Listening comprehension in a second language (L2) is a complex and particularly challenging task for learners. Because of this, L2 learners and instructors alike employ different learning supports as assistance. Captions in multimedia instruction readily provide support and thus have been an ever-increasing focus of many studies. However, captions must eventually be removed, as the goal of language learning is participation in the target language where captions are not typically available. Consequently, this creates a dilemma particularly for language instructors as to the usage of captioning supports, as early removal may cause frustration, while late removal may create learning interference. Accordingly, the goal of the current study was to propose and employ a testing instrument, the Caption Reliance Test (CRT), which evaluates individual learners' reliance on captioning in second language learning environments; giving a clear indication of the learners' reliance on captioning, mirroring their support needs. Thus, the CRT was constructed comprised of an auditory track, accompanied by congruent textual captions, as well as particular incongruent textual words, to provide a means for testing. It was subsequently employed in an empirical study involving English as a Foreign Language (EFL) high school students. The results exhibited individual variances in the degree of reliance and, more importantly, exposed a negative correlation between caption reliance and L2 achievement. In other words, learners' reliance on captions varies individually and lower-level achievers rely on captions for listening comprehension more than their high-level counterparts, indicating that learners at various comprehension levels require different degrees of caption support. Thus, through employment of the CRT, instructors are able to evaluate the degree to which learners rely on the caption supports and thus make informed decisions regarding learners' requirements and utilization of captions as a multimedia learning support.

No abstract

Yeu-Ting Liu is an associate professor in the Department of English at National Taiwan Normal University. His current research projects focus on bilingual lexical processing, cognitive development in advanced second language (L2) learners and cognitive aspects of computer-assisted L2 learning. Aubrey Neil Leveridge is a lecturer at Vantage College, University of British Columbia. His current research projects focus on computer-assisted language learning. AbstractVarious explicit reading support cues, such as gloss, QR codes and hypertext annotation, have been embedded in e-books designed specifically for fostering various aspects of language development. However, explicit visual cues are not always reliably perceived as salient or effective by language learners. The current study explored the efficacy of implicit reading support cues-cues that are imperceptible to second-language (L2) readers during their L2 digital reading-for promoting L2 vocabulary acquisition. Results suggest that subliminal formal priming-being one type of implicit reading support cues-helped L2 readers significantly improve their form-meaning vocabulary knowledge through e-book reading. In particular, subliminal formal priming was more effective when the digital content, including the text and relevant illustration, was presented to L2 readers simultaneously, rather than incrementally. The results have important implications vis-à-vis the need for the inclusion of implicit reading cues, and the optimal digital input presentation mode for enhancing L2 vocabulary gains.To facilitate readers' language development, various explicit reading support cues (eg, glosses, pictographs, color coding, hypertext and QR codes) have been employed in static visual-based e-books to enhance the saliency and comprehensibility of the to-be-learned novel language forms. Nevertheless, these explicit reading support cues may not always facilitate language development possibly due to a mismatch between how such cues are presented in e-books and how the cues are actually processed by readers (AbuSeileek, 2008(AbuSeileek, , 2011Liu, 2015). In this vein, AbuSeileek (2008) notes that "how the information is displayed is important . . . because it affects the cognitive aspects of text processing" (p. 262). AbuSeileek further argues that when input display or presentation methods are not considered, explicit reading support cues may not be attended by readers or language learners because of limited attentional resources and their

No abstract

This chapter discusses captioning support in second language instruction and its subsequent removal. Prior research has focused on the addition of captions, viewing captioning support as similar to other types of supports. However, captioning is unlike other instructional supports in that it provides an alternative route from which to gather complete comprehension, in turn fostering learner reliance on the support. Accordingly, this chapter argues that the removal of this support may negatively affect learners. The current paper reports on an empirical study that gathered learner perceptions regarding caption reliance, caption addition and removal. The data reveals that perceptions are affected by learner proficiency. A framework was created to assist language instructors and course developers to make informed choices regarding the addition and removal of captioning support.