Hsin-Chou Huang
National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan
joehuang@ntou.edu.tw
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.
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