The Language Learning Journal

ISSN: 0957-1736 (Print) 1753-2167 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/rllj20

Video and language learning

Maribel Montero Perez & Michael P. H. Rodgers

To cite this article: Maribel Montero Perez & Michael P. H. Rodgers (2019) Video and language
learning, The Language Learning Journal, 47:4, 403-406, DOI: 10.1080/09571736.2019.1629099
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1629099

Published online: 29 Jul 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 8179

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rllj20
THE LANGUAGE LEARNING JOURNAL
2019, VOL. 47, NO. 4, 403–406
https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1629099

GUEST EDITORIAL

Video and language learning

Introduction
It is well established that input plays a major role in the second language (L2) acquisition process.
Audio-visual input such as television (TV) and video can be considered a particularly rich source of
L2 input. It not only exposes learners to authentic language use (Lin 2014) but the combination of
different input modes such as imagery and audio may also stimulate various aspects of second
language learning such as comprehension or vocabulary (Rodgers 2018). Given its multimodal
characteristics as well as its overall availability and easy accessibility, it is thus not surprising that
Second Language Acquisition (SLA) researchers have increased attention on investigating the poten-
tial of this type of medium for foreign-language learning. The potential of video for second language
learning is further highlighted by studies on the role of out-of-class exposure for language learning.
Data on out-of-school activities indicate, for instance, that viewing TV1 and videos in a foreign
language is a popular out-of-school activity for (young) learners (e.g. Kuppens 2010; Lindgren and
Muñoz 2013; Peters 2018; De Wilde, Brysbaert and Eyckmans 2019). In addition, findings suggest
that viewing TV may have a positive effect on learners’ listening and reading proficiency (Lindgren
and Muñoz 2013) as well as on their vocabulary knowledge (Peters 2018).
The growing interest into the role of audio-visual input for language learning is noticeable in other
academic endeavours as well. A recently published special issue on vocabulary learning in ITL-Inter-
national Journal of Applied Linguistics (edited by Stuart Webb 2018) contained three papers on
viewing and an increasing number of presentations at conferences such as EuroSLA, AAAL (American
Association of Applied Linguistics), and BAAL VocabSig (British Association for Applied Linguistics–
Vocabulary Special Interest Group) focus on aspects related to video. In addition, two colloquia on
multimodal input (including video) and language learning were organised in the fall of 2018 at
the EuroSLA Conference in Münster and the SLRF (Second Language Research Forum) conference
in Montréal and a special issue of Studies in Second Language Acquisition on the same topic is
expected in 2020 (Peters and Muñoz, in preparation). The present issue of The Language Learning
Journal does therefore not only reflect the growing awareness that video plays an important role
in SLA,2 it also illustrates the fact that video has become an important topic on the research agenda.
During the past decades, the effect of audio-visual input on second language learning has been
studied from different angles. Corpus-based studies have, for instance, addressed the vocabulary
demands of TV programmes and films (e.g. Webb and Rodgers 2009; Rodgers and Webb 2011) in
order to determine how many words a learner would need to know to adequately understand this
type of input. Experimental research has focused on questions related to the role of TV programmes
(e.g. documentaries or TV series) for incidental vocabulary learning (Peters and Webb 2018; Rodgers
and Webb 2019) and factors that affect comprehension of audio-visual input (Rodgers and Webb
2017). The bulk of research into video for language learning has focused on the language learning
benefits of on-screen text such as subtitles in the L1 or L2 (captions). Findings of studies on captioned
video revealed that watching video with captions may boost comprehension and vocabulary learning
(see Montero Perez, Van Den Noortgate and Desmet 2013 for a meta-analysis) and stimulate bottom-
up processes resulting in greater automatic word recognition (e.g. Mitterer and McQueen 2009).
Other studies have compared the effects of L1 subtitles and captions for language learning (e.g.
Peters, Heynen and Puimège 2016) or have investigated other types of captions such as keyword

