Eyes – the mirror of children’s mathematical success? Eye-tracking study of female scientists provides valuable insights | Business

Gaze tracking allows researchers to observe where subjects’ attention is directed based on where the gaze is fixed or how the gaze moves. This helps researchers understand the various emotional, thinking, and cognitive processes involved in responding to the environment.

“After applying this technology in mathematical education, it is possible to observe the individual activities of students and see the cognitive processes when they solve mathematical tasks”, says prof. Dr. Irina Klizienė, KTU Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, professor.

Personal archive photo/Irina Klizienė

A recent study conducted by I. Klizienė together with co-author PhD student Asta Paškovske shows that studies with eye tracking equipment can show the difficulties a child faces when solving a math task.

Reveals important details invisible to the eye

“Glance-tracking studies with children reveal the strategies they use to process the visual presentation of math problems, and the established gaze patterns of students reveal difficulties in performing mathematical tasks. Observing decision-making processes without disturbing students’ work is a great advantage,” says prof. Dr. I. Kliziene.

Systematic literature of I. Klizienė and Asta Paškovskė overview made it possible to analyze the possibilities of applying the eye-tracking methodology in determining the strategies used by elementary school students to solve mathematical problems. Eye-tracking data reveals which stages of problem solving are challenging or which elements of a task condition are more difficult to understand. These are significant details that usually go unnoticed in mathematics lessons, because students cannot always recognize them and name them accurately.

“Eye tracking allows you to observe where the child concentrates his gaze while solving a math problem. This helps to identify which stages of solving the task cause difficulties, how the child collects and processes information, where the attention is focused”, says A. Paškovskė.

Personal archive photo/Asta Paškovskė

After analyzing these data, it is possible to propose more effective teaching methods, to form better learning habits.

Valuable insights into the learning process

Professor I.Klizienė, who conducts research on the impact of the educational environment on students’ mathematics achievements, claims that, compared to other methods, it is the eye tracking research methodology that provides essential data about mathematics learning, not only its results, and is closely related to students’ cognitive processes.

Special non-invasive eye tracking devices (eng. eye-trackers) and software. These devices do not harm the human eye and are adapted for use in the natural environment of the subject. They generally consist of three parts: a light source (usually infrared light), a gaze-tracking camera that captures visible image flashes reflected off the cornea and center of the pupil, and a processor with eye-tracking software.

Eye-tracking studies provide information and allow to assess the student’s cognitive processes, which otherwise could not be consciously observed and explained, but which are reflected in eye movements. “Monitoring the progress of solving mathematical problems, applied methods and strategies, cognitive load, maintaining and shifting attention becomes possible by tracking and recording eye movements, consistency and repetitions of condition reading, fixations and areas of interest,” says I. Klizienė.

May also help math problem creators

Using this technology can help improve students’ academic performance and make learning more productive. In addition, by identifying the specifics of the reading task, educators can adapt the teaching material to make it easier to understand.

“By observing where students tend to concentrate their gaze, it is possible to optimize the layout of teaching materials so that the most important parts of the math problem condition are noticed first.” For example, if a child often misses a certain part of a task, the teaching material can be adapted in such a way as to draw the child’s attention to it,” comments A. Paškovskė.

The learning process can be individualized by determining the level of cognitive load that children experience when solving mathematical tasks, and it can be optimized by reducing this load. It helps to improve learning efficiency. “Eye-tracking studies provide valuable data that help improve the teaching process, making it more individualized, effective and engaging,” says KTU SHMMF doctoral student.

The researchers claim that the evaluation of schoolchildren’s motivation based on the research results provides conditions for determining which learning methods encourage students to participate more actively in the learning process. KTU researchers hope that their research will not only improve mathematics teaching, but also contribute to improving students’ academic achievements and improving the learning experience.

Eye-tracking technology is becoming an important tool in pedagogy, which allows a deeper understanding of learning processes and the creation of more effective teaching methods that help children better acquire mathematical knowledge and develop abilities.