Early Language Learning & Multilingual Education Network

ABSTRACT

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Assessing young language learners presents unique challenges due to their developing cognitive and linguistic abilities, limited attention span, and the interactive nature of language acquisition. Traditional assessment methods, such as standardized tests and self-reports, often fail to capture the nuanced and dynamic aspects of young learners' language development. To address these challenges, we propose adopt psycholinguistic and ICT related approaches, such as eye-tracking technology, skin conductance measures, and transcription analysis as innovative solutions. Take eye-tracking as an example, it can provide real-time insights into learners’ visual attention, processing efficiency, and reading patterns, offering a more objective measure of language comprehension. By leveraging these technologies, researchers and educators can develop more ecologically valid, real-time, and multimodal assessment methods that better reflect young learners’ language abilities. This talk highlights the potential of these approaches to enhance language assessment and contribute to a deeper understanding of early language development.

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BIO

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He Sun is an Associate Professor and assistant director at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her major interests are 1) child bilingualism and eBook reading, 2) individual differences in early bilingualism/second/foreign language acquisition, and 3) harmonious bilingual experience. Her work has appeared in journals such as Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Child Development, and International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, and Studies in Second Language Acquisition, and has been featured by media, such as Straits Times and CNA. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Child Language, a Consulting Editor of Child Development, and an Executive Committee Member of the International Association for the Study of Child Language.