‘I knew that you were there, so I was talking to you’: the use of screen-recording videos in online language learning research

Abstract

As language learning has become increasingly globalised, mobile and online, instances of language learning of significant value cannot be obtained by using conventional means such as on-site observation or video recording in classrooms. In this article, I present a new approach to collecting data in the online language learning context with an aim to capture the multimodal and embodied nature of language learning. Screen-recording as a research tool is an under-explored area; this article discusses some methodological and practical issues that researchers would encounter when using this approach, and outlines the considerations researchers need to make when collecting data in such kind of contexts. The article argues that screen-recording is an innovative data collection tool in the research of language learning, and it should be included in the repertoire of mobile methods to study (im)mobilities of language learners, teachers and knowledge.