The use of video captions and subtitles in Japanese learning

Insights from the choice of language

Abstract

This study investigated the preferred video caption/subtitle settings of Chinese learners of Japanese when watching target-language videos outside the classroom. Questionnaire responses from 527 participants and results from a spoken vocabulary size test of 199 participants were used to assess the following four questions: (1) What types of captions and subtitles do learners tend to use? (2) What factors affect the choice of caption/subtitle type? (3) Does Japanese vocabulary size affect the selection of caption/subtitle type and/or selection rationale? (4) How do learners perceive the effects of different types of captions and subtitle on vocabulary learning? The results indicated that (1) subtitles in their native language, Mandarin Chinese, were used more often than Japanese captions, and that use of subtitles in additional languages was less frequent; (2) the learner’s degree of interest in the video content influenced the choice of caption/subtitle language most strongly; learners’ level of motivation correlated with more frequent use of Japanese captions; (3) vocabulary size had a weak effect on the choice of caption/subtitle language and selection rationale; and (4) as learners became more conscious of their vocabulary learning, use of Japanese captions was preferred over Chinese subtitles. Based on these findings, we discussed the practical implications that video caption selection preferences have for Chinese learners of Japanese.