Expanding subtitles: An exploration into scaffolding and deepening educational content through subtitling

Abstract

Educational videos have proliferated in recent years due to increased demands for online content in massive open online courses (MOOC) and blended classroom and pandemic contexts. While these videos are often subtitled to provide greater access, questions remain about whether the educational content of these videos can be deepened. This qualitative study initiates exploration into whether subtitles could and/or should be expanded, providing more in-depth information and thus bridging gaps in background knowledge and deepening comprehension of the video content. The study suggests expanding subtitles by creating clickable keywords and concepts within the subtitles. The findings indicate that higher-risk participants who accessed a moderate number of expansions (approximately one every 90 seconds) had better comprehension outcomes than lower-risk participants who either did not access expansions, or accessed a high number of expansions (approximately one every 50 seconds). Furthermore, the study finds that there was a positive attitude towards expanded subtitles, with 60% of participants indicating a desire to see more expanded subtitles. These findings suggest that future research taking a quantitative approach is necessary to determine the full educational value of this subtitle format.