The implications of Cognitive Load Theory and exposure to subtitles
in English Foreign Language (EFL)
The pedagogical use of subtitled and captioned material in the foreign language
classroom is upheld by various theories which reveal the cognitive processing
activated when students are exposed to multimedia and subtitled audiovisual
materials. The three theories that will be considered here are Cognitive Load
Theory (CLT), Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) and Cognitive
Affective Theory of Learning with Media (CATLM). The main purpose of the paper
is to illustrate the internal mechanisms triggered in learners when various
sensorial channels (visual, auditory and textual) coincide simultaneously on
screen and how this may affect their cognitive engagement and motivation while
learning a foreign language. Additionally, two empirical studies will be
presented in the second part of the article in order to provide evidence of the
benefits of using subtitled audiovisual materials in the English Foreign
Language (EFL) classroom in higher education. The results show that both
interlingual (L1) and intralingual (L2) subtitles prove to have a facilitating
role in informal and colloquial language learning in this context.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Principles of Cognitive Load Theory
- 3.Cognitive Load Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
- 4.The role of motivation in the Cognitive Affective Theory of Learning with Media
- 5.Two empirical studies
- 5.1Methodology
- 5.1.1Participants
- 5.1.2Resources
- 5.2Study 1
- 5.3Study 2
- 6.Conclusions
- Notes
-
References
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