Effects of Eye Movements in Modelling Examples with Ambiguous Verbal Explanations on Visual Attention and Learning

Abstract

This study examines whether visualization of a model’s eye movements in modelling examples of electric circuit problems with ambiguous and vague verbal explanations could guide visual attention in learners’ and thereby enhance learning. Thirty-two participants were assigned to either the control or the EMME condition. Whilst the participants watched the video examples, their eye movements were tracked and their visual attention was assessed. It was determined that participants in the EMME condition attended to relevant referenced areas more often, longer and faster. But performance data indicated that participants in the control condition performed better on new problems, especially transfer problems. It is suggested the model’s interactions with the visual stimulus in the videos, an element presumably inherent to procedural problem-solving tasks, could have functioned as an additional attention cue, complementing the ambiguous and vague explanations. This potentially resulted in presentation of redundant and conflicting information in the EMMEs, hampering learning. It is recommended to test this hypothesis in future research.