Young learners’ cognitive processes in picture-based causal explanation speaking tasks: Synchronizing eye movements with speech production

Assessment tasks for young language learners (YLLs) should be cognitively appropriate and consistent with instructional foci of English language education. We investigated YLLs’ cognitive processes of taking computerized picture-based causal explanation speaking tasks. Ninety-six Chinese primary-school EFL learners in Grades 4 and 6 completed two causal explanation speaking tasks in Chinese (L1) and English (L2). Their eye movements during the test were recorded. We examined to what extent L1 cognitive processes differed across the two grade levels and to what extent L2 cognitive processes were related with L1 cognitive processes, L2 performance scores, and L2 productive and receptive vocabulary sizes and grade levels. We found that 4th and 6th graders had similar L1 cognitive processes. In the L2 performance, participants with fewer L2 linguistic resources viewed significantly longer and more frequently both the content-relevant areas of the task prompts and the areas not directly related to the content. The findings pointed to the dynamic complexities of interactions at speech-production stages between YLLs’ cognitive ability and L2 proficiency and the visual and textual stimuli of the tasks. We discussed implications of the findings and future research directions with reference to task design and young learners’ cognitive processes.