The Correlation Between Frequency of Using English Subtitles and Perceived Speed of Spoken English in Films Toward Students’ Perception of Listening Comprehension
Keywords:
English subtitles, perceived speech speed, listening comprehension, audiovisual media, junior high school studentsAbstract
This study examines the correlation between the frequency of English subtitle use and perceived spoken English rate in movies on students’ perceptions of listening comprehension. In this digital era, audiovisual media such as English-language movies offer abundant exposure to authentic language input, yet many EFL learners continue to face challenges in understanding native speech, mainly due to fast delivery and unfamiliar pronunciation. Subtitles—especially subtitles in the same language (English)—are increasingly being used to bridge this gap, potentially improving students’ vocabulary, pronunciation, and listening confidence. This quantitative study involved 42 eighth-grade students from a junior high school in Kediri. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering three main variables: frequency of subtitle use, perceived spoken English rate in movies, and perceived listening comprehension. The results of this study showed that the frequency of English subtitle use significantly influenced students’ perceptions of their listening ability, while perceived spoken English rate did not show a statistically significant direct effect. These results suggest that consistent use of subtitles helps students better adapt to native speech and fosters better listening comprehension. This study supports the use of subtitled films as an effective supplement in English as a second language (EFL) classrooms. Future research could expand on this study by exploring different types of subtitles or broader populations to deepen our understanding of media-assisted language acquisition.
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