© 2019 Association for Language Learning

404 EDITORIAL

captions, captions with highlighted keywords, and captions with glosses (Montero Perez et al. 2014;
Montero Perez, Peters and Desmet 2018). Yet, while numerous studies have addressed the potential
of video for language learning, there remain a number of important issues that require further
research. In the remainder of this guest editorial, we would like to highlight how each of the articles
included in this special issue addresses shortcomings or gaps in the literature and refines our under-
standing of the role of video for language learning.
The special issue begins with a qualitative study by Vanderplank in which he investigates learners’
attitudes, strategies and changes in behaviour when watching foreign-language films. It is one of the
three articles (Pujadas and Muñoz; del Mar Suárez and Gesa) in this special issue that focuses on viewing
captioned video over a longer period of time and therefore responds to the call for more longitudinal
research into video for language learning. In addition, this study is one of the first studies in which lear-
ners had control over the viewing material and the activation of the captions. Indeed, whereas partici-
pants in most previous experimental studies were assigned to either a caption or video-only group and
watched preselected video materials, this study gave participants the freedom to choose videos them-
selves and activate the captions whenever they wanted. Even though the data revealed a lot of differ-
ences between participants, results also suggest that some of the participants’ viewing behaviour
evolved towards more language-oriented viewing of (captioned) video.
In five of the six articles, vocabulary learning is at least one of the dependent variables under inves-
tigation. In Puimège and Peters’ study, the focus is on L2 learners’ incidental acquisition of formulaic
language. This study addresses an important gap in the literature on incidental vocabulary learning
from audio-visual input in that they compare whether, and to what extent, TV viewing leads to the
learning of formulaic sequences. They also investigate whether the uptake of formulaic language
from video differs from the uptake of single words. Their findings indicated that both single words
and formulaic sequences can be picked up from TV viewing but learning gains were mediated by
different item- and learner-related factors. It should also be noted that this study is the only one
in this special issue in which the focus is on video without additional on-screen text such as L1 sub-
titles or L2 captions.
In Cintrón-Valentín, García-Amayo and Ellis’ study, another important gap in the literature is
addressed by investigating the potential of video for grammar learning. So far, relatively few studies
have looked into the potential of video for grammar learning (see Lee and Revesz 2018, for an excep-
tion), even though video may also stimulate this particular language component. Another interesting
feature of this study is that the videos included captions with textual enhancement which means that
target structures (which could be either grammatical or lexical items) were presented in bold and
yellow in the captions. One particularly useful finding of this study is that textually enhanced captions
did not benefit the learning of all target grammar structures equally. The article also includes a valuable
discussion on the role of the grammatical structures included in the study and suggests that grammar
learning from video might be mediated by structure-specific saliency.
Montero Perez’s study investigates the role of pre-learning new vocabulary before viewing cap-
tioned video by means of eye-tracking. This study addresses the need to look into the role of instruc-
tional interventions prior to viewing, an issue that was also addressed by Pujadas and Muñoz, and del
Mar Suárez and Gesa, albeit in a different context and experimental design. While this study is based
on an authentic video, the voice-over was manipulated in order to include a set of pseudowords and
control for prior knowledge. By using eye-tracking, this study investigates whether pre-learning has
an effect on learners’ focus of attention (i.e. where they look on the screen) and the duration of their
fixations in three different areas of interest, namely: the target words (i.e. the pseudowords), the cap-
tioning area, and the image area. An interesting finding is that pre-learned words were skipped more
often than unknown pseudowords but pre-learning did, overall, not lead to differences in fixation
durations in the captions.
Finally, two studies in this special issue focus on the role of extensive viewing for vocabulary
learning (del Mar Suárez and Gesa; Pujadas and Muñoz) in that they measured learning gains over,
respectively, an academic term and an entire school year. As pointed out by Webb 2015, the value
 THE LANGUAGE LEARNING JOURNAL 405

