CityU’s collaborative international research on attentional differences in word learning via different reading media published in top-tier journal
The research paper, “Attentional differences in L2 learners’ word learning strategies between mobile-assisted and in-print reading: An eye tracking study”, led by Assistant Professor Jiarui Hou from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the City University of Macau (CityU) as the first and corresponding author and CityU as the first author affiliation, in collaboration with Qualia Professor James F. Lee from the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures at Texas Tech University and Professor Stephen Doherty from the School of Humanities & Languages at the University of New South Wales, has been published in Computer Assisted Language Learning, a top-ranked international linguistics journal indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI).
The ongoing evolution of technology has revolutionized the reading landscape, moving it beyond traditional print formats. This shift has resulted in an exodus of print readers to mobile-assisted reading via tablets, e-readers, and smartphones. The emergence of mobile media and mobile-assisted reading has spurred research into mobile-assisted language learning, which aims to redefine language learning environments and improve pedagogical strategies through mobile technology. At the same time, continuous technological improvements have led to innovative research methodologies that enable the study of cognitive effects. Against this backdrop, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of mobile technology on learning and to determine whether mobile-assisted reading affects the performance of second language (L2) learners in reading tasks before updating educational practices to incorporate mobile-assisted reading media.
This research integrates three critical fields – mobile-assisted language learning, second language acquisition, and psycholinguistics – into a unified framework. Using eye-tracking methodology, the study examines how reading media and word exposure influence L2 learners’ acquisition and processing of new words. L2 learners were asked to read a short story containing new words with different exposure frequencies on a tablet or in print. Their word learning accuracy was then assessed using word form recognition, meaning recognition, and meaning recall tasks after reading. Additionally, eye tracking measures (including first-fixation duration, first-pass time, second-pass time, and total reading time) were used to analyze the visual attention allocated at the early and late stages of L2 learners’ lexical processing during reading.
The findings reveal continued positive and significant effects of word exposure on L2 learners’ learning accuracy and attention allocation. Moreover, compared to in-print reading, mobile-assisted reading produces different effects on learning accuracy and attention allocation. Print readers achieved greater word learning gains in all three accuracy dimensions and employed an attentive reading strategy, allocating more attentional resources to the early stage and fewer to the late stage of lexical processing, in contrast to a skimming strategy observed in tablet users. From a pedagogical perspective, these differences in attention allocation underline the potential cognitive impacts of mobile technology on learners that require further research and intervention.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2024.2434104
Computer Assisted Language Learning publishes primarily cutting-edge, influential empirical research at the intersection of linguistics and technology. According to Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the journal is ranked in the first quartile (Q1) and holds the No. 1 position among 296 SSCI journals in the field of linguistics, with an impact factor of 6. It is highly authoritative in various subfields of linguistics and education.
Source: Research Management Office
