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COGNITIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF SUBTITLES IN
AUDIOVISUAL AIDS: TOWARDS ENHANCED
READING AND LISTENING
COMPREHENSION OF
LANGUAGE
LEARNERS
A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School
University of the East, Manila
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Master of Arts in Education – Major in English as a Second Language
By
ALLEN JAMES BERMEJO
SEPTEMBER, 2017 CHAPTER 1
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
This chapter contains the background of the study where the research problems,
its main goal, hypothesis, significance of the study, scope and delimitations, and
operational definition of terms are found.
Introduction
Presenting an audiovisual material as an alternative strategy in English
language teaching at the digital age is now indispensable especially in cases that call
for it such as movie critique, speech analysis, watching interviews, poem recitals,
scholarly lectures, recorded symposia and the like.
Research shows that students consistently have an increased engagement
and enjoyment of these media particularly when they are subtitled compared to other
options e.g., print, uncaptioned media. Even in studies that have not found a significant
improvement in academic objectives when using subtitled media have still determined
that students report preferring subtitles (Evmenova, 2008; Holmes, Russell, & Movitz,
2007).
On the other hand, when a word spoken by a native speaker of English is
not comprehensible enough for students to understand especially for non-natives, they
sometimes connect the moving pictures together to create their own interpretation
(Greenberg & Zenetis 2012). One engaging way to help language learners understand
the audiovisual material easily is through the use of videos with English subtitles.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
Subtitles provide struggling students with additional print exposure while watching
audiovisual aids. They will not only learn from the content of it, but also improve their
foundational reading and listening skills. Teachers can also encourage their students to
watch other sorts of videos such as television programs or movies of local or foreign
origin, in order for them to enhance their comprehension through reading and listening.
Given the wide accessibility of subtitled media on television, films and other sources
online, teachers can exploit these and consider them as valuable addition in teaching
the English language as an innovative pedagogy. These can help boost foundational
reading skills such as word recognition, as well as aural or listening skills and fluency.
Familiarizing with the English language in multiple ways can help
address the diverse needs and contemporary issues of learners especially now that they
belong to the digital age. The twenty-first-century learners can become easily bored of
the traditional classroom set-up where the teacher speaks while the students passively
listen. They are more likely to be fascinated with teacher-provided educational videos
or the so called E-TV learning as an approach in learning a lesson. In addition,
presenting audiovisual material with English subtitle can let the students see the words
as they hear them.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
Contextual Background
Despite the centuries of extensive studies that associate the use of
audiovisual aids in the classroom due to its effectiveness, the majority of local
educational institutions remain unaware of the potential of integrating educational
videos with subtitles in improving the listening and reading comprehension of
students. There are also some studies that prove a longer retention of the video content
and ultimately get better grades. Some web references also assert a premise that using
audiovisual aids with English subtitles get “reluctant readers” to read more (Sundius,
2008).
In the Philippines, the quality of English instruction is very low due to
the resources and error-riddled textbooks according to Andrew King, International
Development Program Education Country Director. In 2008, the results of the test of
English Proficiency for teachers in the low-performing schools showed that majority
of the elementary and secondary teachers are average, with 51% in elementary and
67% in the secondary level. Then Presidential Deputy Spokesperson, Lorelei Fajardo
admitted that the government is aware of the problem and they even earmarked 1
billion pesos to train 400,000 teachers in 2009.
While it is true that the country’s English proficiency is declining, it
seems the training of the teachers in 2009 has brought positive effect in 2013. The
Philippines was tagged as the 6th country in the world that has the most English
speakers (Spicer, 2016) and named the number 1 in Business English as recognized by
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
Pearson’s GlobalEnglish in 2013. This advantage, though, is fast being eroded by
growing competition from other nations (Marcelo, 2010).
