Language learning through YouTube Videos

SUMMARY

EXISTING KNOWLEDGE:

1. Challenges of Remote Language Learning: Remote language teaching, especially during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, presents challenges in maintaining engagement, providing adequate support, and ensuring effective comprehension, particularly in listening tasks.

2. YouTube as an Educational Tool: YouTube has become a popular resource for language learning due to its vast range of content. Captions, in particular, are known to aid comprehension by providing visual support for auditory input.

3. Benefits of Captions in Listening Comprehension: Previous research suggests that captions can enhance L2 listening comprehension, helping students with vocabulary acquisition and overall understanding.

NEW INSIGHTS:

1. Effectiveness of YouTube Videos with Captions: Boltiziar and Munkova’s study confirms that using YouTube videos with captions significantly improved students’ listening comprehension in remote learning settings. The combination of visual and auditory input aided comprehension and retention.

2. Student Engagement and Autonomy: The study highlights that students enjoyed using YouTube for listening exercises, as it allowed them to control playback, pause, and replay content, fostering autonomy and reducing anxiety in the learning process.

3. Varied Impact by Language Proficiency: The research found that captions were particularly beneficial for lower proficiency students, while higher-level learners showed less reliance on captions.

PUTTING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE:

1. Integrate YouTube Videos with Captions: Teachers can incorporate YouTube videos with captions into remote listening comprehension exercises to enhance learning, especially for lower-level learners.

2. Encourage Active Viewing: Teachers can guide students to use the pause and replay functions to actively engage with the material, improving comprehension and retention.

3. Tailor Content to Proficiency Levels: For higher-level learners, teachers could encourage more complex videos, using captions for vocabulary reinforcement rather than primary comprehension support.

REFERENCE: Article Title: Emergency remote teaching of listening comprehension using YouTube videos with captions  

Authors:   Boltiziar and  Munkova 

Journal: Education and Information Technologies Year: 2024