THE IMPACT OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT ON STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE: AN EYE TRACKING STUDY
Keywords:
incomplete worked-out examples, completion problems, eye tracking, attention allocation, fixation duration.Abstract
This study examined the effects of various types of instructional support (incomplete worked-out examples - IWE; completion problems - CMP and conventional problems - CVP) on students’ attention allocation and performance as they use a computer-based learning environment. Eye movement and performance data were obtained from sixty-three university students who were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions. Results indicated significant differences regarding the number and duration of fixations, not only between the three conditions, but also between these conditions across the five genetics problems students solved during training. These findings indicate that the type of instructional support differently impacted the students’ allocation of visual attention, with participants in the IWE condition having significantly lower number of fixations and shorter fixation durations. In addition, the number and duration of fixations were significantly lower in the CMP condition than in the CVP condition, but only at the beginning and the end of training (i. e., problems 1 and 5). Finally, the amount of processing time as revealed by the eye tracking data was associated with the learning outcomes (e. g., training performance), indicating that visual attention is indeed related to the strategic processing during problem solving. The combined use of eye tracking data with learning measures provides a more comprehensive picture of the cognitive processes that underlie the problem solving.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNG. Diese Studie untersuchte die Effekte verschiedener Lernunterstützungen (ausgearbeitete Lösungsbeispiele – IWE; teilweise ausgearbeitete Problemlösungsaufgaben – CMP und konventionelle Problemlösungsaufgaben – CVP) auf die Aufmerksamkeit und Leistung während des Lernens in einer computergestützten Lernumgebung. Augenbewegungen und Leistungsdaten wurden von 63 Studierenden erhoben, die zufällig zu den drei Versuchsbedingungen zugeteilt wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigten signifikante Unterschiede hinsichtlich der Zahl und Dauer der Fixierungen, nicht nur zwischen den drei Gruppen, sondern auch zwischen den Gruppen über die fünf Genetik-Aufgaben hinweg, die die Studierenden während des Trainings lösen mussten. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die verschiedenen Lernunterstützungen die visuelle Aufmerksamkeit der Studierenden unterschiedlich beeinflussten. Darüber hinaus korrelierte die Verarbeitungszeit, die durch die Augenbewegungen erfasst wurde, mit den Lernergebnissen (der Trainingsleistung), d. h. visuelle Aufmerksamkeit ist mit der strategischen Verarbeitung während des Problemlösens verknüpft. Die Verbindung von Eye-Tracking und Leistungsmessung ergibt ein umfassenderes Bild der kognitiven Prozesse, die dem Problemlösen zu Grunde liegen.
Schlüsselwörter: ausgearbeitete Lösungsbeispiele, teilweise ausgearbeitete Problemlösungsaufgaben, Eye-Tracking, Aufmerksamkeit, Fixationsdauer.
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