Gazing into Cognition: Eye Behavior in Online L2 Speaking Tests
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| Title: | Gazing into Cognition: Eye Behavior in Online L2 Speaking Tests |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Burton, J. Dylan (ORCID |
| Source: | Language Assessment Quarterly. 2023 20(2):190-214. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Oral Language, Speech Communication, Language Tests, Eye Movements, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Computer Assisted Testing, Rating Scales, Guidelines, Test Items, Difficulty Level, Nonverbal Communication, Schemata (Cognition), Language Proficiency, Test Validity, Videoconferencing, Foreign Countries, Test Format, Second Language Instruction |
| Geographic Terms: | European Union, China, Vietnam |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15434303.2022.2143680 |
| ISSN: | 1543-4303 1543-4311 |
| Abstract: | The effects of question or task complexity on second language speaking have traditionally been investigated using complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. Response processes in speaking tests, however, may manifest in other ways, such as through nonverbal behavior. Eye behavior, in the form of averted gaze or blinking frequency, has been found to play an important role in regulating information in studies on human cognition, and it may therefore be an important subconscious signal of test question difficulty in language testing. In this study, 15 CEFR B2/C1-level-English learners took a Zoom-based English test with ten questions spanning six CEFR complexity levels. The participants' eye behaviors were recorded and analyzed between the moment the test question ended and the beginning of their response. The participants additionally provided self-report data on their perceptions of test-question difficulty. Results indicated that as test questions increased in difficulty, participants were more likely to avert their gaze from the interlocutor. They did not, however, blink more frequently as difficulty changed. These results have methodological implications for research on test validation and the study of nonverbal behavior in speaking tests. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2JXK |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1382454 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The effects of question or task complexity on second language speaking have traditionally been investigated using complexity, accuracy, and fluency measures. Response processes in speaking tests, however, may manifest in other ways, such as through nonverbal behavior. Eye behavior, in the form of averted gaze or blinking frequency, has been found to play an important role in regulating information in studies on human cognition, and it may therefore be an important subconscious signal of test question difficulty in language testing. In this study, 15 CEFR B2/C1-level-English learners took a Zoom-based English test with ten questions spanning six CEFR complexity levels. The participants' eye behaviors were recorded and analyzed between the moment the test question ended and the beginning of their response. The participants additionally provided self-report data on their perceptions of test-question difficulty. Results indicated that as test questions increased in difficulty, participants were more likely to avert their gaze from the interlocutor. They did not, however, blink more frequently as difficulty changed. These results have methodological implications for research on test validation and the study of nonverbal behavior in speaking tests. |
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| ISSN: | 1543-4303 1543-4311 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15434303.2022.2143680 |
