RESEARCH SHOWS CAPTIONS INCREASE CHILD LITERACY SUCCESS
Able, a not-for-profit organisation working towards a more inclusive Aotearoa, has partnered with TVNZ for Global Literacy Day to raise awareness about the free services available to all tamariki. TVNZ has confirmed that on Thursday 8 September, Global Literacy Day, all programming for children across the network will host open captioning (captions are turned on for everyone watching), bringing attention to how watching with same-language subtitles can improve reading skills amongst children, especially important given the news this week about the low pass rates in trial of NCEA literacy and numeracy tests alarming principals.
Able’s vision is for an Aotearoa in which everyone can access the media. By partnering with TVNZ to broadcast all children’s programming with open captions on the day of Thursday 8 September, TVNZ and Able aim to highlight the accessible features that are available for free for Aotearoa’s tamariki and show that what’s good for accessibility is good for everyone.
New Zealand’s media accessibility organisation Able creates captions for New Zealand TV and media. Primarily, these provide access for the 880,000+ New Zealanders who are d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing, but local and international research shows that having captions turned on also dramatically benefits children’s' literacy.
Key research findings in the report Now I Don't Know My ABC published in March 2022 by Dr Nina Hood, says two out of five New Zealand children are either only just meeting or failing to meet literacy standards entirely by the age of 15. Recently the New Zealand Government announced a new Literacy & Communication and Maths Strategy indicating a need for change in literacy for children.
Research shows captions directly lead to an improvement in children’s literacy, language and reading skills. Children read along with same-language-subtitles automatically and the presence of subtitles helps children recognise words and grasp story elements.
Able CEO Dan Buckingham says: “Current research has shown that captions on TV programming can have incredible benefits for children’s literacy. Partnering with TVNZ for Global Literacy Day demonstrates that what’s good for accessibility is good for everyone.”
TVNZ’s Director of Content, Cate Slater, says “We’re pleased to help celebrate Global Literacy Day in partnership with Able, by broadcasting our tamariki programming line-up with open captions for the day. We hope our viewers will take something away from the day too.”
“In a world where 85% of social videos are viewed without sound, captions are more prevalent in everyday life. One of the great benefits of captions is that they can double the chances of a child becoming good at reading. At Able, we make more than 2 million words accessible through captions every week, which not only provides essential access for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community; but also have numerous other benefits for society, including boosting literacy for our tamariki and rangatahi” continues Dan Buckingham.
Full instructions to turn captions on are here: https://able.co.nz/captions/how-to-access/