VietTESOL International Convention 2025

Visual images have long played a crucial role in English language teaching materials, serving not only to illustrate vocabulary and grammar but also to support learner engagement and comprehension. In modern EFL textbooks, images are increasingly used as integral components of multimodal communication and pedagogical design. This study examines the pedagogical role and multimodal meanings of visual images in two English textbooks currently used to teach non-English major students at a nationwide private vocational college system in Vietnam. Based on the multimodal analysis framework of Kress and van Leeuwen (2006), the study focuses on three main functions of images: representational function, interactive function, and compositional function. Initial results show that most images are instructional, closely related to lesson content, and support the learning of language aspects, such as vocabulary, grammatical structures, as well as the development of communication skills in real-life situations. The images represent a diversity of nationalities, occupations, and language use contexts, with a relatively balanced appearance of both genders. Despite the international diversity, the image content is sometimes not really connected to the life experiences and social context of Vietnamese learners. The study proposes the exploitation and design of images in a purposeful and culturally relevant way to improve learning effectiveness and visual perception of learners.