Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices

The present study investigated the following issues: (1) whether differences are evident in the eye movement measures of successful and unsuccessful problem-solvers; (2) what is the relationship between perceived difficulty and eye movement measures; and (3) whether eye movements in various AOIs dif...

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Main Authors: John J. H. Lin, Sunny S. J. Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2014-02-01
Series:Journal of Eye Movement Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://bop.unibe.ch/JEMR/article/view/2371
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author John J. H. Lin
Sunny S. J. Lin
author_facet John J. H. Lin
Sunny S. J. Lin
author_sort John J. H. Lin
collection DOAJ
description The present study investigated the following issues: (1) whether differences are evident in the eye movement measures of successful and unsuccessful problem-solvers; (2) what is the relationship between perceived difficulty and eye movement measures; and (3) whether eye movements in various AOIs differ when solving problems. Sixty-three 11th grade students solved five geometry problems about the properties of similar triangles. A digital drawing tablet and sensitive pressure pen were used to record the responses. The results indicated that unsuccessful solvers tended to have more fixation counts, run counts, and longer dwell time on the problem area, whereas successful solvers focused more on the calculation area. In addition, fixation counts, dwell time, and run counts in the diagram area were positively correlated with the perceived difficulty, suggesting that understanding similar triangles may require translation or mental rotation. We argue that three eye movement measures (i.e., fixation counts, dwell time, and run counts) are appropriate for use in examining problem solving given that they differentiate successful from unsuccessful solvers and correlate with perceived difficulty. Furthermore, the eye-tracking technique provides objective measures of students’ cognitive load for instructional designers.
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spelling doaj-art-f7aebe168d044a9bb6807f6dc3bb832c2025-08-20T01:55:02ZengMDPI AGJournal of Eye Movement Research1995-86922014-02-017110.16910/jemr.7.1.2Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devicesJohn J. H. Lin0Sunny S. J. Lin1Institute of Education, National Chiao Tung University, TaiwanInstitute of Education, National Chiao Tung University, TaiwanThe present study investigated the following issues: (1) whether differences are evident in the eye movement measures of successful and unsuccessful problem-solvers; (2) what is the relationship between perceived difficulty and eye movement measures; and (3) whether eye movements in various AOIs differ when solving problems. Sixty-three 11th grade students solved five geometry problems about the properties of similar triangles. A digital drawing tablet and sensitive pressure pen were used to record the responses. The results indicated that unsuccessful solvers tended to have more fixation counts, run counts, and longer dwell time on the problem area, whereas successful solvers focused more on the calculation area. In addition, fixation counts, dwell time, and run counts in the diagram area were positively correlated with the perceived difficulty, suggesting that understanding similar triangles may require translation or mental rotation. We argue that three eye movement measures (i.e., fixation counts, dwell time, and run counts) are appropriate for use in examining problem solving given that they differentiate successful from unsuccessful solvers and correlate with perceived difficulty. Furthermore, the eye-tracking technique provides objective measures of students’ cognitive load for instructional designers.https://bop.unibe.ch/JEMR/article/view/2371problem-solvingeye movementsgeometryhandwritingcognitive load
spellingShingle John J. H. Lin
Sunny S. J. Lin
Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
Journal of Eye Movement Research
problem-solving
eye movements
geometry
handwriting
cognitive load
title Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
title_full Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
title_fullStr Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
title_full_unstemmed Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
title_short Tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
title_sort tracking eye movements when solving geometry problems with handwriting devices
topic problem-solving
eye movements
geometry
handwriting
cognitive load
url https://bop.unibe.ch/JEMR/article/view/2371
work_keys_str_mv AT johnjhlin trackingeyemovementswhensolvinggeometryproblemswithhandwritingdevices
AT sunnysjlin trackingeyemovementswhensolvinggeometryproblemswithhandwritingdevices