37.2328, Calls: Studies in Language Assessment - "Special Issue - Beyond Test Scores: Investigating L2 Test-taker Cognition, Affect, and Behaviour Using Biometric Methods" (Jrnl)

Tue Jul 14 09:05:02 UTC 2026

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2328. Tue Jul 14 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2328, Calls: Studies in Language Assessment - "Special Issue - Beyond Test Scores: Investigating L2 Test-taker Cognition, Affect, and Behaviour Using Biometric Methods" (Jrnl)

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Date: 12-Jul-2026
From: Ruslan Suvorov [rsuvorov at uwo.ca]
Subject: Studies in Language Assessment - "Special Issue - Beyond Test Scores: Investigating L2 Test-taker Cognition, Affect, and Behaviour Using Biometric Methods" (Jrnl)

Journal: Studies in Language Assessment
Issue: Beyond Test Scores: Investigating L2 Test-taker Cognition,
Affect, and Behaviour Using Biometric Methods

Special Issue of Studies in Language Assessment (2028) Call for
Abstracts
Beyond test scores: Investigating L2 test-taker cognition, affect, and
behaviour using biometric methods
Guest editors: Ruslan Suvorov (University of Western Ontario) and
Vahid Aryadoust (Nanyang Technological University)
The purpose of this special issue is to advance process-based
validation research in language testing by bringing together
cutting-edge studies that employ biometric methods and sensor
technologies to examine L2 test-taker cognition, affect, and behaviour
underlying their response processes during language assessment tasks.
Response processes are defined as “the mechanisms that underlie what
people do, think, or feel when interacting with, and responding to,
the item or task and are responsible for generating observed test
score variation” (Zumbo & Hubley, 2017, p. 2). They are also
recognised as one of the five sources of validity evidence in the
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, &
NCME, 2014). Despite their importance, existing empirical evidence on
response processes remains relatively limited and has relied primarily
on self-report data from different survey and verbal report methods
(Ercikan & Pellegrino, 2017; Zumbo & Hubley, 2017). Although these
methods offer valuable insights into test takers’ perspectives, they
are also inherently prone to numerous biases (Wang et al., 2025).
Biometric methods complement self-report data and test scores by
providing more objective, fine-grained, real-time indicators of
test-taker behaviour, affect, and/or cognition involved in the
completion of L2 assessments.
We use the term biometric methods to refer to sensor-based techniques
that capture behavioural, psychophysiological, and/or neurocognitive
processes of L2 test takers during assessment tasks (Borgianni &
Maccioni, 2020). There has been a recent surge in the number of L2
assessment studies leveraging eye tracking (e.g., Aryadoust, 2020;
Batty, 2021; Bax, 2013; Holzknecht et al., 2021; Kwon & Yu, 2024;
McCray & Brunfaut, 2018; Suvorov, 2015), with some studies also
utilising biometric methods such as keystroke logging (e.g., Barkaoui,
2019; Chan, 2017; Zhu et al., 2023) and functional near-infrared
spectroscopy (fNIRS; Aryadoust et al., 2022a, 2022b). For example,
Holzknecht et al. (2021), using eye-tracking data collected during a
listening assessment task, showed that differences in visual attention
and gaze behaviour were systematically related to item difficulty and
task processing demands, revealing variation in response processes
that could not be inferred from scores alone. Similarly, Aryadoust et
al. (2022a) combined eye tracking and fNIRS to examine cognitive load
during L2 listening tasks and found that task design features elicited
distinct patterns of attentional allocation and hemodynamic responses,
even when test performance was comparable. These studies demonstrate
that, while test scores constitute an important component of validity
evidence, they are limited in their capacity to illuminate the
cognitive and affective processes that underlie test performance.
Although contemporary validation frameworks acknowledge multiple
sources of validity evidence, empirical research in language
assessment has tended to rely heavily on product-oriented, score-based
analyses. For the field of language assessment, this highlights the
importance of directing greater empirical focus toward these latent
processes, as test performance is realised through neurocognitive and
psychophysiological activity that remains largely imperceptible to
analyses based solely on observed score outcomes (Aryadoust, 2023).
Another limitation that the special issue aims to address is that,
despite their growing use, several well-established biometric methods
remain underexplored in language testing research. These include
electroencephalography (EEG), electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate
variability (HRV), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that have been widely
