Integrating feature films with subtitles to enhance the listening comprehension of students attending college in Taiwan

The problem. Poor listening skills may result in misinterpretation. Language teachers as well as researchers understand the need for improving listening skills, and the need to find the most effective way to accomplish this objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of feature films with subtitles can help improve Taiwan college students' listening comprehension.;Method. The researcher selected 126 Taiwanese EFL college students to participate in this study. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. In this quasi-experimental research, there were two experimental groups (English subtitles group and Chinese subtitles group) and a control group. The quantitative analysis included the listening comprehension score test and questionnaires. A simulated intermediate-level pre-test and a post-test of the GEPT listening comprehension tests were used to identify the proficiency level of the student participants. Moreover, additional data from the participants including the students' general background, students' and teachers' reported perceptions, and the effectiveness of using films in listening comprehension classes were analyzed and reported. Furthermore, for the qualitative analysis, 21 students (seven from each group) and six college English teachers were interviewed individually by the researcher.;Results. The results of this study indicated that students in the experimental groups with either English subtitles or Chinese subtitles treatments showed higher simulated GEPT listening test scores than the control group without the subtitles treatments. However, there was no significant difference between the English subtitles group and the Chinese subtitles group. The qualitative findings showed a preference both by students and EFL teachers for using feature films and subtitles as a method of helping Taiwanese college students in their English listening comprehension. The results highlighted the effectiveness of the use of films with subtitles in promoting English learning when students are provided with well designed activities to motivate their viewing and vigorously engage in the film approach. Language learning can be fun and rewarding.