Using video with caption modes to improve vocabulary learning for students at a primary school in vietnam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

NGUYỄN THỊ NỤ

USING VIDEO WITH CAPTION MODES TO
IMPROVE VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR
STUDENTS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VIETNAM

Sử dụng Video có phụ đề để cải thiện việc học từ vựng
cho học sinh tại một trường tiểu học ở Việt Nam

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01

Hanoi – 2018


VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
*****************

NGUYỄN THỊ NỤ

USING VIDEO WITH CAPTION MODES TO
IMPROVE VOCABULARY LEARNING FOR

STUDENTS AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN VIETNAM
Sử dụng Video có phụ đề để cải thiện việc học từ vựng
cho học sinh tại một trường tiểu học ở Việt Nam

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8140231.01
Supervisor: Dr. Dương Thị Nụ

Hanoi – 2018


TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION .........................................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................
ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................
LIST OF ABBRIVIATIONS ....................................................................................
LISTS OF FIGURES, TABLES AND CHARTS ......................................................
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................
1.

Rationale ..........................................

2.

Aims of the study ..........................

3.

Research questions ..........................

4.

Methods of the study .......................

5.

Scope of the study ...........................

6.

Significance of the study .................

7.

Design of the study ..........................

PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT .........................................................................
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................
1.

Learning vocabulary ...................

1.1.

Definition of vocabul

1.2.

The importance of lea

1.3.

The methods and stra

2.

Using video with caption modes ...

2.1.

Application of inform

2.2.

The effects of using v

2.3.

Technique of using v

3.

Young learners ..............................

3.1.

Characteristics of you

3.2.

Teaching strategies to

4.

Previous studies ............................

5. Summary ...................................................................................................
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .................................................................
1.

The research setting ......................

1.1.

Research site ............

1.2.

English textbooks ....

1.3.

The facilities ............


2.

Participants ...................................

2.1.

Teacher ....................

2.2.

Students ...................

3.

Methods of the study ....................

3.1.

Mixed method resear

3.2.

Action research ........

3.3.

Action plan ..............

4.

Data collection instruments .........

4.1.

Pre-test and post-test

4.2.

Questionnaires .........

4.3.

Observation .............

5.

Data collection procedure ............

6.

Data analysis procedure ...............

7. Summary ...................................................................................................
CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ............................................
1.

Pre-test and post-test Analysis .....

1.1.

Pre-test .....................

1.2.

Post-test ...................

1.3.

Comparing results be

2.

Questionnaires Analysis ...............

3.

Class Observation Analysis ..........

4.

Discussion of all findings ..............

5. Summary ...................................................................................................
PART THREE: CONCLUSION .......................................................................
1.

Recapitulation .................................

2.

Implications ....................................

3.

Limitations of the study ..................

4.

Suggestions for further study .........

REFERENCES .........................................................................................................
APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................


DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Using Video with Caption Modes
to Improve Vocabulary Learning for Students at a Primary School in Vietnam”
is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master at the University of
Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, and this thesis
has not been submitted for any other degrees.

Hanoi, May 2018
Nguyễn Thị Nụ

i


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like express my deepest thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Duong Thi Nu
who has given me suggestions on how to shape the study and always been most
willing and ready to give me valuable advice, helpful comments as well as
correction of my research paper. This paper would not have been possible without
her constant support and encouragement. Her patience and helpful criticism helped

me confidently express my ideas into this paper. I regard myself extremely fortunate
in having her as my dissertation supervisor.
I would also like to express my gratefulness to all my lecturers at the Faculty
of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies for
their valuable lectures which have helped me a great deal in gaining a lot of
theoretical as well as practical knowledge.
I am thankful to all the extension officers, Principals and teachers of Mao
Dien 1 Primary School, Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province for their precious
guidance and suggestion to fulfill the objectives of this study. My special thanks to
56 grade-5 students who have helped me enthusiastically in English lessons by
using video with caption modes to improve vocabulary learning for students.
I would be glad to thank my dear husband Mr. Ngo Ngoc Son and my son
Ngo Minh Tu without whose unconditional support this task would not have been
accomplished. Thank you dears for being every time and everywhere with me.
Finally I wish to thank everyone who directly or indirectly helped me in this
endeavor.

