An exploratory study on the use of interactive video via Netflix to improve second language aural vocabulary learning

Authors

  • Gilbert Dizon Himeji Dokkyo University
  • John M. Gayed Tokyo Institute of Technology

Abstract

While video streaming services have had a profound impact on how people view television programs and movies, very little is known about their use to promote second language (L2) development. To address this gap in L2 research, this paper details the results of an exploratory study that examined the combination of interactive video, a new form of entertainment that prompts viewers to make choices that affect the story, and Netflix to see if these tools could enhance different aspects of L2 aural development. Fourteen Japanese university EFL students participated in the study, which utilized a counterbalanced, pretest-posttest research design. The participants viewed two interactive episodes of a TV series via Netflix, each under one of the following conditions: non-interactive and interactive. Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure any gains that were made in aural vocabulary at two different levels (form recognition and meaning recall). Findings from the experiment indicated that interactive video did not significantly impact the incidental learning of aural vocabulary in terms of form recognition or meaning recall. While these results cast doubt on the possible benefits of interactive video, more studies are needed to investigate the potential of the technology for L2 learning.

Author Biographies

Gilbert Dizon, Himeji Dokkyo University

Gilbert Dizon is an associate professor at Himeji Dokkyo University, Japan and a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University. His research interests lie in computer-assisted language learning, specifically, technology-mediated informal language learning and the use of artificial intelligence in language education.

John M. Gayed, Tokyo Institute of Technology

John M. Gayed is a PhD student at the Tokyo Institute of Technology researching the potential to use an AI-based writing assistant for second language learners. The digital assistant will help English language learners overcome the various cognitive barriers they face when they attempt to produce written text in English.

References

Akbulut, Y. (2007). Effects of multimedia annotations on incidental vocabulary learning and reading comprehension of advanced learners of English as a foreign language. Instructional Science, 35(6), 499-517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-007-9016-7

Bianchi, F., & Ciabattoni, T. (2008). Captions and subtitles in EFL learning: An investigative study in a comprehensive computer environment. In A. Baldry, M. Pavesi, C. Taylor Torsello, & C. Taylor (Eds.), From didactas to ecolingua: An ongoing research project on translation and corpus linguistics (pp. 69-80). Trieste: Edizonioni Università Trieste.

Birulés-Muntané, J., & Soto-Faraco, S. (2016). Watching subtitled films can help learning foreign languages. PLOS ONE, 11(6), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158409

Brown, J. D. (2014). Classical theory reliability. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed.), The companion to language assessment (pp. 1165–1181). Oxford, UK: Wiley–Blackwell.

Buck, G. (2001). Assessing Listening. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Chapelle, C. (2005). Interactionist SLA theory in CALL research. In J. L. Egbert & G. M. Petrie (Eds.), CALL research perspectives (pp. 53-64). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Dizon, G. (2018). Netflix and L2 Learning: A case study. The EuroCALL Review, 26(2), 30-40. https://doi.org/10.4995/eurocall.2018.9080

Jones, L. (2009). Supporting student differences in listening comprehension and vocabulary learning with multimedia annotations. CALICO Journal, 26(2), 267-289. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v26i2.267-289

Jones, L., & Plass, J. (2002). Supporting listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition in French with multimedia annotations. The Modern Language Journal, 86(4), 546-561. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00160

Godwin-Jones, (2018). Chasing the butterfly effect: Informal language learning online as a complex system. Language Learning & Technology, 22(2), 8-27. https://doi.org/10125/44643

Horst, M., Cobb, T., & Meara, P. (1998). Beyond a Clockwork Orange: Acquiring second language vocabulary through reading. Reading in a foreign language, 11(2), 207-223.

Hsieh, Y. (2019). Effects of video captioning on EFL vocabulary learning and listening comprehension. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1577898

Laufer, B. (2005). Focus on form in second language vocabulary learning. EUROSLA Yearbook, 5(1), 223–250.

Mayer, R. E. (1997). Multimedia learning: Are we asking the right questions? Educational Psychologist, 32(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3201_1

Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge.

Montero Perez, M., Peters, E., Clarebout, G., & Desmet, P. (2014). Effects of Captioning on Video Comprehension and Incidental Vocabulary Learning. Language Learning & Technology, 18(1), 118–141. http://dx.doi.org/10125/44357

Montero Perez, M., Peters, E., & Desmet, P. (2015). Enhancing vocabulary learning through captioned video: An eye-tracking study. The Modern Language Journal, 99(2), 308-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12215

Montero Perez, M., Peters, E., & Desmet, P. (2018). Vocabulary learning through viewing video: the effect of two enhancement techniques. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 32(1-2), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2017.1375960

Montero Perez, M., Van Den Noortgate, W., & Desmet, P. (2013). Captioned video for L2 listening and vocabulary learning: A meta-analysis. System, 41(3), 720-739. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.013.

