ERIC Number: EJ1462274
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1954
EISSN: EISSN-1573-0816
Available Date: 2023-08-15
Shifts in Student Attention on Algorithmic and Creative Practice Tasks: Shifts in Student Attention on Algorithmic and Creative Practice Tasks
Mathias Norqvist1,3; Bert Jonsson2,3; Johan Lithner1,3
Educational Studies in Mathematics, v118 n3 p409-428 2025
In mathematics classrooms, it is common practice to work through a series of comparable tasks provided in a textbook. A central question in mathematics education is if tasks should be accompanied with solution methods, or if students should construct the solutions themselves. To explore the impact of these two task designs on student behavior during repetitive practice, an eye-tracking study was conducted with 50 upper secondary and university students. Their eye movements were analyzed to study how the two groups shifted their gaze both within and across 10 task sets. The results show that when a solution method was present, the students reread this every time they solved the task, while only giving minute attention to the illustration that carried information supporting mathematical understanding. Students who practiced with tasks without a solution method seemed to construct a solution method by observing the illustration, which later could be retrieved from memory, making this method more efficient in the long run. We discuss the implications for teaching and how tasks without solution methods can increase student focus on important mathematical properties.
Descriptors: Attention, Algorithms, Creativity, Mathematics Education, Student Behavior, Secondary School Students, College Students, Problem Solving, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Clinical Psychology, Time on Task
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Umeå University, Department of Science and Mathematics Education, Umea, Sweden; 2Umeå University, Department of Applied Educational Science, Umea, Sweden; 3Umeå University, Umeå Mathematics Education Research Centre, Umea, Sweden