ii


ABSTRACT
Vocabulary is one of the most important parts of language learning and
teaching. Being an English teacher in a primary school, I deeply understand and
sympathize with difficulties that students usually encounter in study and use of
English vocabulary. Additionally, vocabulary classes are also quite boring with
traditional teaching methods. Using video in teaching English is also a new and
modern method. However, when students watch teaching videos provided by
teachers, they grasp very poorly. Obviously, it is necessary to find out an effective
way to improve vocabulary learning for students in English lessons by using video
with caption modes. This study is aimed at examining the effects of watching a

video with caption modes on incidental vocabulary learning in a pre-test post-test
experimental design; and introducing some new innovative applications in English
teaching method that use video for elementary students. The participants included
one English teacher and 56 grade-5 students at a primary school in Bac Ninh. The
data were gathered through qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data
were gained by analyzing the class observation result and quantitative data were
obtained from the students‟ vocabulary scores of pre-test, post-test and
questionnaire for students. As a result of the research, it was seen that the use of
subtitled video affects the student's vocabulary learning. Students feel more excited
about the lesson, memorize new words faster, and learning vocabulary becomes
easier. Moreover, the study also indicated that most of the students had positive
attitudes toward this new technique. The findings, suggestions, suitable and
effective ways are given for teachers in using video with caption modes to make
certain positive changes in their teaching methodology as well as to help students
improve their English vocabulary.

iii


LIST OF ABBRIVIATIONS
ESL: English as a Second Language
L2: Second language
Q1: Question 1
Q2: Question 2
Q3: Question 3
Q4: Question 4
Q5: Question 5
Q6: Question 6
Q7: Question 7
Q8: Question 8

Q9: Question 9

iv


LIST OF FIGURES, CHARTS AND TABLES
Figure 1: The screen shot of the video with regular caption ………………..
Figure 2: The screen shot of the video with highlighted caption …………...
Figure 3: Action research cycle……………………………………………..
Chart 1: Result of the Pre-test……………………………………………….
Chart 2: Result of the Post-test………………………………………………
Chart 3: Comparing mean score between pre-test and post-test……………..
Chart 4: The mean score in each section of tests…………………………...
Chart 5: The interest in watching captioned videos …………………….....
Chart 6: The aspects of the process watching videos……………………....
Chart 7: The appropriateness of using video with caption modes………….
Chart 8: The student‟s attitudes to teacher‟s activities……………………..
Table 1: The study procedures
Table 2: Scores of pre-test and post-test

v


PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Vocabulary is important across the curriculum from language arts and social
studies to mathematics and science. It is intimately connected to both effective
reading and writing skills, and these skills in turn are necessary for doing well in
school. Furthermore, a vocabulary is anybody of words someone knows and uses to
express themselves in a language. In order to support the mastery of English, it is

essential to learn vocabulary. Underscoring the importance of vocabulary
acquisition, Schmitt (2000, p.55) emphasizes that “lexical knowledge is central to
communicative competence and to the acquisition of a second language”. Nation
(2001) further describes the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and
language use as complementary: knowledge of vocabulary enables language use
and, conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabulary knowledge. British
linguist Wilkins (1972: 111) once said, “Without grammar, little can be conveyed;
without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed”. Truly thanks to vocabulary,
sentences, texts and language can be made and become richer.
English is one language with a rich vocabulary; therefore, learners and users
have many difficulties. However, employing multimedia has recently intruded the
process in easing or complicating manners. There has always been a rising stress on
English language teaching as a mechanism for communication, and technology has
played a serious role in facilitating authentic communication. Therefore, considering
videos with caption modes in English as a foreign language would provide solutions
to facilitate the process of learning. According to Danan, 2004, captions facilitate
language learning by helping learners visualize what they hear, especially if the
input is slightly beyond their linguistic ability. Video with captions is increasingly
used in English lessons because of its formidable features and benefits. Therefore,
using video with captions to facilitate vocabulary learning and is taken for granted
by many teachers and researchers. Many teachers recommend their students to
watch TV and movies with captions because they believe that being in this way,
their students will increase the language proficiency level.
Being an English teacher in Mao Dien 1 Primary School, the researcher
deeply understands and sympathizes with difficulties that students usually encounter
1