On the other note, Andrew King, during the Center for International
Education (CIE) conference, warned that the continuous decline in Filipinos’ English
proficiency could affect the growth of the call center industry which provides
thousands of jobs at home and abroad. It is coupled with declining mastery of the
English language by our college graduates. Today, there are anecdotal reports of call
centers accepting a very small portion of those who apply because only three of a
hundred applicants are proficient in English (Macasinag, 2011). Local university
professors lament the inability of college students to comprehend and express
themselves in English. This actuality may negatively impact the Filipinos’ global
competitiveness when it comes to foreign trade, communication, and others. If this
problem further resonates, not only will the Filipinos have a hard time adapting into
environments where English is frequently involved, but will also lose the recognition
in the world as the best speakers of English in Southeast Asia.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology at the University of
California, Santa Barbara, conducted a research which focused on multimedia
learning. In his work, he applies basic findings from cognitive psychology to practical
questions in learning, teaching, and communication, most notably: How can
individuals effectively design visual content. Meyer (2001) revealed in his study five
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
design principles of multimedia with the implication that is contributed by the
Cognitive Theory on Multimedia Learning to help students understand a lesson:
Multiple Representation Principle
It is better to present an explanation in words and pictures than solely in words. The
first principle is simply that it is better to present an explanation using two modes of
representation rather than one.
Contiguity Principle
When giving a multimedia explanation, present corresponding words and pictures
contiguously rather than separately.
Split Attention Principle
When giving a multimedia explanation, present words as auditory narration rather than
as visual on-screen text.
Individual Difference Principle
The foregoing principles are more important for low knowledge than high-knowledge
learners, and for high-spatial rather than low spatial learners.
Coherence Principle
The fifth principle is that students learn better from a coherent summary which
highlights the relevant words and pictures than from a longer version of the summary.
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Source: http://teorije-ucenja.zesoi.fer.hr/doku.php?id=learning_theories:cognitive_theory_of_multimedia_learning
Conceptual Framework
This study examines the cognitive effectiveness of English subtitles in
audiovisual aids to enhance reading and listening comprehension of language learners.
The conceptual framework of this study is based on the theoretical foundations of
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning where visual and auditory channels are said
to optimize learning and instruction. This occurs because the brain accommodates
more information by taking advantage of its multi-modal processing capability with
technology-based tools.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
The researcher performs the following
tasks:
1. conducts the experiment where
both groups watch an
educational video clip without
subtitles and with subtitles,
respectively.
2. administers a test to determine
their comprehension
3. compares the result of the each
group using t-test
4. organizes a Focus Group
Discussion of both groups to
gain in-depth perception with
regard to the use and nonuse of
subtitles.
DEPENDENT VARIABLES
Results-Outputs
1. The researcher compares
the performance of the two
groups after the experiment
2. The researcher scrutinizes
the perceptions of the two
groups in FGD in
juxtaposition with their
scores from the
comprehension tests.
3. Subtitling has a significant
impact in the cognitive
enhancement of reading and
listening comprehension of
language learners
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
Research Paradigm
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
Utilization of
Subtitling in
Audiovisual Aid in
Classroom Instruction
Experimentation on the
Use and Nonuse of
Subtitling
Focus Group Discussion
Subtitling as a
Pedagogical Tool
for Enhanced
Reading and
Listening
Comprehension of
Language Learners
Figure 2: Cognitive Effectiveness Subtitling in Audiovisual Aids: Towards
Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language
Learners
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
Statement of the Problem
The main aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive effects of
subtitling in audiovisuals to the reading and listening comprehension level of language
learners. Specifically, it seeks to answer to the following questions:
1. What is the comprehension level of language learners after the
experiment in terms of:
1.1 Reading
1.2 Listening
2. What is the difference in reading and listening comprehension
skills between the control group and the experimental group?
3. What are the identified effects of subtitles in audiovisual aids to
language learners in terms of:
2.1 Reading
2.2 Listening
Affirmative Hypothesis
There is a significant relationship between the English Subtitles in
Audiovisual Aids with the increase of comprehension level of viewers compared to an
audiovisual aid without English Subtitles.
Significance of the Study
This research will help students who are suffering from their English
comprehension skills, or are poor in expressing themselves through the English
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language. Since English has already been part of the curricula of elementary,
secondary, and tertiary levels, it is expected that Filipinos are superior on the use of the
language. However, this case is not affirmed by the fact that although Filipinos are
aware of the usage of English language in their schools, there is still a lack of
proficiency in the language.
This research will also enlighten teachers on the importance of an
audiovisual material with English subtitles. Future researchers could also use this
study as a reference on their research related to the effectiveness of subtitles.
There have been so many successful studies about the innumerable
advantages of using subtitled audiovisual aids in classroom. Zane Education noted that
even the American government has recognized the need for subtitles. Consequently,
laws have been passed which mandated its availability. In the future, this research
could be a reference by Philippine lawmakers who may want to enforce the
Department of Education, Ched and TESDA to put English subtitles in teachers’
audiovisual or videographic instructional materials.
