Assignment 1: Help Options and Multimedia Listening: Students' Use of Subtitles and the Transcript

Part A: Research Article Summary

Article Selected: Help Options and MultiMedia Listening: Students' Use of Subtitles and the Transcript by Maja Grgurovic & Volker Hegelheimer. 

Purpose of the Study

This paper was offering suggestions on designing and implementing software help options (L2 subtitles and L2 Transcript) in a multimedia listening activity. It focuses on learners’ interaction with subtitles and transcripts in cases of comprehension breakdown to prove whether subtitle or transcripts are more effective in providing modified input to learners.

In this research carried out, the research questions are:

1)    How frequently and for how long do participants use two help options (subtitles and the transcript) offered in a multimedia activity?

2)    Are there patterns of participants’ behavior that suggest differences in how they approach help, and if so, how could those patterns explained?

3)    Are there differences in the use of help options between participants at different proficiency levels?

4)    What are participants’ attitudes towards two help options before and after the activity?

Methodology

The participants in this study were 18 ESL college students enrolled in an English Listening class. The students met twice a week for fifty minutes for three weeks. They were observed using course syllabus materials consisting of listening comprehension and delayed recall tests, two questionnaires, an unstructured retrospective interview and the CALL multimedia listening activity. The data collected were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative data analysis approaches.

Brief Literature Review

Previous studies done on the effect of help options on multimedia listening have mixed results. There were positive effects in studies by Brett (1997) and Hsu (1994), no effect in Liou’s study (1997) and a negative effect in Hegelheimer and Tower’s study (2004).

Studies by Pujola (2002) and Borras and Lafayatte (1994) indicate a positive effect of subtitle and multimedia listening materials while studies by Hsu (1994) and Desmarais, Laurier and Renie (1998) indicate that navigational patterns change according to the learners’ linguistic proficiency.

Findings

In response to research question 1, the participants exhibited great variation in help openings, a finding already reported in the literature. Participants made more use of the subtitles judging both by amount of time and frequency of interaction.

In response to research question 2, the students in the subtitles group used help when they selected an incorrect answer unlike the students in the non-interaction group who did not use help at all although the activity was designed to encourage help use.

In response to research question 3, higher intermediate students spent twice as much time interacting with help options than lower intermediate students. This may be because the lower intermediate students lack the competence to use help options.

In response to research question 4, the ratio between subtitles and transcript was 13:5, indicating that subtitles are preferred over the transcript. This result is also affected by students’ exposure to the type of help used in everyday’s life.

Implications to LL in General

CALL designers should use subtitles as the help option in multimedia listening. They could insert demos and tutorials in their software that would promote the help options amongst students. It is also good to have more options in help option. Such offering transcript in addition to the subtitles has obviously gives learners more control over their various preferred choice of help as well as accommodate different learning styles.

Part B: Relation to CALL

A. Computer as Tutor, Tool and Pupil

The research uses the cognitive approach for language learning. Here, the computer acts as a tutor by providing a tutorial on how to proceed with the activity and showing the multimedia  related to the questions to be answered after viewing.  It acts as a tool by providing the necessary help options such as the subtitles, transcript and dictionary when the student chooses to use them. It also acts as a pupil as learners input their answers using their linguistic and cognitive skills.

B. Product VS Process-Oriented

The research was more process-oriented because learners were observed on how frequently and efficiently they used the help option to answer questions. The activities were task-based and the person-computer interaction allowed independent learning. The help option here is part of the learning process and analyzing the frequency of help options can give an idea of the different needs and preferences of learners.

C. Discovery Learning

The learners were only able to use their previous knowledge and experience to answer questions after the multimedia listening. This way, learners are able to see to what extent they are learning by themselves. However, there is an element of drilling method seen as the learner is unable to proceed with subsequent activities without answering previous questions correctly.

D. Learner- Centred

The research proved to be learner-centred as learners have the option to select from the help options provided according to his/her learning preferences. This also allows learners to complete their tasks at their own pace. The learner is also able to see his/her own progress.  

E. Reflection

One advantage of the communicative approach used in this research is that CALL instructors are able to see the various strengths and weaknesses of learners depending on their proficiency. They can also observe at which stages of the activity learners are unable to pass and use those points for improvement in language teaching. Using the results, CALL software designers are able to implement more student-friendly instructions into programmes.

One disadvantage of the communicative approach used in this research is the lack of human-to-human interaction. Learners are left to interact with their personal computers without the help of instructors or collaboration with their peers. Although the human-computer interaction is productive in discovery learning and is learner-oriented, the process of language learning would be more productive if done collaboratively with peers as it involves real human-to-human interaction.

Reference

Grgurovic, M. & Hegelheimer, V. (2007, February). Help Options and Multimedia Listening:

Students’ Use of Subtitles and the Transcript. Language Learning and Technology. 11(1), 45-66. Retrieved on 10^th January 2010 from http://llt.msu.edu/vol11num1/grgurovic/

Reflection- Assignment 1

Procedure- The time given to complete the assignment was sufficient. The resources provided in class were useful and just enough for us to do our own research. Reading the articles selected also gave us an insight of how CALL linguists conduct research.

Lesson- The assignment is a great way to introduce new students to computer application in language learning. We were able to see for ourselves the many areas of improvement for CALL at a learner, teacher and computational level.