in study and use of English vocabulary. Many students cannot make sentences or
dialogues; over 80 % of them even cannot communicate basically in English

because of insufficient vocabulary. Students even do not know how to use the
vocabulary they have learned. They only understand a text and do exercises easily
when they know what most of the important words mean. In addition, students often
get bored with a series of new words in each lesson. They are hardly able to focus
on the lesson.
All the conditions above have offered me a chance to conduct a study on:
“Using Video with Caption Modes to Improve Vocabulary Learning for Students at
a Primary School in Vietnam”.
2. Aims of the study
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of subtitled videos in
enhancing grade-5 student‟s language learning at Mao Dien 1 Primary School. The
second aim is to introduce some new innovative applications in English teaching
method that use video for primary students. With these aims, this study focuses on:
 Pointing out the effects of using captioned video in English language
teaching.
 Giving some implications for teaching and learning English.
3. Research questions
In order to realize the aims, the study supports to answer the following the
research questions:


How does the use of captioned videos affect the student‟s vocabulary

learning after the implementation of the research?


What are students‟ attitudes toward using video with caption modes in the

language classroom?
4. Methods of the study

To achieve the aims of the study, action research was applied. Eight lesson
plans were designed and taught at a class in grade 5 at Mao Dien 1 Primary School
so that the researcher can investigate the effect of using captioned videos on
student‟s vocabulary learning. Then, a qualitative method technique was applied as
a questionnaire for students in order to get a more detailed about the attitude and
motivation of students. Other research instruments were also designed and applied.
2


A pre-test and a post-test were given in order to evaluate the vocabulary use
proficiency improvement. The students‟ scores in the post-test will be compared
with the scores of students in the pre-test to the effect of using captioned videos on
student‟s vocabulary learning.
The qualitative research method is involved in conducting and analyzing the
class observation which is needed to find out how effective this method is.
Finally, the data were collected, sorted and analyzed quantitatively and
qualitatively to obtain the results.
5. Scope of the study
To carry out this study, the author focuses on two aspects: the effects of using
captioned videos in English teaching and how students improve their vocabulary
learning through that method. The analysis and evaluation is based on the collection
th

and investigation of data from students in 5 grade at Mao Dien 1 Primary School.
6. Significance of the study
As mentioned above, the study is carried out to help teachers and students
deeply understand the effectiveness of using subtitled videos in teaching English. It
then will be a good reference for teachers, especially to those, who are interested in
teaching vocabulary by using captioned videos. It is also a good reference for
parents of students who want to learn how to teach vocabulary to their child. Last

but not least, it would be a primitive for other‟s further studies and mine in other
students with other skills of English.
7. Structure of the study
The paper is divided into three main parts: introduction, development, and
conclusion, specifically as follows:



Part 1: Introduction

This part briefly introduces the rationales for conducting the research, the
aims of the study, research questions, scope of the study, significance of the study,
and outline of the study.



Part 2: Development

• Chapter 1: Literature review
3


This chapter introduces some concepts, theoretical frameworks and related
studies.
• Chapter 2: Methodology
This chapter introduces the research context and methodology of the study
including the context, the subject, the data collection instruments, data collection
procedure, and data analysis.
• Chapter 3: Findings and discussions
This chapter presents the major findings from the students‟ pre-test and posttest, student‟s questionnaires and the researcher‟s class observation.



Part 3: Conclusion

This part offers a summary of the key findings, implications, limitations, and
future directions for further study.

4


PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
To provide a background of the study, this part describes a theoretical
framework for designing and analyzing data. This part begins by reviewing theories
of learning vocabulary and using video with caption modes followed by theories
relating to vocabulary learning and captioned videos.
1.