of video for language learning is that it can provide learners with lots of exposure which may in turn
lead to more learning. So far, however, empirical evidence on the role of extensive viewing remained
scarce (see Rodgers and Webb in press for an exception). Pujadas and Muñoz investigated the effect
of captions and subtitles as well as the presence or absence of pre-teaching on learners’ vocabulary
uptake in a one-year classroom-based intervention programme. An important feature of this study is
that it not only addresses the need for more longitudinal research but it also investigates an under-
researched population, namely 13–14-year-old language learners. Whereas results on the role of pre-
teaching present a clear-cut picture, mixed patterns were observed with regard to the role of subtitles
and captions.
The final study in this special issue by del Mar Suárez and Gesa investigated the effect of pre-teach-
ing new words followed by exposure to a TV-series with comparison to a control group in which there
was only pre-teaching. An interesting finding in this study is that TV-series only seemed to have an
impact on vocabulary learning gains for Grade 10 participants and not for university students. This
study, together with other studies in this issue, highlight the mediating role of individual differences
such as learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge (e.g. Puimège and Peters) in learning new words from
video. These findings also indicate that future research needs to take into account or control for
potentially mediating effects of individual differences when collecting data on learning from
audio-visual input.
With this guest editorial, we hope to have highlighted how this special issue addresses some of the
shortcomings in previous research into video and language learning: it provides data on the effects of
both longitudinal and shorter viewing sessions and for different types of outcomes, namely grammar,
vocabulary, eye-movements, and learner attitudes. In addition, the studies shed light on the role of
different types of materials including video-only, video with L1 subtitles, captions, as well as textually
enhanced captions, and the potential of different TV genres (TV-series, films, documentaries, and ani-
mated videos). It is our hope that this special issue will stimulate further research on video and
language learning and will provide teachers as well as students and researchers with interesting
ideas for classroom practice and future research.

Notes
1. TV viewing is a daily activity for most people. A report of the European Commission (2014) indicated that 84% of
the surveyed Europeans watch TV on a (almost) daily basis. As pointed out by a report of the OECD (2009: 35),
‘watching television is the preferred leisure activity across all surveyed OECD countries’. In addition, data from
other sources such as YouTube (which has 1 billion hours of viewing per day) and subscriptions to streaming ser-
vices such as HBO and Netflix (which have over 200 million subscribed users) underline the important role that TV
and video, more generally, play in our everyday lives.
2. Pioneer studies in the field of video and language learning were published approximately three decades ago (e.g.
Price 1983; Vanderplank 1988, 1990) with a renewed interest into the role of video around 2010 (e.g. Sydorenko
2010; Winke, Gass and Sydorenko 2010).

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the reviewers for their timely and valuable feedback and to the contributing authors for the time and
care they put into their work. We also thank Elspeth Broady, Norbert Pachler and Ana Pellicer-Sánchez (of The Language
Learning Journal Editorial Board) for their help and support in compiling this special issue.

References
De Wilde, V., M. Brysbaert and J. Eyckmans. 2019. Learning English through out-of-school exposure. Which levels of
language proficiency are attained and which types of input are important? Bilingualism: Language and Cognition,
1–15. DOI: 10.1017/S1366728918001062.
European Commission. 2014. Media use in the European Union. https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/
publication/a575c1c9-58b6-11e8-ab41-01aa75ed71a1 (accessed 16 April, 2019).
406 EDITORIAL

