O n f e r e n c e

Hsin-Chou Huang
 
National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan 
[e-mail]
Methodological Challenges in Capturing Online Reading Strategy 
Data: A Comparison of Verbal Protocols and Screen-Capturing 
Techniques 
Bio data 
 
Hsin-chou Huang
is Associate Professor of English as a Foreign Language at the 
Institute of Applied English at National Taiwan Ocean University. Her research focuses on 
using computer technology for language teaching and learning, second language reading 
and writing, and teacher education. 
Abstract 
The emergence of technology has redefined literacy and learning and has prompted 
educators to determine how best 
to access learners’ online literacy competencies. Recent 
studies have f
ocused on labeling ESL/EFL learners’
online reading strategies through 
qualitative investigations, such as think-aloud protocols (Elshair, 2002; Konishi, 2003), 
and through quantitative analyses, such as questionnaires (Anderson, 2003). Although 
research has indicated that the think-aloud protocol is a more reliable measure of real-
time use strategies than self-report questionnaires (Ericsson, 2001), it is worth 
investigating whether another data collection tool would be a more valid instrument for 
document
ing students’ online strategy use. This study examines this possibility by 
comparing two methods of collecting data on EFL learners’ online reading strategy use: a 
think-aloud protocol versus a screen-capturing technique.
Twenty intermediate-level non-English majors from a national university in Taiwan 
participated in this study. Students were required to complete two tasks: a closed task 
to find facts about a theme park in the United States, and an open task to find 
a possible summer job for a working holiday. During the task-completion process, 
participants were recorded thinking aloud about their strategy use while their online 
navigation 
processes were 
videotaped by 
ViewletCam, 
a 
screen-capturing 
software tool. Two raters first evaluated the think-aloud data and then the video files 
that captured each student’s entire
navigational path. The verbal protocols and screen-
capturing data were both coded and analyzed on the basis of a coding scheme adopted 
from Coiro & Dobler’s (2007) study. The findings sugg
est possible differences between 
the screen-capturing tool and the think-aloud protocol for open versus closed tasks. It 
also encourages researchers to avoid over-reliance on verbal protocols alone when 
interpreting online reading strategy data.