Abstract:

Video is one of the most widely used means for education and training. With the growth of global Internet usage and education being brought online by Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), educational video became available to everyone who wants to learn. As the majority of online video material is presented in English, it is important to ensure that learners can understand its content. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning can help to unravel this process, but a review of the literature reveals conflicting results.

This study aims to explore the effect of subtitles and subtitle type on content learning from educational video clips, including controlling for participants’ English language proficiency (foreign language) and video content familiarity.

A total of 74 native Ukrainian speaking participants took part in the study. Three versions of an educational video clip were used: a version with subtitles in English (foreign language), one with subtitles in Ukrainian (native language), and one with no subtitles. Participants were asked to watch one of the video versions randomly allocated to them via an online survey tool, and to answer questions before and after watching the video. Participants’ content learning was measured via a test containing five multiple-choice questions based on factual information in the video clip. Data on participants’ video subtitle preference were collected as well.

The results show that participants prefer a video with subtitles, specifically with subtitles in English. However, participants’ preference depends on their level of English proficiency: participants with lower English proficiency prefer subtitles in Ukrainian, while participants with higher English proficiency prefer subtitles in English. The results further indicate that subtitles, regardless of their type, have no statistically significant effect on video content learning. Neither participant’s English proficiency, nor their video content familiarity moderated the null effect of subtitles on video content learning. However, the participants’ English proficiency showed statistically significant impact on video content learning. Participants with higher English proficiency obtained significantly higher scores than those with lower proficiency.

Keywords:

Video based learning, adult education, subtitles.