Student Responses to Subtitled and Dubbed Educational Content: Implications for University Translanguaging Practices
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| Title: | Student Responses to Subtitled and Dubbed Educational Content: Implications for University Translanguaging Practices |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Helena C. Kruger-Roux (ORCID |
| Source: | Transformation in Higher Education. 2025 10. |
| Availability: | AOSIS. 15 Oxford Street, Durbanville, Cape Town, 7550 South Africa. Tel: +27-21-975-2602; Fax: +27-21-975-4635; e-mail: publishing@aosis.co.za; Web site: https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, College Students, Preferences, Instructional Materials, Captions, Translation, English, Language Dominance, African Languages, Language Minorities, Agricultural Education, Audiovisual Instruction, Instructional Films, Aural Learning, Learning Modalities, Multisensory Learning, Cognitive Style, Language Attitudes |
| Geographic Terms: | South Africa |
| ISSN: | 2415-0991 2519-5638 |
| Abstract: | This article examines audiovisual translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy in South African universities, where students navigate tensions between English dominance and the institutional mandate to promote indigenous African languages. Through investigating student experiences with subtitled and dubbed instructional videos in agricultural science programmes, three research questions were added: (1) "students' audiovisual language preferences", (2) "how these preferences reflect linguistic tensions" and (3) "implications for balancing language needs." Our mixed-methods study revealed that while English subtitles are predominantly preferred, students showed greater willingness to engage with indigenous languages aurally than through text. Students strategically pair different languages across modes, often combining indigenous language audio with English subtitles to balance comprehension and comfort. However, difficulties with formal academic terminology in indigenous languages highlight the need for more accessible vocabulary development approaches. The study demonstrates how audiovisual materials create productive student spaces to leverage students' full linguistic repertoires while acknowledging that horizontal translanguaging practices alone may not provide sufficient access to languages of power necessary for academic success. Contribution: We make recommendations for institutional policies that recognise multilingualism as a reality, supporting both fluid multilingual practices and the development of academic registers in indigenous languages. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1491738 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This article examines audiovisual translanguaging as a pedagogical strategy in South African universities, where students navigate tensions between English dominance and the institutional mandate to promote indigenous African languages. Through investigating student experiences with subtitled and dubbed instructional videos in agricultural science programmes, three research questions were added: (1) "students' audiovisual language preferences", (2) "how these preferences reflect linguistic tensions" and (3) "implications for balancing language needs." Our mixed-methods study revealed that while English subtitles are predominantly preferred, students showed greater willingness to engage with indigenous languages aurally than through text. Students strategically pair different languages across modes, often combining indigenous language audio with English subtitles to balance comprehension and comfort. However, difficulties with formal academic terminology in indigenous languages highlight the need for more accessible vocabulary development approaches. The study demonstrates how audiovisual materials create productive student spaces to leverage students' full linguistic repertoires while acknowledging that horizontal translanguaging practices alone may not provide sufficient access to languages of power necessary for academic success. Contribution: We make recommendations for institutional policies that recognise multilingualism as a reality, supporting both fluid multilingual practices and the development of academic registers in indigenous languages. |
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| ISSN: | 2415-0991 2519-5638 |