Learning vocabulary

1.1. Definition of vocabulary and vocabulary use
There are many definitions of vocabulary proposed by some experts. It is
very important for one to know what vocabulary is before discussing vocabulary
use. In the field of linguistics, Nash and Snowling (2006) describe vocabulary as
“the knowledge of words and their meanings (p.336). Another definition came from
Sheehan (2002), who states “vocabulary is the ability to understand and use words
to acquire and convey meaning” (vocabulary, Para. 1). Meanwhile, as Bromley
(2007) reported, “Vocabulary is a principle contributor to comprehension, fluency
and achievement”. Without an extensive vocabulary, most language learners will not

be able to use the structures and functions they may have learnt for comprehensible
communication. In sum vocabulary can be understood as the words of language,
including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a
particular meaning, the way individual words do.
Vocabulary use, Nation (2001) noted, involves the grammatical function of the word
or phrase, collocations that normally often go with it, and finally any constrains on
its use, in terms of frequency, level, and so forth. Therefore, using a large
vocabulary accurately is very important for foreign language learners. Without
mastering it, of course, foreign language learners will get some difficulties in
developing the four language skills.
1.2. The importance of learning vocabulary
In any language, the role of vocabulary is also very important. Vocabulary
items are sets of words which form the basis for producing and understanding
sentences (Miller, 1991). According to Bear et al. (2008), vocabulary growth is an
indicator of how well the foreign language learners can master English language
skills such as, reading, speaking, listening, and writing. English vocabulary in
5


school programs can also be used in line with the overall development of society.
Wilkins (1972) indicated that “... while without grammar very little can be
conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (pp. 111–112). Thus,
vocabulary is a tool for learners to communicate successfully. In addition,
vocabulary is the foundation for developing other language skills such as reading
comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking and writing. If you learned the
grammar well enough without acquiring enough vocabulary your ability to express
yourself in the language will be limited.
As Schmitt (2010) noted, “learners carry around dictionaries and not
grammar books” (p. 4). In English-speaking countries, mastering the vocabulary
helps us pass the excellent qualification tests such as SAT and GRE. Ellis (2012)

also points out that, for beginner learners with a low proficiency level, input-based
tasks where learners are exposed to and learn vocabulary and other linguistic
features are more beneficial than output-based tasks. In addition, learners can
discover the beauty of language through new words. Learners can also compare and
contrast the English language with their mother tongue to understand the similarities
and differences between the two languages. Thus, without vocabulary, learners will
fail to establish communication relationships. Or with a little vocabulary, they will
not be able to read more advanced materials, so they will lose the opportunity to
expand their vocabulary and will be less successful in using strategies of learning
vocabulary.
1.3. The methods and strategies to develop vocabulary for students
According to the National Reading Panel (2000), explicit instruction of
vocabulary is highly effective. To develop vocabulary intentionally, students should
be explicitly taught both specific words and word-learning strategies. To deepen
students' knowledge of word meanings, specific word instruction should be robust
(Beck et al., 2002). Many strategies and methods have been employed to develop
vocabulary for students. Firstly, vocabulary can be acquired at random through
active and frequent participation in language activities. Secondly, vocabulary can be
learned through the direct teaching process. Students will understand the meaning
and function of words in the sentences and contexts. In addition, teachers can
encourage students to use dictionaries, synonyms and learn how to write to broaden
6


their vocabulary. Or the teacher can use vocabulary games, create interactive
vocabulary walls to help students grasp interesting new words.
Michael Graves (2006) introduced a framework program for successful
vocabulary learning programs to support the teaching and development of
vocabulary knowledge for learners. This curriculum introduces a four-part approach
to vocabulary development: (1) Provide rich and varied language experiences, (2)

