English Subtitles and Listening Comprehension: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Henri Nugroho, Pasca Kalisa

Abstract


Listening comprehension remains challenging for EFL learners, while the effectiveness of English subtitles in authentic movie-based instruction remains inconclusive. This study examined whether English subtitles improve students’ listening comprehension when learning through The Truman Show. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control group was employed with two intact first-year EFL classes at SMK IPT KARANGPANAS. The experimental group watched the film with English subtitles, whereas the control group watched the same film without subtitles. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test. The results showed no statistically significant difference between the groups’ gain scores (p > .05), indicating that English subtitles did not significantly improve listening comprehension. These findings suggest that subtitles alone may not be sufficient to enhance listening performance when authentic films are used. Their effectiveness may depend on learner characteristics, instructional design, and learning context. The study highlights the need for carefully designed subtitle-supported activities in authentic movie-based EFL instruction.


Keywords


English Subtitles; Listening Comprehension; EFL Learners; Quasi-Experimental Design; Audiovisual Learning

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v11i4.3101

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