Scope and Delimitations
In the proposed study, the “audiovisual aids” refers to the video graphic
educational/instructional materials used by teachers as aid in teaching the lesson.
These can be film strips, speeches, poem recitals, scholars’ lectures, recorded
symposia, etc.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
The term “subtitle” refers to the texts located at the bottom center of the screen
simultaneously shown as uttered words are heard. This does not include closed-
captions and subtexts. Definitions and examples of the latter are found in the
Operational Definition of Terms.
The independent variable in this study is the use and nonuse of subtitle in
audiovisual aids, whereas, the comprehension through reading and listening is the
dependent variable. The dependent variable pertains to the comprehension of the
participants after watching the material. It will be measured basing from the scores the
participants attained after the experiment. The researcher will randomly group the
participants into two. Each group will consist of 8 members and will undergo the
experiment simultaneously.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Term Definition Example(s)
Subtitle - generally display only what is
spoken by a character
Lester: Hello!
Closed Captions - also includes dialogue but more
importantly it includes every
sound
JC: Hi! [gasps]
[engine starts]
[footsteps]
Subtexts - an implicit meaning, or [angry], [teary]
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underlying personality of a
character,
- or to establish a setting
[1993]
[Police Station]
Literacy Rate - refers to the percentage of people
who are able to read and write vs
those who are not.
97% (Philippines,
2010)
Oral Reading Rates/
Oral Reading
Fluency
- is the ability to read connected text
quickly, accurately, and with
expression
Incidental Learning - form of indirect / additional /
unplanned learning within an
informal or formal learning
situation
Self-Assessment - assessment or evaluation of
oneself or one's actions and
attitudes, in particular, of one's
performance at a job or learning
task considered in relation to an
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objective standard.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
The two macro skills, reading and watching, require two different brain
processes. When we read, the process obliges us to be actively involved. It means that
careful reading is not an automatic process, but rather occurs when we actively process
what we are reading. The brain gets a much better workout when reading as compared
when we are watching. Thus, the process entails a longer attention span and deeper
cognitive efforts. Watching a video, though, is passive. It’s much less demanding and
more of an automatic process, asking a lot less energy and effort on behalf of the
person watching (Margalit, 2015).
Both macro skills have advantages for the learners, hence, watching
audiovisuals with subtitles appears to have a positive impact on comprehension skills,
and combining viewing with subtitles appears to boost vocabulary acquisition,
addressing skill deficits of struggling readers (Linebarger, 2001).
It has been proven by the study of Paula Winke, Susan Gass, and Tetyana
Sydorenko of Michigan State University that the effects of subtitling during video-
based listening activities has benefits. Learners of Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and
Russian watched three short videos with and without subtitles in randomized order.
After watching the videos, the participants took comprehension and vocabulary tests
based on the video. After the experiment, twenty-six learners participated in an
interview session. They were asked about their general reactions to the subtitled and
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non-subtitled videos. Results from t-tests and two-way ANOVAs indicated that the
video with subtitle was more effective than the one without such. The interview data
revealed that learners used subtitles to increase their attention, improve processing,
reinforce previous knowledge, and analyze language.
Additionally, Ingrid Elisabeth Nufsfjord Kvitnes, in her research entitled,
“Subtitles in the Second Language Classroom: An Experimental Study with
Norwegian Learners of English” explored the use of subtitles in second language
acquisition for Norwegian learners of English. The experiment had two experimental
groups and a control group who watched the same video clip with or without subtitles.
She found out that subtitles aided comprehension of plot in the initial round of testing
in addition to the participants’ vocabulary size, and this was established through the
use of a simple comprehension questionnaire.
