Cultural Schemata as a Scaffold for L2 Lexical Acquisition: A Longitudinal Study on Reversed Subtitling with Rural Polytechnic Learners

Abstract

The students from the rural areas in polytechnics are facing difficulty in expressing their ideas in English. Frequently, students have only a limited vocabulary to enable them to comprehend technical material and to communicate their thoughts clearly. This is why vocabulary enhancement is crucial to language enhancement. In order to fill this gap, the present study looks at the effectiveness of ‘reversed subtitling' as a remedial method for vocabulary development.  The reverse subtitling approach is when the audio is in the native language (L1) of the learners, and the subtitles are in the target language (L2). This study is based on Dual Coding theory and recent study of Baranowska (2020) with a single group pre-test and post-test design with sample of 60 diploma students from Government Polytechnic, Yadagirigutta.  The popular Telugu film Mirchi (2013) was used as the main teaching material. Structured activities are used before, during and after viewing to assist the students in relating familiar concepts in the native language with the English words. The results show a statistically significant improvement (t (59) = 14.2, p = < .001) in the participants' capacity to recall and use complex English words in context. The study indicates that it is possible to decrease cognitive load by using reversed subtitling. The L1 sound is used as an emotional reference, and the L2 text is read to help students concentrate on L2 learning.