teach individual words, (3) teach vocabulary learning strategies, (4) enhance
vocabulary awareness.
Many English teaching specialists such as Wright, Betteridge and Bucky
(1984) support the use of short stories to develop vocabulary for students. They
think that using tales is a great way to learn vocabulary in English language classes.
Because teachers can create a variety of scenarios for students to communicate with
each other, exchange information and express their opinions.
Gee (2003) claims that students in the contemporary age show rapid adaption
to the navigation and multiple processing of different modes, and that this is
apparent in their consumption of digital products such as the iPad or iPad. Kress
further points out that film provides “a large variety of modes” (2010: 30); thus, the
use of video and films in a classroom context offers a valuable resource for
recreating the multimodality environment that learners are exposed to outside of the
classroom.
2. Using video with caption modes
2.1. Application of information technology and multimedia
Information Technology is a major achievement of scientific- technical
revolution at present. It penetrates and dominates most areas of scientific research,
technology applications in manufacturing, education, training and other political
and social activities. The remarkably effectiveness is that the quality of education
has increased both in theory and practice. Currently, the application of information
technology to teach students has clearly shown through the "e-lectures". Students
are really passionate, exciting and have highly effective work in the majority of the
lessons with IT applications. Mission of educational researchers and teachers is to
find out best effective ways and stages to integrate information technology in
teaching English language for students.
7


Young and Bush (2004) emphasized that English teachers should consider

the context and objectives of the application of IT in teaching. The strength of using
interactive technology and multimedia in teaching and learning English is to help
students do not get bored with hard-core, vocabulary-based, grammatical lessons in
a traditional way. Instead, the learner will be exposed to the visual world by visual,
sound and color, as well as interacting with live characters from comics, stories or
online classes from internet. This will arouse the passion from the students, make
teachers and students excited in teaching and learning, thereby bring the best
learning outcomes. English students cannot understand the target language easily
because it is not their mother tongue, that‟s why English teachers should provide
audio-visuals to make the lesson more helpful and interesting (Daniel, 2013). One
of the most well famous type of audio visuals is video. As stated before video is an
audio visual material that provides an image plus an audio track to clarify what is
going on. It is one of the most pleasant materials applied to language learning and
teaching.
Video captioning is one of the modes that technology can provide for
vocabulary learning. It is defined by Danan (2004, p. 232) as “on-screen text in a
given language combined with a soundtrack in the same language”. Language
learners have difficulty in decoding the speech of native speakers of the target
language. The use of video captioning is an effective tool for language learners to
decode the speech of native speakers presented in videos. Captions help learners
link the written words to their actual speech. Learning English with captioned video
is an effective way to improve your English, especially your vocabulary. If you've
been bored with long books, arduous and complicated grammar lessons, let‟s watch
video with caption modes to learn English. In relation to vocabulary learning
specifically, visual representations encourage learning, as emphasized by Smith
(1997) and Miller (2012), who assert the positive effect on vocabulary learning that
is achieved when students are able to represent new words visually. The use of
video in the classroom context is underpinned by the current pedagogical trend
aiming toward greater engagement with learners‟ culture and practices outside of
the school environment.

2.2. The effects of using video with caption modes in vocabulary learning
8


Today, language learning has turned out to be more available by
implementing multimedia with spoken information and full visual context, such as
subtitles. For instance, subtitled videos representing words and pictures in oral and
visual form are more probable to activate both coding systems in the processing
than words or pictures alone. The meaning of words has a close relationship with
the content of a video. Thus, captioning is one of the factors that can help students;
they view the whole content of video while they listen and read the captions
(Markham & Peter, 2002). A study conducted by Secules and Tomasello (1992)
documents the effectiveness of visual cues empirically, where the researchers
compared video-based instruction with traditional approaches that mainly focus on
exercises and drills for university English speakers learning French. Their findings
show that the video-based instruction group outperformed the traditional approach
group across comprehension tasks. The dual-coding theory proposed by Paivio
(1971) suggests that when pictures are added to the meaning, the number of signals
connected with the message increases. Viewers then will be more probable to keep
the message in mind. Therefore, the results of the past research appear to sustain the
aspect that the use of subtitles causes multi-sensory processing, interacting with
audio, video and print mechanisms. These information input foundations make the
process of language learning enhanced, improve the comprehension of the content,
and increase vocabulary by looking at the subtitled words in meaningful and
stimulating circumstances.
Shareman (2003) stated that video is an audio visual material which is
divided into two main parts: a picture which is the moving image that appears on
the screen and the sound which is the audio voice that we can listen to. Students
who view captioned videos are able to perceive target words easily because they
can understand the meaning of words better than in printed forms (Hsu, 2013).

