Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of English Language & Literature, Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The present study was an attempt to investigate the effects of textually-enhanced dual subtitles on vocabulary learning and listening comprehension among Iranian intermediate-level English language learners. The research explored how different types of subtitles—textually-enhanced dual subtitles, plain dual subtitles, and no subtitles—impact learners’ ability to learn vocabulary and influence their listening comprehension. To achieve this goal, 51 Iranian intermediate EFL learners from a private Institute, Iran National Language Institute, were randomly assigned to three groups: the first experimental group, namely Textually-enhanced Dual Subtitles (TEDS) watched 6 episodes of the American sitcom Friends with textually-enhanced dual subtitles, the second experimental group with plain dual subtitles (PDS), and the control group (CG) without any subtitles. Before and after the treatment, all the participants took tests assessing their vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. The results revealed that, regarding vocabulary posttest, the participants exposed to textually-enhanced dual subtitles performed significantly better than those who watched videos with plain dual subtitles or no subtitle. However, the difference in listening comprehension scores between the textually-enhanced dual subtitle group and the plain dual subtitle group was not statistically significant. Additionally, the plain dual subtitles group performed significantly better than the no subtitles group in both vocabulary and listening comprehension tests. This research highlights the potential of textually-enhanced dual subtitles in supporting vocabulary learning. The findings suggest that further exploration into different types of textual enhancement of various language elements, and their effects on various language skills is necessary to improve instructional practices and enhance language learning tools.
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