The effects of closed captions upon the listening comprehension of students learning English as a second language in an intermediate school in Puerto Rico

The objective of the study was to determine if exposure to closed captions (CC) would aid the listening comprehension of students learning English as a second language. Fifty-five students, in three intact classes, watched two TV shows a week for eight weeks. The first group was exposed to CC throughout the experiment; the second was exposed to CC during the first half of the experiment to determine if they would become dependent on CC; and the third saw the shows without CC. Listening comprehension was measured before and after the treatment as well as through quizzes after each show. All groups improved but the group that had CC for half the experiment improved more than the group with no CC and did not differ significantly from the group that had CC throughout the experiment. It was also found that students enjoyed CC and that they were beneficial in learning English.