With the advent of technology, options of how one can watch movies
become numerous. Besides that the sound and images could be adopted, the subtitles
of either first language (L1) or second language (L2) are called for assisting
comprehension and language acquisition. Previous studies have mostly carried out
quantitative research and have been centered more on exploring whether the use of L1
or L2 subtitles fosters the learners’ general comprehension of the movies than their
learning process and actual gains of language. However, Chia-jung Tsai, a researcher
of National Changhua University of Education conducted a qualitative research to
investigate the reactions and learning process of twenty lower-intermediate EFL
learners while they were exposed to the L1 (Chinese) subtitled or L2 (English)
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subtitled movie. This study also intended to examine the learners’ gains of language in
terms of vocabulary learning, listening comprehension of the language presented in the
movie, pronunciation and oral abilities. The learners’ responses to the open-ended
questions and their reports during the member check process reveal that, from the
learners’ perspectives, L2 subtitled movies are more beneficial. This study suggests
that learners may improve their spelling, word recognition ability, pronunciation of
new words and words they have already acquired, their understanding of spoken
language, and intonation when they watch movies with the L2 subtitles.
Danan, M. (2004) in his journal, entitled “Captioning and Subtitling:
Undervalued Language Learning Strategies”, postulated that audiovisual material
enhanced with captions or interlingual subtitles is a particularly powerful pedagogical
tool which can help improve the listening comprehension skills of second-language
learners. Captioning facilitates language learning by helping students visualize what
they hear, especially if the input is not too far beyond their linguistic ability. Subtitling
can also increase language comprehension and leads to additional cognitive benefits,
such as greater depth of processing.
Although most students perform well with subtitled media, the speed of
subtitles could possibly pose a difficulty for young and emergent readers. Particularly
for basal readers, teachers may want to consider using subtitled audiovisual aids where
vocabulary is less likely to be difficult, such as animated clips, family-oriented
programs, or movies with young children in the cast.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
For students who are learning English (or another language), subtitled
media also can have advantages. This strategy has been revealed to be more effective
at improving overall aural comprehension than non-subtitled ones. Students who watch
subtitled audiovisual materials to learn a target language such as English have shown
progress in reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, decoding
skills, enthusiasm, and word recognition (Evmenova, 2008). The utilization of
audiovisual aids to teach a target language such as the English language can also
stimulate students’ interest and take away some of the anxiety of not understanding the
language (King, 2002; Shea, 2000).
When watching subtitled audiovisuals, learners will typically attempt to
interpret the text, even if they are struggling or emergent readers (Kothari, Pandey, &
Chudgar, 2004). Consequently, the result of the addition of subtitled audiovisuals to
classroom instruction is the shift of watching typical classroom videos from a
"dominantly picture-viewing activity to a dominantly reading activity" (Kothari,
2004). It gives the lower level readers the chance to be provided with additional
reading practice since they tend to avoid reading activities. It is because their exposure
to print is marginal and improvement of comprehension skills continues to lag behind
their peers.
In addition, significant amount of successful research carried out over the
last 30 years by people like Dr. Brij Kothari, Greg McCall, Susan Homan, the late Dr.
Alice Killackey and many others, has established the powerful link between the use of
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subtitles on video, and the potential to dramatically enhance children’s comprehension
through reading.
Taking the full advantage of print exposure through the use of subtitles,
both at home and at school, can increase opportunity of reading practice and
comprehension skill improvement (Kothari, 2004). Putting subtitles in television is
now spearheaded by India since they have proven that it really enhances the literacy
rate among television viewers. Dr. Brij Kothari, an Associate Professor at the Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) and presently a Reuters Foundation
Digital Vision Fellow and a Microsoft Developing Country Fellow at Stanford
University, pointed out in his research article: Reading Out of the “Idiot Box”: Same-
Language Subtitling on Television in India, that they deliberated the results of the pilot
study to test the helpfulness of Same-Language-Subtitling (SLS) on the reading skills
of out-of-school residents. Having limited exposure to SLS within a telecast period of
6 months, SLS was discovered to still make an incremental but measurable
contribution to decoding skills, across the group that generally saw the subtitled TV
program, as compared to those who did not.
According to Gunderson, Odo and D'Silva (2011) same language
subtitling (SLS) has been a success in rural India. It has been helpful in increasing
literacy and has promoted reading. Bird and Williams’ (2002) experiment unveiled that
written texts could aid the learning of spoken words as well as long term effect for
explicit and implicit memory. This experiment had participants with both western and
eastern background, and shows that this method could be useful for people of several
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nationalities. Bird and Williams’ (2002) suggest using the same-language subtitles that
most DVDs now provide, even if they are originally intended for the hearing impaired,
for second language learning.
