Harnessing LASER Data: Empowering Faculty with a Research-Ready Resource

Many faculty have heard of the Language Ability Self-Evaluation Resource (LASER), but few realize how accessible—and research-ready—it is. This session offers a deep dive into the LASER dataset, which includes data from more than 6,000 BYU language learners. Along with detailed background information (age, study abroad, missionary experience, and more), LASER contains measures of grit, willingness to communicate, self-assessed proficiency, and for many participants, OPIc test scores plus speaking and writing samples.

We’ll walk through how to access and analyze LASER data for your own or your students’ research projects, highlight examples of studies already using it, and share best practices for collaboration and ethical data use.

Open to all faculty in the College of Humanities interested in applied linguistics, language pedagogy, or proficiency-based research.