Thursday, 03 April 2025
Researchers have called into question claims that turning on television subtitles can help children learn to read.
Public campaigns backed by celebrities and politicians have argued that television subtitles may dramatically improve children’s reading abilities. However, there has been no convincing research evidence for these claims.
In a new study, led by Royal Holloway in collaboration with the 糖心原创 and funded by Nuffield Foundation, the eye movements of 180 primary school children in Years 1 to 6 were tracked, whilst they watched movies with and without subtitles. The findings have been published in
They found that the children did not even look at subtitles until they were able to read relatively fluently. The children who were not good readers tended to ignore subtitles.
The children who did look at subtitles were able to read at least one word per second. This level of reading proficiency is generally only achieved after three to four years of reading instruction, when children are in Year 3.
Dr Anastasia Lopukhina, from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, who led on the new research paper, said: “Subtitles are presented too quickly for young children to be able to engage with them. If young children do not look at subtitles, then it is hard to see how they could learn from them.
“Our results imply that being a proficient reader drives children to look at subtitles rather than the reverse.”
It is important that children get substantial reading practice even after the initial years of reading instruction.
Once children are sufficiently fluent, it is possible that subtitles can provide additional reading practice, but future research is needed to confirm that subtitles have a causal impact on reading.
Professor Kathleen Rastle, also from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, and Principal Investigator of the project, added: “These claims were appealing because they suggested that the hard work of learning to read could be replaced by watching television with subtitles. However, our findings show that subtitles are not a magic bullet for literacy.
Children need evidence-based reading instruction and several years of book-based reading practice to become proficient
Eleanor Ireland, Education Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: “The findings published in this article are important for parents and those working with children in helping them understand what approaches are most effective in helping children learn to read.
“Knowing that subtitles are unlikely to benefit early readers will allow parents and educators to focus on evidence-based approaches, such as shared reading and reading instruction.”
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Walter Van Heuven on walter.vanheuven@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.