Attitudes towards Subtitles and their Effect on User Responses in Speech Interactive Foreign Language Learning

The use of subtitles in a Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) program can assist learners in the comprehension of the language input they are exposed to. In an interactive CALL program, subtitles may also help learners in the formulation of their own responses. This paper describes the evaluation of a speech interactive CALL program that combines speech recognition technology, embodied animated agents and virtual worlds to create an environment in which learners can converse with virtual characters in the target language in real-time. In particular, the research focuses on the use of subtitles as a help strategy; and the effects of subtitle duration on user attitudes and user responses in the system. Two groups of users participated in the research: high school students learning Italian and high school students learning Japanese. Empirical results are presented from an experiment that evaluated user attitudes towards the speech interactive program and in particular subtitle duration.