Gazing into Cognition: Eye Behavior in Online L2 Speaking Tests

Autor/in	Burton, J. Dylan
Titel	Gazing into Cognition: Eye Behavior in Online L2 Speaking Tests
Quelle	In: Language Assessment Quarterly, 20 (2023) 2, S.190-214 (25 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Burton, J. Dylan)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1543-4303
DOI	10.1080/15434303.2022.2143680
Schlagwörter	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; European Union; China; Vietnam + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Language test; Sprachtest; Augenbewegung; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Rating-Skala; Richtlinien; Test content; Testaufgabe; Schwierigkeitsgrad; Non-verbal communication; Nonverbale Kommunikation; Cognition; Schema; Kognition; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Testvalidität; Ausland; Testentwicklung; Fremdsprachenunterricht
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. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01