Effects of subtitle sequence on L2 vocabulary acquisition through video viewing

초록

This study explores how subtitle order affects vocabulary acquisition in English video viewing among Korean learners. It specifically examines whether different subtitle sequences (English-to-Korean, Korean-to-English, and Korean-to-Korean) influence the learning of word forms, meanings, and their interplay. Sixty intermediate-level Korean university students participated, each assigned to one of the three conditions and watching a TED-Ed video twice. Results show that while the Korean-to-English subtitle order yielded the greatest improvement in word form recognition, the English-to-Korean subtitle order led to higher performance in immediate and delayed meaning recall tests. In the meaning recognition post-test, the Korean-to-English subtitle group achieved the highest scores, though group differences were not statistically significant. Notably, prior vocabulary knowledge was significantly correlated with learning outcomes, especially in the Korean-to-English subtitle condition, suggesting its critical role in vocabulary learning. This study highlights the potential of sequential subtitle use in reducing cognitive load and enhancing vocabulary learning in both classroom and independent video-based learning contexts.

키워드