Do live captions raise online L2 course grades?
Live Zoom transcripts did not raise academic reading grades, but they helped lower-proficiency students join more in-class activities.
Source
The role of live transcripts in synchronous online L2 classrooms: Learning outcomes and learner perceptions
What they did
In a Japanese university English academic reading course taught synchronously on Zoom, researchers used a 2×2 design crossing L2 proficiency with transcript availability across four classes taught by the same instructor. After excluding incomplete attendance, 129 science and engineering sophomores remained; grades, participation, and perceptions were compared.
What they found
Higher-proficiency students outperformed lower-proficiency peers on grades regardless of transcripts, and transcripts did not significantly improve grades for either group. With transcripts available, lower-proficiency students participated more; without them, they completed fewer activities. Both proficiency groups generally viewed transcripts positively despite accuracy concerns.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Classes were not randomly assigned students, transcript accuracy was imperfect, and no questionnaire was given to no-transcript classes, so mechanisms and causal certainty are limited. Findings are tied to one academic reading course in Japan.
Key terms
- Live transcripts
- Real-time auto-generated captions of spoken teacher talk shown during a synchronous online class.
- L2 proficiency
- A learner’s second-language skill level, here indexed with TOEIC placement scores.
- Synchronous online learning
- Live, scheduled class meetings held through video conferencing rather than asynchronous modules alone.
- Academic reading course
- A course focused on reading scholarly texts and producing summaries and responses.
- Participation rate
- How completely students finish in-class learning activities during sessions.
Flashcards
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Quiz yourself
Live transcripts mainly helped lower-proficiency students with:
Common questions
Did transcripts close the grade gap between proficiency groups?
No. Lower-proficiency students with transcripts still scored below higher-proficiency peers without them.
What did transcripts help with?
They increased lower-proficiency students’ motivation to complete more class activities.
Did students like the feature?
Both groups were generally positive about usefulness and ease of use, despite technical imperfections.
How was proficiency defined?
By TOEIC placement scores that differed strongly between the designated lower and higher classes.
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