Intentional vocabulary learning through captioned viewing: Comparing Vanderplank’s ‘cognitive- affective model’ with Gesa and Miralpeix

In this chapter, an insightful comparison is drawn between Vanderplank’s cognitive-affective model and an empirical study by Gesa and Miralpeix (2023), shedding light on the deliberate acquisition of vocabulary through captioned viewing. By weaving together various theories and models that advocate the use of captioned media in language learning, the authors open up new avenues for inquiry, perfectly suited to the evolving landscape of language learning. The integration of captioned viewing into language instruction presents educators with potent tools that surpass conventional comprehension exercises, invigorating multiple aspects of vocabulary acquisition. Employing captioned viewing in classrooms should focus on enhancing vocabulary knowledge, actively involving students in both the granular details of language (bottom-up processes) and the broader concepts it conveys (top-down processes). The use of audiovisual content with captions offers rich opportunities for honing decoding skills. Regular engagement with captioned audiovisual materials can significantly bolster learners’ abilities in speech segmentation and decoding, facilitating the learning of new words, and reducing the cognitive effort required for processing.