, Turner, Kristen H., Piotrowski, Amy, Caprino, Kathryn, Zucker, Lauren, & Greenwood, Ellen (2021). An interconnected framework for assessment of digital multimodal composition. English Education, 53(4), 277–302.
Merriam, Sharan. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Ng, Wan (2012). Empowering scientific literacy through digital literacy and multiliteracies. Nova Science Publishers.
Oakleaf, Megan (2009). The information literacy instruction assessment cycle: A guide for increasing student learning and improving librarian instructional skills. Journal of Documentation, 65(4), 539–560. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410910970249
Pangrazio, Luci, Godhe, Anna-Lena, & Ledesma, Alejo G. L. (2020). What is digital literacy? A comparative review of publications across three language contexts. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(6), 442–459. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020946291
Reddy, Y. Malini, & Andrade, Heidi (2010). A review of rubric use in higher education. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(4), 435–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930902862859
Reid, Gwendolynne, Snead, Robin, Pettiway, Keon, & Simoneaux, Brent (2016). Multimodal communication in the university: Surveying faculty across disciplines. Across the Disciplines, 13(1), 1-29.
Rose, Gilllian (2007). Visual methodologies : an introduction to the interpretation of visual materials (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Ross, Jen, Curwood, Jen S., & Bell, Amani (2020). A multimodal assessment framework for higher education. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(4), 290–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753020927201
Secker, Jane (2018). The trouble with terminology: Rehabilitating and rethinking ‘digital literacy’. In Katharine Reedy & Jo Parker (Eds.), Digital literacy unpacked. (pp. 3-16). Facet. https://doi.org/10.29085/9781783301997.003
Selber, Stuart A. (2004). Multiliteracies for a digital age. Southern Illinois University Press.
Senapatiratne, Tim (2021). What is metaliteracy?: Using the concepts of metaliteracy in theological librarianship. Catholic Library World, 92(2), 113-157.
Serafini, Frank (2014). Reading the visual: An introduction to teaching multimodal literacy. Teachers College Press.
Serafini, Frank (2022). Beyond the visual: An introduction to researching multimodal phenomena. Teachers College Press.
Serafini, Frank, & Reid, Stephanie F. (2023). Multimodal content analysis: expanding analytical approaches to content analysis. Visual Communication, 22(4), 623–649. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470357219864133
Sindoni, Maria G., Adami, Elisabetta, Karatza, Styliani, Moschini, Illaria, & Petroni, Sandra (2022). 10 theory and practice of the common framework of reference for intercultural digital literacies. In Maria Grazia Sindoni & Illaria Moschini (Eds.), Multimodal literacies across digital learning contexts (pp. 166–184). Routledge.
Slides Carnival. (2024, November 4). Free PowerPoint & Google Slides templates that stand out. https://www.slidescarnival.com/
Solis, Brian (2022, February 10). From the great resignation to the great digital skills divide: The need for empathetic leaders in a digital-first world. Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolis/2022/02/09/from-the-great-resignation-tothe-great-digital-skills-divide-the-rise-of-empathetic-leaders-in-a-digital-firstworld/?sh=48d2564c6d77
Sparks, Jesse R., Katz, Irvin R., & Beile, Penny M. (2016). Assessing digital information literacy in higher education: A review of existing frameworks and assessments with recommendations for next‐generation assessment. ETS Research Report Series, 2016(2), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12118
Strauss, Anselm L., & Corbin, Juliet M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications.
Strong, Jane E. K. (2022). Four Meta-Literacies Model in Digital Multimodal Communication: A Brick-by-Brick Construction Using Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Synthesis [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University]. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3746
Tan, Sabine, Smith, Bradley A., & O’Halloran, Kay L. (2015). Online leadership discourse in higher education: A digital multimodal discourse perspective. Discourse & Communication, 9(5), 559–584. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481315600302
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Jane Strong

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