Using captioned video in the classroom is one possible strategy for
increasing learners‟ awareness of metacognitive strategies, or attracting their
attention to the learning resources available beyond the classroom. Videos play
important roles in providing interesting learning environment for the students.
Learning vocabulary plays important roles in learning new languages because
vocabulary is the foundation of any language. The one way that student can enrich
9


their vocabulary‟ knowledge is learning the new vocabulary in context. When
learners encounter a context like a whole reading or even just some paragraphs, they
can learn better and they do not forget words easily. Although books give written
input to students, other tools and materials that could provide aural input could give
better opportunities for students to learn vocabulary. According to Wang (2012),
“we remember images better than words; hence we remember words better if they
are strongly associated with 14 images.” Results of plenty of studies by Chun and
Plass, (1996), Akbulut (2007), Hall and Dougherty (2012), and Lin and Tseng
(2012) conclude that videos are practical sources in learning vocabulary because
they provide images and other input for students to understand the meaning of
words much easier.
Liou (2000) found that the highest proportion of students used foreign
language captions as auxiliary support, especially the higher-achieving students.
The replay function was the next, and the assistance of native subtitles was the third
ranked strategy when learners needed support. According to Danan (2004), captions
visualize the auditory information of the foreign language which the learners hear in
the video. Zanon (2006) argues for the benefit of subtitled video, which he said
would “…motivate students to study English outside the classroom context,
especially by watching TV and cinema, listening to the original dialogues” (p.44).
According to Bird and Williams (2002), captioning is a beneficial language
learning tool by looking at how a bimodal presentation (aural and visual) of novel

words would affect the learning of the words. Using subtitled video in the
classroom is one possible strategy for increasing learners‟ awareness of
metacognitive strategies, or attracting their attention to the learning resources
available beyond the classroom. Zanon (2006) argues for the benefit of subtitled
video, which he said would “…motivate students to study English outside the
classroom context, especially by watching TV and cinema, listening to the original
dialogues” (p.44).
Markham (2001) investigated whether the presence of captions affects
learning. He also explored whether familiarity with the content of the video
differentially affects the usefulness of captions. He presented Muslim, Buddhist,
and non-Muslim/Buddhist ESL students with videos in English about their
10


respective religions. Within each of the three groups, half of the students were
shown the videos with captions, and half without. Results revealed that both
background knowledge and captions contributed substantially to the learners‟
comprehension of the videos.
According to Van Patten, Williams, & Rott (2004), captions also help
learners make form-meaning connections in the mental lexicon, which constitutes a
crucial process in the acquisition of lexical items.
It is concluded that the above studies highlighted the significance of applying
captioned video on language learning skills, particularly vocabulary. As in a foreign
language context the role of learning vocabularies is of significance for language
learners in institutes, using video with caption modes can pave the way for the
learners to improve their vocabulary learning. Since students prefer to be taught
with captioned videos, rather than other traditional materials such as: dictionary, in
order to improve their vocabulary mastery of the target language. This study
suggested pairing videos with caption modes as an innovative technique to facilitate
vocabulary learning in a motivated atmosphere. First of all teachers should take it

into consideration to integrate captioned videos and use it as a teaching vocabulary
tool. To do that his main role is choosing topics that meet students‟ needs, in other
words topics adopted according to the students‟ level an illustration for this is
providing topics like going to a restaurant, travelling.... and so on for beginners.
2.3. Technique of using videos in classroom
Cakir (2006) suggested that incorporating videos is in the language
classroom is a task that needs some techniques and requires some astute that
teachers should be aware of in order to increase the effectiveness of using videos in
instruction. In other words there are some stages when implementing a video in the
classroom that should be followed:



Active Viewing

Active viewing is very important because it raises students‟ pleasure and
satisfaction and focuses their attention on the main idea of the video presentation.
Teachers should write some key questions on the board before starting the video
show this enables learners to get an overview of the video content.



