Eyetracking has been used in Applied Linguistics research mainly for reading and related tasks. However, eyetracking can also give us information about the focus of attention during synchronous online speaking tasks. By recording students’ and teachers’ gaze movements during computer-mediated tutorials we can make tentative claims about their attention. Stimulated reflection interviews based on viewing the gazeplot videos are needed to confirm this information. Our method is firmly grounded in socio-cultural theory, acknowledging that meaning is negotiated between interlocutors online, and also between researchers and participants through reflection and dialogue. The presentation will show examples of eyetracking studies with students and teachers at the Open University.
Reading