Turning the Gaze Inwards: Exploring Simulator Instructors’ Professional Vision Through Eye-Tracking and Stimulated Recall Interviews

In the domain of Maritime Education and Training (MET), simulator training is a key component in imparting the requisite skillsets to prospective seafarers. The maritime instructors lead the process of simulator training for the trainees by setting up diverse scenarios, monitoring and scaffolding the execution, and facilitating post-simulation discussion and reflection in the debriefing phase. In this pilot study, eye-tracking was used to record gaze videos of experienced instructors (n = 2) as they conducted simulator examinations for maritime students in a Scandinavian university. More than 2.5 h of gaze recording associated eye-tracking parameters were extracted through processing of these videos. In the next step, we performed stimulated recall interviews with the instructors, showing them their gaze behavior during examinations and asking them to reflect. The interviews helped in articulating their decision making and thought processes during simulation scenarios. Findings from the study provide insights into the professional vision of maritime instructors, showing how they direct attention and reason about student performance during examinations.