Freeze Framing and Prediction

11


Stopping the video one moment intentionally by the teacher in order to
explain or to give more detail to clarify something or to ask questions is called
freeze framing.



Silent Viewing

Since a video is an audiovisual means, which is divided into two main
components: the sound and the vision, silent viewing is making the video segment
play with the sound off only the picture is animating and asking students to observe
the behaviour of the characters, after that the teacher stops the picture and asks
students to guess what will happen This activity can be a prediction technique if
students are watching the video for their first time. Silent viewing arouses student
interests, stimulates thoughts, and develops skills of anticipation.



Sound On and Vision off Activity

Contrary to silent viewing sound on and vision off activity is making the
sound of a video playing and removing the picture. It allows learners to guess the
video content through listening so they are unable to see the action. It makes
learners build an idea about what is happening thanks to hearing.



Repetition and Role-Play

Repetition is very important especially when there are some difficult
language points in the unit. It plays a significant role in enhancing communicative
production exercises. On the other hand the teacher should give the opportunity for
each learner to repeat a scene in a video either individually or in a role-play. When

students have a clear understanding of the presentation, they are asked to act out the
scene using as much of the original version as they can remember and when they
become confident with role playing and are sure of vocabulary and language
structures , the teacher can ask them to introduce more creative activity.



Reproduction Activity

After viewing a video section, students are asked to reproduce what they
have understood from the video representation or to summarize it either orally or in
a written form. This activity allows them to try out their knowledge, and to enhance
their level because if they make mistakes the assistant and guidance of their teacher
will help them.



Dubbing Activity

12


This activity can be done when students have the necessary language
competence. , students are asked to fill in the missing dialogues after watching a
sound-off video episode. it is interesting and enjoyable for the students to complete
a scene from the video by dubbing.



Follow-Up Activity

Follow-up activity is a very important activity because opening a discussion
after watching a video stimulates communication among students which help to
achieve communicative practice this activity give students the opportunity to
develop sharing and co-operative skills.
3. Young learners
3.1. Characteristics of young learners
While there are commonalities across learners of all ages, young children
differ from older children in many ways. Studies of young children show how
learning changes across development. However, we now know that even very
young children have a predisposition to learn in certain domains, and that young
children are actively engaged in making sense of their world. Young children appear
to be predisposed to acquire information. Some typical characteristics of young
learners are discussed as follows:
Firstly, the characteristic of young learners mentioned by Clark (1990:6-8):
a. Children are developing conceptually: they develop their way of thinking
from the concrete to the abstract thing.
b. Children have no real linguistics, different from the adult learners that
already have certain purpose in learning language, for instances, to have a better
job, children rarely have such needs in learning a foreign language. They learn
subjects that school provides for them.
c. Children are still developing; they are developing common skill such as
turn talking and the use of body language.
d. Young children are very egocentric; they tend to resolve around
themselves.
e. Children get bored easily. Children have no choice to attend school. The
lack of the choice means that class activities need to be as fun, interesting and
exciting as possible by setting up the interesting activities.
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Other characteristics related to young language learners students that
Slatterly and Willis (2001) state are as follows.
• They learn to read and write in L1
• They develop as thinkers
• They understand the difference between the real and the imaginary
• They can plan and organize how best to carry out an activity
• They can work with others and learn from others
• They can be reliable and take responsibility for class activities and
routines
Lastly, Scott and Ytreberg (1993:3-4) also propose some general young
language learners‟ characteristics (elementary school students) as follows:
a. Their basic concepts are formed. They have decided views of the world.
b. They can tell the difference between fact and fiction.
c. They ask questions all the time.
d. They rely on the spoken word as well as the physical world to convey and
understand meaning.
e. They are able to make some decisions about their own learning.
f. They have definite views about what they like and don‟t like doing.
g. They have developed sense of fairness about what happens in the
classroom and begin to question the teacher‟s decisions.
h. They are able to work with others and learn from others.
Furthermore, with language development, students can understand abstracts,
understand symbols, generalize and systematize.
To put in a nutshell, from those characteristics above, it can be known that
young language learners are able to understand abstract ideas, understand symbols
(beginning with words), generalize, and systematize. These characteristics should
be considered by the teacher when teaching young learners, because it will increase
the chance of making a successful learning process. So, by understanding the
characteristics of the children, teachers are able to motivate them and by a

