An investigation of subtitles as learning support in university education

Past literature on the benefits of subtitles has yielded contradictory results as variables such as language proficiency, language history, subtitle language, and subtitle characteristics have not been fully and consistently controlled. Furthermore, there is little research on the actual processing and impact of subtitles as learning support for first and second language learners in academic contexts - an evidently growing area of need. Using a mixed-methods approach, the current study aims to investigate the processing and resultant impact of subtitles on English and Chinese-speaking students in terms of their comprehension and cognitive load. Experiment1 (n=103) of the study was a five-week data collection in an authentic university classroom and revealed that English-speaking participants had lower self-reported cognitive load in reading foreign language subtitles while the presence of subtitles had no impact on Chinese-speaking participants. Experiment 2 (n=70) was a laboratory-based experiment replicating Experiment1 with a group of Chinese first-language students in a more controlled environment in which three conditions were examined: first-language subtitles, second-language subtitles, and no subtitles. First-language subtitles were found to result in improved comprehension. The current study adds further insight and complement existing research on the effectiveness of subtitles and subtitle language that second-language learners reading first-language subtitles improve performance in an academic context. The results provide a valuable implication on education pedagogy in terms of assisting second-language learners in achieving their highest potential academically without being disadvantaged by possible language barriers.