Education runs quickly violence runs slowly: An analysis of closed captioning speed and reading level in children’s television franchises

Closed captioning is a great example of how efforts in technological equity can benefit all, as closed captioning has become a common tool in childhood literacy and new language learning for adults. In comparison to traditional print reading forms closed captioning is in its infancy. Popular methodologies for assessing reading level of text were invented before closed captioning existed. This study is an investigates an aspect of closed captioning that has historically received less attention, the content and reading level of the closed captions. While considerable research attention has been given to the role of speed in relation to reading comprehension of closed captioning, less attention has been given to specific analysis of closed captioning content. This study analyzed closed captioning text extracted from 337 episodes of popular children’s television shows through the lens of content and reading level analysis using both traditional literacy tools and tools for analysis of closed captions. The goal was to provide insight for language teachers, parents of deaf children, and other relevant practitioners to make more informed and equitable decisions about children’s programming. The 21 shows sampled displayed clear patterns based on genres and age. The data also provided insight into methodological assessment differences between closed captioning and traditional print forms.