Kuppens, A.H. 2010. Incidental foreign language acquisition from media exposure. Learning, Media and Technology 35, no.
1: 65–85.
Lee, M. and A. Revesz. 2018. Promoting grammatical development through textually enhanced captions: an eye-tracking
study. The Modern Language Journal 102, no. 3: 557–77.
Lin, P.M. 2014. Investigating the validity of internet television as a resource for acquiring L2 formulaic sequences. System
42: 164–76.
Lindgren, E. and C. Muñoz. 2013. The influence of exposure, parents, and linguistic distance on young European learners’
foreign language comprehension. International Journal of Multilingualism 10, no. 1: 105–29. DOI: 10.1080/14790718.
2012.679275.
Mitterer, H. and J.M. McQueen. 2009. Foreign subtitles help but native-language subtitles harm foreign speech percep-
tion. PLoS One 4: 1–5.
Montero Perez, M., E. Peters, G. Clarebout and P. Desmet. 2014. Effects of captioning on video comprehension and inci-
dental vocabulary. Language, Learning and Technology 18, no. 1: 118–41. DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2017.1375960.
Montero Perez, M., E. Peters and P. Desmet. 2018. Vocabulary learning through viewing video: the effect of two enhance-
ment techniques. Computer Assisted Language Learning 31, no. 1–2: 1–26. DOI: 10.1080/09588221.2017.1375960.
Montero Perez, M., W. Van Den Noortgate and P. Desmet. 2013. Captioned video for L2 listening and vocabulary learning:
a meta-analysis. System 41, no. 3: 720–39. DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2013.07.013.
OECD. 2009. Measuring leisure in OECD countries. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/society-
at-a-glance-2009/special-focus-measuring-leisure-in-oecd-countries_soc_glance-2008-3-en (accessed 16 April, 2019).
Peters, E. 2018. The effect of out-of-class exposure to English language media on learners’ vocabulary knowledge. ITL –
International Journal of Applied Linguistics 169, no. 1: 142–68. DOI: 10.1075/itl.00010.pet.
Peters, E., E. Heynen, and E. Puimège. 2016. Learning vocabulary through audiovisual input: the differential effect of L1
subtitles and captions. System 63: 134–48. DOI: 10.1016/j.system.2016.10.002.
Peters, E. and C. Muñoz, eds. In preparation. Multimodal input and language learning [special issue]. Studies in Second
Language Acquisition.
Peters, E. and S. Webb. 2018. Incidental vocabulary acquisition through watching a single episode of L2 television. Studies
in Second Language Acquisition. DOI: 10.1017/S0272263117000407.
Price, K. 1983. Closed-captioned TV: an untapped resource. MATSOL Newsletter 12, no. 2: 1–8. https://www.matsol.org/
assets/documents/Currentsv12no2Fall1983.pdf.
Rodgers, M.P.H. 2018. The images in television programs and the potential for learning unknown words. ITL-International
Journal of Applied Linguistics 169, no. 1: 191–211. DOI: 10.1075/itl.00012.rod.
Rodgers, M.P.H. and S. Webb. 2011. Narrow viewing: the vocabulary in related television programs. TESOL Quarterly 45,
no. 4: 689–717. DOI: 10.5054/tq.2011.268062.
Rodgers, M.P.H. and S. Webb. 2017. The effects of captions on EFL learners’ comprehension of English-language television
programs. CALICO Journal 34, no. 1: 20–38. DOI: 10.1558/cj.29522.
Rodgers, M.P.H. and S. Webb. In press. Incidental vocabulary learning through viewing television. ITL – International
Journal of Applied Linguistics.
Sydorenko, T. 2010. Modality of input and vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning and Technology 14, no. 2: 50–73.
Vanderplank, R. 1988. The value of teletext sub-titles in language learning. ELT Journal 42, no. 4: 272–81.
Vanderplank, R. 1990. Paying attention to the words: practical and theoretical problems in watching television pro-
grammes with uni-lingual (CEEFAX) sub-titles. System 18, no. 2: 221–34.
Webb, S. 2015. Extensive viewing: Language learning through watching television. In Language Learning Beyond the
Classroom, ed. D. Nunan and J.C. Richards, 159–68. London: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781315883472.
Webb, S. and M.P.H. Rodgers. 2009. The lexical coverage of movies. Applied Linguistics 30, no. 4: 407–27.
Webb, S., ed. 2018. Approaches to learning, testing and researching L2 vocabulary [special issue]. ITL, International Journal
of Applied Linguistics 169, no. 1: 1–231.
Winke, P., S. Gass and T. Sydorenko. 2010. The effects of captioning videos used for foreign language listening activities.
Language Learning and Technology 14, no. 1: 65–86.

Maribel Montero Perez

imec-ITEC KU Leuven, Belgium
maribel.monteroperez@kuleuven.be

Michael P. H. Rodgers
ITEC, imec research group at KU Leuven