Nation, I. S. P., & Webb, S. (2011). Researching and analyzing vocabulary. Boston: Heinle.

Nguyen, T. H. N. (2021). Developing Bottom-up Listening Skills in a Google Classroom-based EFL module. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 12(3), 47-57. Retrieved from https://asiacall.info/acoj/index.php/journal/article/view/45

Nguyen, V. M. (2021). English language-learning environments in COVID-19 era: EFL contexts, English-language environments, technology-based approach, English language learning. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 12(3), 39-46. Retrieved from https://asiacall.info/acoj/index.php/journal/article/view/21

Perez, S. (2019). Interactive content is coming to Walmart’s Vudu & the BBC. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/29/interactive-content-is-coming-to-walmarts-vudu-the-bbc/

Peters, E., Heynen, E., & Puimège, E. (2016). Learning vocabulary through audiovisual input: The differential effect of L1 subtitles and captions. System, 63, 134-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2016.10.002

Pujadas, G., & Muñoz, C. (2019). Extensive viewing of captioned and subtitled TV series: a study of L2 vocabulary learning by adolescents. Language Learning Journal, 47(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1616806

Rodgers, M. P. H. (2018). The images in television programs and the potential for learning unknown words. ITL-International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 169(1), 191–211. https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.00012.rod

Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2017). State of the app: A taxonomy and framework for evaluation language learning mobile applications. CALICO Journal, 34(2), 243-258. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.27623

Syodorenko, T. (2010). Modality of input and vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2), 50-73. http://dx.doi.org/10125/44214

Teng. F (2019). Incidental vocabulary learning for primary school students: the effects of L2 caption type and word exposure frequency. The Australian Educational Researcher, 46, 113–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-018-0279-6

Van, L. K., Dang, T. A., Pham, D. B. T., Vo, T. T. N., & Pham, V. P. H. (2021). The Effectiveness of Using Technology in Learning English. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 12(2), 24-40. Retrieved from https://asiacall.info/acoj/index.php/journal/article/view/26

Vanderplank, R. (2010). Déjà vu? A decade of research on language laboratories, television and video in language learning. Language Teaching, 43(1), 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444809990267

Vanderplank, R. (2016). Captioned media in foreign language learning and teaching. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Vidal, K. (2003). Academic listening: A source of vocabulary acquisition? Applied Linguistics, 24(1), 56-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/24.1.56

Wang, H.-C., & Chen, C. W.-Y. (2019). Learning English from YouTubers: English L2 learners’ self-regulated language learning on YouTube. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2019.1607356

Webb, S., & Chang, C.-S. (2015). Second language vocabulary learning through extensive reading with audio support: How do frequency and distribution of occurrence affect learning? Language Teaching Research, 19(6), 667-686. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168814559800

Winke, P., Gass, S., & Sydorenko, T. (2010). The effects of captioning videos used for foreign language listening activities. Language Learning & Technology, 14(1), 65-86. http://dx.doi.org/10125/44203

Yeldham, M. (2018). Viewing L2 captioned videos: what's in it for the listener? Computer Assisted Language Learning, 31(4), 367-389. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2017.1406956

Downloads

Published

2021-10-26

How to Cite

Dizon, G., & Gayed, J. M. . (2021). An exploratory study on the use of interactive video via Netflix to improve second language aural vocabulary learning. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 12(5), 100-113. Retrieved from https://asiacall.info/acoj/index.php/journal/article/view/79

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 5 (2021): October 2021, Volume 12, Issue 5

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Gilbert Dizon, John M. Gayed

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The copyright of all articles published in the AsiaCALL Online Journal (acoj) remains with the Authors, i.e. Authors retain full ownership of their article. Permitted third-party reuse of the open access articles is defined by the applicable Creative Commons (CC) end-user license which is accepted by the Authors upon submission of their paper. All articles in the acoj are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, meaning that end users can freely share an article (i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt it (i.e. remix, transform and build upon the material) on the condition that proper attribution is given (i.e. appropriate credit, a link to the applicable license and an indication if any changes were made; all in such a way that does not suggest that the licensor endorses the user or the use) and the material is only used for non-commercial purposes. 

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process.