Article published in:
Translation, Cognition & Behavior
Vol. 4:1 (2021) ► pp. 74–97

The potential benefits of subtitles for enhancing language acquisition and literacy in children

An integrative review of experimental research

| University of East Anglia
While a considerable body of experimental work has been conducted since the beginning of the 1980s to study whether subtitles enhance the acquisition of other languages in adults, research of this type investigating subtitles as a tool for enhancing children’s language learning and literacy has received less attention. This study provides an integrative review of existing studies in this area and finds extensive evidence that subtitled AV content can indeed aid the acquisition of other languages in children and adolescents, and that it can moreover enhance the literacy skills of children learning to read in their L1 or the official language of the country in which they live and receive schooling. Recommendations for future research are also made, and it is highlighted that further research using eye tracking to measure children’s gaze behaviour could shed new light on their attention to and processing of subtitled AV content.
Keywords: subtitles, language acquisition, literacy, cognitive processing, children
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical framework
    • 2.1Incidental language acquisition vs intentional language learning
    • 2.2Automatic subtitle processing and dual coding theory
  • 3.Materials and methods
  • 4.Data analysis and presentation
    • 4.1Subtitles as a tool for the incidental acquisition and intentional learning of other languages in children
    • 4.2Subtitles as a tool for enhancing children’s literacy skills
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 09 June 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/tcb.00051.bla
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