Objective

The goal of this study is to model the effect of language use and time pressure on English as a first language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) students by measuring their eye movements in an on-screen, self-directed learning environment.

Background

Online learning is becoming integrated into learners’ daily lives due to the flexibility in scheduling and location that it offers. However, in many cases, the online learners often have no interaction with one another or their instructors, making it difficult to determine how the learners are reading the materials and whether they are learning effectively. Furthermore, online learning may pose challenges to those who face language barriers or are under time pressure.

Method

The effects of two factors, language use (EFL vs. ESL) and time constraints (high vs. low time pressure), were investigated during the presentation of online materials. The effects were analyzed based on eye movement measures (eye fixation rate—the total number of eye fixations divided by the task duration and gaze entropy) and behavioral measures (correct rate and task completion time).

Results

The results show that the ESL students had higher eye fixation rates and longer task completion times than the EFL students. Moreover, high time pressure resulted in high fixation rates, short task completion time, low correct rates, and high gaze entropy.

Conclusion and Application

The results suggest the possibility of using unobtrusive eye movement measures to develop ways to better assist those who struggle with learning in the online environment.

中文翻译：

---

语言障碍和时间限制对在线学习表现的影响：眼动追踪研究

客观的

本研究的目的是通过测量屏幕上的自主学习中的眼球运动来模拟语言使用和时间压力对英语作为第一语言 (EFL) 和英语作为第二语言 (ESL) 学生的影响环境。

背景

由于在线学习提供的时间安排和地点的灵活性，它正在融入学习者的日常生活。然而，在许多情况下，在线学习者往往与彼此或他们的老师没有互动，这使得很难确定学习者如何阅读材料以及他们是否有效地学习。此外，在线学习可能会给那些面临语言障碍或时间压力的人带来挑战。

方法

在在线材料的呈现过程中，研究了语言使用（EFL 与 ESL）和时间限制（高时间压力与低时间压力）这两个因素的影响。根据眼动测量（眼睛注视率——眼睛注视总数除以任务持续时间和注视熵）和行为测量（正确率和任务完成时间）来分析效果。

结果

结果显示，ESL 学生比 EFL 学生有更高的注视率和更长的任务完成时间。此外，高时间压力导致高注视率、短任务完成时间、低正确率和高注视熵。

结论与应用

结果表明，可以使用不引人注目的眼动测量来开发方法，以更好地帮助那些在在线环境中学习困难的人。