adopted in psycholinguistics, psychology, and cognitive science. Their
limited integration in L2 assessment research represents a missed
opportunity to advance validation research through more objective
evidence of response processes.
This special issue seeks to showcase contributions that demonstrate
how evidence of L2 test takers’ response processes obtained via
biometric methods and sensor technologies can enhance the
interpretation and use of language test scores, while also critically
examining the limitations of these methods and technologies. We invite
contributions that stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue, promote
methodological innovation, and advance process-based validation
practices in language assessment. In particular, we welcome proposals
for papers that employ biometric methods and sensor technologies to
investigate topics such as:
 - cognitive, affective, and/or behavioral aspects of response
processes underlying L2 test performance;
 - response processes as a source of validity evidence in
process-based validation research;
 - types of test takers’ response processes, including cognitive
processes and test-taking strategies;
 - test takers’ attention allocation and engagement;
 - cognitive load and cognitive effort during language assessments;
 - motivation, anxiety, stress, and fatigue in L2 testing;
 - implications of biometric data for test design and fairness;
 - biometric indicators of construct-(ir)relevant variance;
 - academic dishonesty and cheating in online tests;
 - other topics that may be relevant to this SI.
We also encourage submissions that demonstrate methodologically
innovative applications of biometric methods, including eye tracking
(ET) and pupillometry, electroencephalography (EEG), functional
near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI), electrodermal activity (EDA), electrocardiography
(ECG) and heart rate variability (HRV), keystroke logging, facial
expression analysis, and voice analysis in language assessment
contexts. Studies may showcase these methods in isolation or in
combination with other methods (e.g., ET + stimulated recalls), as
well as multibiometric designs (e.g., EEG + ET, ET + keystroke
logging, EDA + ECG/HRV, fNIRS + ET + EDA). Finally, we welcome
contributions that also engage in a critical discussion of
methodological, ethical, and/or practical challenges in using
biometric methods in L2 assessment research and offer recommendations
for responsible, transparent, and replicable research practices.
Guidelines for Authors:
All manuscripts for this Special Issue should follow the submission
guidelines posted on the website of Studies in Language Assessment:
https://www.altaanz.org/submission-guidelines.html. In addition to
original research papers (8,000 words), we welcome submissions of
other article types, including short research reports (4,000 words)
and discussion papers on theoretical or methodological issues (5,000
words).
To be considered for inclusion in this special issue, authors should
send the abstract of their paper as an attached file (.docx or .pdf)
to the guest editors at rsuvorov at uwo.ca and vahid.aryadoust at nie.edu.sg
by September 1, 2026. The attached file should contain the following
information:
 - title of the manuscript,
 - author(s) details (name, affiliation, email),
 - article type (e.g., original research paper, short research report,
discussion paper), and
 - a 500-word abstract (excluding references).
Selected authors will be invited to submit the first draft of their
full manuscript by January 1, 2027, whereas final drafts will be
expected in November 2027. The proposed timeline for this special
issue is provided below.
Important Dates:
September 1, 2026 - Deadline for abstract submission
September 15, 2026 - SI editors invite successful authors to submit
their full manuscripts
January 1, 2027 - Deadline for authors to submit the first draft of
their full manuscripts
February 1, 2027 - SI editors send feedback on the first drafts to the
authors
March 1, 2027 - Deadline for authors to submit revised full
manuscripts, which SI editors send for external peer review
May 1, 2027 - Deadline for external reviewers’ feedback, which SI
editors forward to the authors
July 1, 2027 - Deadline for authors to submit revised full
manuscripts, which SI editors send for the second round of external
review
September 1, 2027 - Deadline for external reviewers’ feedback, which
SI editors forward to the authors
November 1, 2027 - Deadline for authors to submit final drafts of
their manuscripts
Early 2028 - Publication of SI 2028
Thank you for your interest in this special issue and we look forward
to your submissions!
Ruslan Suvorov and Vahid Aryadoust
Guest Editors of SiLA Special Issue 2028

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
                     Cognitive Science
                     Neurolinguistics
                     Psycholinguistics

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