iCap: Intralingual Captioning for Writing and Vocabulary Enhancement

Abstract

The research on the use of active captioning or subtitling in foreign language learning has considerably increased in the course of the last decade, although there is still lack of evidence as regards the potential advantages of intralingual captioning in this context. The present project attempts to fill this void by analysing the didactic use of intralingual subtitling in a distance learning environment both in terms of written production and vocabulary acquisition. To this end, a total number of 41 undergraduate English B1 students have been working on 10 sequenced subtitling activities using short pre-selected videos taken from an American sitcom in the course of a month and a half. Peer-to-peer assessment has also been fostered during the project through active use of online forums. The conclusions confirm the expected benefits as far as writing and vocabulary skills enhancement is concerned and provide further insights into how to best implement this practice.