The Use of Subtitled Audiovisuals in the Specialized Vocabulary Acquisiton in Higher Education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of subtitled audiovisual communication to acquire specialized vocabulary at the Veterinary Medicine School at Escuela Superior Politécnica (ESPOCH) located in the city of Riobamba, Chimborazo Province during the academic period of April – August 2022. In this study, books, scientific articles, theses, and documents in the web were analyzed for the literature review. A total of 24 students of the third level of Veterinary Medicine were the population and the sample of this study. Four videos using interlingual and intralingual subtitles were used during the semester, which included activities such as flashcards, questionnaires, and glossaries to reinforce students' vocabulary acquisition. At the end of this study, a survey was applied to students, and the English teacher who works at the third level of Veterinary Medicine was interviewed to obtain information. Then data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The results showed that subtitled videos help students acquire specialized vocabulary. It is recommended to use subtitled audiovisual communication to teach English and to carry out further studies to propose strategies about subtitled communication for English for specific purpose (ESP).