Edited by Laura Gurzynski-Weiss and YouJin Kim
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 3] 2022
► pp. 257–280
Out of the four language skills, listening is generally deemed to be the least understood and most under-researched (Aryadoust, Kumaran et al., 2020), partly due to its complex and ephemeral nature. Given that neither the process nor the product of instructed L2 listening can be directly observed (Brown & Abeywickrama, 2019), understanding L2 listening development and learners’ performance on listening tasks poses a number of challenges for language educators and researchers alike. Traditionally, listening has been measured indirectly by analyzing its products, such as responses to comprehension questions, whereas research on the processes underlying L2 listening has been lacking (Vandergrift, 2010). Aiming to encourage the use of process-oriented approaches to investigating L2 listening, this chapter summarizes key research trends that are of particular relevance for ISLA and discusses four main methods that can be utilized for data collection and analysis in process-oriented L2 listening studies. The chapter concludes with step-by-step guidelines for implementing eye tracking into L2 listening studies and some additional recommendations for researchers interested in embarking on this type of research.