The Effects of Biofeedback-based Stimulated Recall on Self-Regulated Online Learning: A Gender and Cognitive Taxonomy Perspective

Previous studies posited the effectiveness of Stimulated Recall (SR) by exposing learners to recorded videos enhancing their personal perceptions and authentic understanding of knowledge in an interactive classroom. However, few studies explored how SR is implemented in a relatively static context, e.g., online self-directed learning, or took human factors, e.g., cognitive style and gender, into consideration in such a context. To fill this gap, the current study, based on previous psychological research findings, aims to introduce biofeedback as a stimulus for learners to engage in retrospection regarding their learning behavior. A quasi-experimental design study was carried out over a 12-week set of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) self-regulated online reading activities. The participants consisted of an experimental group (54 undergraduate students) and a control group (52 undergraduate students) at one Chinese university. Pre-post tests on reading performance and their association with a specific cognitive taxonomy were assessed through a developed scale instrument, whereas physiological signals (e.g., gazing duration, verbal fixation and brain wave) were captured via eye-tracking and electroencephalograph (EEG) technology. The results emphasized that (a) students’ reading ability and cognitive hierarchy significantly improved through biofeedback. Moreover, (b) learners in single level-one cognitive hierarchic groups had significant improvements in both cognitive abilities and reading comprehension, whereas learners in multi-level hierarchic groups had no significant enhancements. Finally, (c) the optical data results and EEG reports showed that males favor procedural feedback and females have a preference for a conclusive assessment.