Enhancing Retrospective Think-Aloud Protocols with Eye-Gaze data

Abstract

Recent advances in cognitive research indicate potential in integrating eye tracking patterns with traditional retrospective think-aloud protocols. However, the exploration of this approach in learning and education has not taken place yet. This study compares conventional video-stimulated retrospective think-aloud with an eye gaze-enhanced retrospective think-aloud method, examining their effectiveness in eliciting process-level cognitive data and metacognitive awareness. Preliminary findings indicate integration of eye gaze with retrospective think-aloud enhances verbalization precision of cognitive process-level data, reduces attentional ambiguity, minimizes cognitive reconstruction artifacts, and enables the formulation of targeted probes. These outcomes, aligned with Flavell’s metacognitive monitoring framework, highlight multimodal protocol analysis in capturing the dynamic interplay between visual attention, decision-making, and self-regulated learning.