In the Philippine setting, a lawmaker called on Filipino film and
television producers to add English subtitles into their TV programs to help improve
the average Filipino’s comprehension through reading and listening. Published by
Philippine Star in 2013, House Assistant Majority Leader and Cebu Rep. Gerald
Anthony Gullas Jr. suggested the subtitling of English translation and transcript of the
audio portion of Filipino movies or taped programs that are broadcast nationwide.
Before the programs are aired, Gullas proposed subtitles in English should already
been prepared. “If we can re-record or dub foreign-language telenovelas in Filipino,
then surely we can also put English subtitles in locally produced shows,” Gullas said.
“Subtitling will contribute to our learning and use of English, considering the mass
appeal of Filipino movies and TV programs,” he said. The lawmaker is the author of a
bill seeking to highlight the use of English in all school levels, in an attempt to produce
the nation’s future labor force members highly competitive.
In this case, Filipinos with skills to sell may now seek gainful
employment in any corner of the world because of globalization. It has underscored the
necessity for Filipinos to master English, which is not only the world’s operational
language, but also the language of technology. “There’s no question that young
Filipinos with superior English skills are bound to enjoy greater employment
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opportunities in the technology-driven global labor markets of the future”, Gulas
added.
Alaga’s 2016 research, Media Exposure for an Enhanced Communicative
ESL Instruction, assented on the viewing skill where learners can absorb information
more quickly by watching audiovisual aids. They can as well improve their receptive
skills by reading English subtitles. Thus, the learners will have the opportunity to
communicate using the target language- English as they are exposed to real spoken and
written language. This improves their communicative skills as they are motivated in
talking about a common experience with their classmates. It is imperative to develop
and use the acquisition of these skills in order to improve language skills and
communicative competence of the learners (Lightbown, 2010).
On the other note, the Government of the Unites States of America has
already enacted laws concerning the integration of subtitles in media. These are the
laws requiring the integration of subtitles on video. What is good in subtitles is that it
provides equal access for all viewers. Their government has recognized the need for
subtitles and important laws have been passed which mandate its availability.
These legal requirements include:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 Entertainment, educational,
informational, and training materials can be subtitled for deaf and hard of hearing
audiences at the time they are produced (such as for pre-recorded materials) or when
distributed (such as for live presentations).
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, continues
to ensure that all children with disabilities have the right to receive a free, appropriate
public education. Every child served by IDEA is required to have an Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) that provides a blueprint for special education and related
services, such as subtitles.
The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 requires that all televisions larger than
13 inches sold in the United States after July 1993 have a special built-in decoder that
enables viewers to watch subtitled and closed-captioned programming.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 directs the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to adopt rules requiring subtitles and closed captioning of most
television programming. Under the rules, 100 percent of all new, non-exempt English-
language television programs must be subtitled and closed-captioned. Also, 75 percent
of non-exempt English-language programs shown for the first time before January 1,
1998 must be subtitled.
The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 ensures
the continued accessibility of video programming to Americans with disabilities as it
migrates to the Internet. Specifically, any television program show with subtitles on
television must retain those subtitles if it’s also shown on the Internet.
In July of 2016, a law requiring Filipino televisions to provide subtitles in
all their broadcasts for the benefit of hearing-impaired viewers of news and
entertainment shows has lapsed into law as Malacañang took no action on the
legislation 30 days after it was forwarded for enactment on June 20 (Poe, 2016).
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Republic Act No. 10905 or The Closed Caption Law, obliges television stations to use
the subtitling system that transcribes spoken lines and describes nonverbal elements in
television programs. The principal author, Sen. Grace Poe, said in an interview that
one of the objectives of this legislation is to provide the hearing-impaired an access to
news, entertainment and information in promoting their welfare.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
The research design will be a combination of Qualitative and
Experimental research method.
I. Experimental Research Method
The researcher believes that the Experimental research method will
provide tangible and concrete evidence that English subtitle really can influence and
positively affect the comprehension of the viewers through reading and listening. This
will also be further justified during the Focus Group Discussion.
II. Qualitative Research Method
The researcher also believes that he can acquire in-depth answers from
the Focus Group Discussion which cannot be achieved when quantitative approach is
employed. Moreover, it is necessary for the study to have scrutinized responses from
the selected participants so as to have thorough assessment on the integration of
English subtitles to enhance comprehension through reading and listening.
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Population and Sample
The researcher will utilize the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory to
select the participants of the study. Eighty participants will be chosen in instructional
level. They will then undergo experiment and focus group discussion, provided,
however, that each participant meets the given criteria.
