Closed-captioned video is a powerful tool for motivating students to read...and for aiding in the development of core language skills. For reluctant and struggling readers, closed-captioning can enhance and develop both reading comprehension (Goldman, 1993) and vocabulary acquisition (Koskinen et al., 1993; Xin and Rieth, 2001). In a study of "at-risk" elementary students with reading difficulties, Meyers and Lee (1995) found that "significantly more learning occurs for those students using closed-captioned video compared to those having traditional print materials" (p. 404). Closed-captioned video has also proved effective for teaching ELL students of all ages (Spanos and Smith, 1990; Parks, 1994). Such video can help students develop both language acquisition and content knowledge, as Neuman and Koskinen (1992) found: "Captioned television appeared to provide a particularly rich language environment which enabled [language minority] students to learn words incidentally through context as they developed concepts in science" (p. 104). For more information visit: http://www.captionsforliteracy.org/research_on_captions.htm
To open the closed captions, a click of the CC button on the
remote control is all it takes for most modern television sets. Where the use
of a Menu is required, there is usually a button on the remote control that
reads “Menu.” When a Menu button is pressed various choices or menus appear,
such as a choices of language, setting the TV’s internal clock,
auto-programming the TV, choosing channels and so on, including several options
for captions, such as having them run with the sound on or eliminating the
sound, but keeping the captions.
