Leveling the Playing Field: A Study of Captioned Interactive Video for Second Language Learning

Research on computer-assisted and video-based educational techniques has almost invariably found that these media have positive effects on learner motivation. This article presents a study of integrated computer technology which incorporates pace-controlled syntactic chunking in a captioned video presentation. The results indicate that a well-designed interactive video application can motivate, save time, and help address learner weaknesses, especially for students most in need of assistance. In addition to increasing both student motivation and learning efficiency over time, the program supplied the least able students with the means to better understand and respond to foreign language discourse. The results achieved in this study were quite positive. Weaker students in the experimental group performed beyond their apparent ability levels. Additionally, both the teachers and the students reacted favorably to working with the technology. Finally, the experimental group was able to complete tasks more quickly without sacrificing accuracy. These positive results were achieved through a model of technology integration that was implemented throughout the course of the study. The tasks the students performed were not assigned by the researcher and completed in a vacuum. They were, rather, co-designed and assigned by the teachers who participated in the study. In fact, the interactive video program and recorded questions the students used during the course of the semester were also created with the assistance of classroom teachers. The model of participatory technology integration was vital to the success of the study.