To qualify as a participant, he or she should be a Grade 6 in any
elementary school. He or she should also have experienced watching an educational
video/audiovisual aid presented by his/her teacher as a part of their lesson.
Research Procedure
The experiment will be participated by two groups where the members
are selected randomly. One group will be chosen as the control group wherein they
will watch a 13 minute educational video without English subtitles. The other group,
tagged as the experimental group, will watch the same material, this time with English
subtitles.
After which, both groups will answer the same questions that are based
from the material that they watched. This will test their reading and listening
comprehension, and memory retention. They will repeat the process once a day in 5
days.
The experiment will be conducted in the morning and the FGD - in the
afternoon. The experiment will be held in 2 audio-visual rooms where both groups are
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
separated. Then, both groups will be participating in the FGD that will happen in a
closed-door discussion room.
The data that will be gathered will be the answers from the objective type
of questions after the experimentation of the two groups and the other one is the
transcript of answers from the Focus Group Discussion. Simply put, there will be two
questionnaires that the researcher will construct to be validated by a team of experts:
one for the Experimental, and one for the Qualitative.
Research Instruments and Validation
The material is entitled: Learn English: How to understand Native
Speakers. The video can be retrieved at
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nigdf69TSNE).
Pic 1: Audiovisual Aid with English Subtitles presented to the Experimental Group
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
Pic 2: Audiovisual Aid without English Subtitles presented to the Controlled Group
Below is the set of questions that will be answered by each participant of both groups
after watching the audiovisual material.
I. True or False
1. _________________ The letters S, H and G, are the letters that are often dropped
when spoken.
2. _________________ H’s are dropped because it is a very soft sound; it gets lost
in the flow of speech
3. _________________ Unlike the French speakers, they emphasize the H.
4. _________________ Native American speakers do not drop the initial vowel.
5. _________________ Native American speakers drop the vowels in between
because it’s just “too busy” and they are not really
needed.
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
6. _________________ Enunciate means stress every word.
7. _________________ The name of the speaker is Adam.
8. _________________ Some ways you can be exposed to Native American
speakers are watching movies and TV shows, and
listening to English songs.
9. _________________ He encourages us to speak the way he speaks.
10. _________________ The morale, according to him is practice.
II. How do native speakers say these words?
1. It’s okay -
2. Old friend -
3. Goodbye -
4. Should not have done -
5. Probably -
6. Happening -
7. What’s up? -
8. What? -
9. Doesn’t -
10. What’s his name? -
Focus Group Discussion
The moderator for the FGD will be the researcher himself. He will need
one assistant that will serve as the note-taker during the discussion. The participants
will be informed that they are being recorded on camera so that the researcher can
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Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitles in Audiovisual Aids: Towards Enhanced Reading and Listening Comprehension of Language Learners
review the FGD while doing the interpretation of the data. The FGD will focus more
on the effectiveness of integrating English subtitles in audiovisual aids to enhance
students’ comprehension through reading and listening. The questions for the Focus
Group Discussion consisted of are as follows:
What is your perception on the English Language?
How do you perform in your English subjects when you are in
the classroom?
Explain how the English language is taught in a your school.
What are your recommendations for the students to learn
English better?
Have you ever watched an educational video or movie with
English subtitle before? If so, please tell us more about it.
Are you in favor of integrating English subtitles to audiovisual
aids? If you were to rate 1-10, where 10 is the highest, what is
your rating? Why?
How do you think will it help enhance our students’ English
proficiency? Explain with specific examples, avoid
generalization.
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This question is for the controlled group who watched the
audiovisual material with English subtitles, how does
watching it affect your comprehension in reading? How about
listening?
If the lawmakers would pass a law that enforces teachers to
choose audiovisual aids with subtitles, what do you think are
the negative effects for the students, teachers, or anyone who
could be involved?
If English subtitles are already integrated in every audiovisual
educational material, which do you focus on? The moving
images, the dialogue or sounds or the subtitles? Why?
How do you think will the integration of English subtitles
affect the viewing pleasure of the audience?
Are you going to advocate for this? If so, how?
Statistical Treatment
The data from the experiment will be treated statistically by the t-test to
compare the means of the two groups. Significance level adopted will be p = 0.05 with
95% confidence intervals.
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