On the effectiveness and limitations of captioning in L2 listening

Abstract

Listening is often perceived to be the most challenging skill by second/foreign language (L2) learners. Due to its real-time nature, L2 listeners experience several comprehension problems related to the processing of aural input. To scaffold L2 listening, captioning is commonly used since the dual coding of aural and written stimuli is expected to make L2 input more comprehensible leading to more in-depth processing. However, a survey of the extant literature precludes us from drawing firm conclusions about the effectiveness of captioning since in some circumstances captions were found to have no significant effect on listening comprehension. So, the question of whether captions function as a comprehension aid in L2 listening remains inconclusive. Hence, adopting a narrative literature review methodology, the present study aims to contribute to this inconsistent research area by clarifying some of these issues answering the following questions: (1) Is captioning really effective in L2 listening?, (2) Does captioning always work for L2 listening?, and (3) Why is research on captioning in L2 listening still inconclusive?  Based on the insights gained, it is concluded that the mere presence of captions does not necessarily lead to improved comprehension. Captioning effectiveness is influenced by learner, material, measurement, task, and L1/L2 characteristics. Implications arising are discussed.