successful learning process, teachers and students can reach the goal of the study.
3.2. Teaching strategies to young learners

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In language learning context it is believed that children will learn a
foreign language more effectively under certain conditions. Therefore, there are
some assumptions of teaching strategies about language learning that should be
considered when teaching English as foreign language to children. The assumptions
below are adapted from different sources (Abe, 1991; Moon, 2000; Hudelson, 1991;
Krashen, 1983; Lightbown and Spada (2011); Piaget, 1991; Saracho, 2012)
• Motivating young learners in the learning process. In fact, teachers can
make positive contribution to students‟ motivation to learn if classrooms are places
that students enjoy coming to because the content is interesting and relevant to their
age and level of ability, learning the goals are challenging yet manageable and clear,
and the atmosphere is supportive.
•

Involve students in making visuals and realia. Children are more sensitive

to anything that touches the senses; they react easily to physical objects. Having
children involve in creating the visuals that are related to the lesson helps teachers
create classroom situations to be more alive. The real objects also help the teachers
render materials and help the students comprehend the given materials.
•

Letting children play will help them put the information they have just

learned into imaginary "real-world" situations after teaching a lesson. Through

play, children can synthesize and internalize information that they have learned. If
play cannot be used within the lessons to teach the content, then it is important to
use it after the content is taught to help children internalize what they have just
learned.
•

Providing conductive environment for children to learn because children

learn from the world around them. Teachers should also make sure that the subject
is taught in a very practical, hand-on way that they can interact with actual, physical
and here and now or concrete aspects, which is appropriate with their concrete
operational stage.
•

Using topic-based activities in the teaching language for young children.

The topic-based activities begin with a subject appropriate for the students and then
that subject is designed to involve the students in investigating the topic and using
the language as an integral part and the core of investigation. Through the topic,

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students can associate any word, function, and situation involved to the specific
topic.
In conclusion, to meet the goal of the teaching-learning of English for
young learners, the English teachers must know not only the students‟
characteristics but also useful teaching strategies.
4. Previous studies
Captioned videos have been used in language classrooms to develop various

aspects of second language learning. For example, some studies investigate the use
of captioned video in relation to potential improvement of language skills. The use
of captioned videos to learn language features (vocabulary and grammar) has also
been well documented in much research. In the following discussion, studies that
investigate the use of captioned videos to develop language skills will be reported in
the first section; then the discussion will concentrate on studies that specifically
investigate the effectiveness of captioned video on vocabulary learning, due to the
domain of the current research:
In 1999, Kosslstra and Beentjes conducted a study on the effectiveness of
the use of L1 caption L2 spoken videos on the fourth and sixth graders' vocabulary
acquisition and word recognition in Dutch. There were 126 students from the fourth
grade and 120 students from the sixth grade, however assigned into three groups.
The results showed that students in the experimental group viewing L1 caption L2
spoken video outperformed on the vocabulary learning.
A study conducted by Neuman (1990), observing 129 seventh and eighth
graders in bilingual programs, examined the effectiveness of captioning in foreign
language instruction by designing four different modes. Nine segments of an
educational science series lasting 5-8 minutes were subtitled in the subject's target
language. The results of the experiment showed that participants who watched
subtitled programs learned more new words from the second language than those in
any of the three other conditions. In other words, the findings indicated strongly to
support the impact of CCTV on bilingual students' acquisition of language, literacy,
and conceptual knowledge.

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