Learning Center

Line 21: Closed Captioning of Television Programs

David Sillman was Manager of Engineering Planning at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) where his prime responsibility was development of closed-captioning technology. He overviews the events leading to the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare's (HEW) interest in funding the development of such technology. PBS has contracted for the development of a commercial decoder suitable for mass production that could be used by the general public for the reception of closed-captioned television programs. After many years of experimental and preparatory work, it appears that the necessary combination of a closed-captioned transmission system, programming, and a practical home caption decoder can be brought together in the fall of 1979. To quote Sillman: "Let us hope this will signal the end of the exclusion of the hearing impaired from this significant part of our social and cultural life."

Captioning at WGBH TV: A Paper Presented at the 1978 Symposium on Research and Utilization of Educational Media for Teaching the Deaf

Author Sharon Earley participated in the first captioning of "The Captioned ABC News" and in 1977 became the director of all caption center activities for the Caption Center at WGBH-TV. She overviews the debut of captioned news, overall development of captioning at WGBH, and captioning refinements that continued to be made in 1978. To quote Earley: "That the deaf community wanted television news to be captioned was no surprise to anyone. Dr. Malcolm Norwood had been aware of this longstanding need for years. But until 1973, it had seemed impossible."

Utilizing Captioned Films for Teaching Communication Skills

Real Time Closed Captioned Television as an Educational Tool

Written by Martin H. Block and Marc Okrand, Ph.D. for the 1983 Symposium on Research and Utilization of Educational Media for Teaching the Deaf American Annals of the Deaf. Covers the topic of real-time, or live, captioning which provides an opportunity and motivation to improve reading skills. Examines how this technology offers a new approach to providing access to classroom lectures and discussions. Reviews equipment needed as well as the sociological and educational implications surrounding the use of this type of captioning.

Comparison of Video and Text Narrative Presentations on Comprehension and Vocabulary Acquisition

This 1998 study investigated the effect of video and narrative presentations on children's comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. Participants were students in four heterogeneously grouped eighth-grade English classes (n=16, 22, 21, and 11) in a rural school district in southwestern New York.

The Effects of Closed Captioned Television on the Listening Comprehension of Intermediate English as a Second Language (ESL) Students

This 1999-2000 study investigated the effects of closed-captioned TV (CCTV) on the listening comprehension of intermediate English as a second language (ESL) students. Thirty students with intermediate levels of ESL proficiency participated in this study.

Captioning for Deaf People: An Historical Overview

A presentation given at Gallaudet University in 1988 by Dr. Malcolm J. Norwood. Reviews the history of captioning, including the signing of Public Law 85-905 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Captioned Films for the Deaf

Originally published in 1976 in “Exceptional Children,” Malcolm J. Norwood, Chief of Captioned Films and Telecommunications, writes of efforts to have FCC authorize use of a closed captioning device.

Captioning and Interpreting of Films and Videos: Do Both Have a Place?

Author Sheila Chapman, a registered interpreter, relates her experiences in interpreting films and videos, some tips for an interpreter to prepare for this type of interpreting, and reasons why captioning is better.

Real-Time Captioning

Discusses the uses and problems with real-time captioning

The Closed Captioning Process

Reviews the transcript, formatting, time coding, checking and revision, and encoding steps

The Telecommunications Act Of 1996

Basic information and provisions of the 1996 law requiring, among other specifics, closed captioning of television programs. Presented on five pages.

Viewer Reaction To Different Captioned Television Speeds

A study performed by the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training, Inc. (IDRT), June 1997. Reprinted with permission. This paper includes graphs and charts relating to an experiment studying different captioning speeds. The test subjects included deaf and hard of hearing people as well as hearing people.

ERIC Digests and Database Reports on Captioning Research Results (Nine Reports)

Included are nine ERIC reports: (1) "Closed-Captioned Prompt Rates: Their Influence on Reading Outcomes.," (2) "Closed Captioned TV: A Resource for ESL Literacy Education.," (3) "Closed Captioned Television for Adult LEP Literacy Learners.," (4) "ESL Literacy for a Linguistic Minority: The Deaf Experience.," (5) "Literacy Instruction Through Communicative and Visual Arts.," (6) "ESL Instruction for Learning Disabled Adults.," (7) "Using the Technology of Closed-Captioned Television to Teach Reading to Handicapped Students: Performance Reports," (8) "Using Captioned TV for Teaching Reading: FASTBACK 359," and (9) "The Effectiveness of Television Captioning on Comprehension and Preference."

Using Captioned Television to Improve the Reading Proficiency of Language Minority Students

This study by the National Captioning Institute analyzes whether comprehensible input in the form of captioned television might influence bilingual students' acquisition of vocabulary and conceptual knowledge in science. Results indicated that subjects who utilized closed captioning consistently outscored others in word knowledge as well as recall of science information. An analysis of word-related and video-related factors suggested that contexts that provided explicit information yielded higher vocabulary gains. Overall, this study documents the power of captioned television in the acquisition of literacy and conceptual knowledge for bilingual students.