Eye-Movement Analysis of Students’ Active Examination Strategy and Its Transfer in Visuospatial Representations

Abstract

This article examined the role of task demand and its effects on transfer in geographic learning. Student performance was measured through eye-movement analysis in two related experiments. In Experiment 1, the participants were told that they would travel through an area depicted in photographs either driving an automobile or observing the scenery. In Experiment 2, a map task was administered in which students were asked to find a target on a road map. The results showed that in the driving condition, the participants focused on structural information in the images, such as routes and connections. This cognitive process was transferred to the map task.

Key Words:

• task demand
• eye-movement
• spatial knowledge
• visuospatial representation
• structural information

Notes

¹Construal-level theory focuses on the relationship between psychological distance and the extent of abstractness in responses. The psychological distance is an egocentric, subjective experience that considers whether “something is close and far away from the self, here, and now” in terms of “time, space, social distance, and hypotheticality” (Trope and Liberman 2010, 440). Tasks that differ in psychological distance elicit different responses and information processing.

²Some might be concerned that these participants do not have driving experience. However, the participants should not have difficulty in understanding what it means to become a driver because most students in South Korea have acquired indirect driving experience through computer simulation games and play automobile equipment in amusement parks. Furthermore, even if the participants have not actually driven an automobile, they can imagine the role of a driver because they frequently ride in cars. Figuratively, students only listen to the teacher in class. Nevertheless, they can understand what it means to be a teacher. Supporting this expectation, during the experiment the participants did not ask any questions regarding the driving task and appeared not to be confused by the task demand.

³Readers interested in the specifications of EyeLink II should visit SR Research's Web site (http://www.sr-research.com/EL_II.html).

⁴The items assessing sense of direction and map use were combined because there were so few. Future research will investigate the relationship between spatial competence and eye-movement patterns more thoroughly.

⁵We conducted follow-up interviews with the participants. A full description of these interviews is beyond the scope of this article. However, the main finding was that in most cases, the experimental group students stated that the task was easy and that their strategy involved finding roads and determining their relationships to locate the target. The control group participants said that the task was difficult and that their strategy involved looking at the shape and color of letters or symbols.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kinam Kim

Kinam Kim is a geography teacher at Yedang High School, Seoul, South Korea. His primary interests include students’ recognition about their environments, map cognition, eye-movement method, and communication between teachers and students in geography education.

Minsung Kim

Minsung Kim is an assistant professor in the Department of Geography Education, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, South Korea. His primary research interests include spatial literacy and cognition, geospatial technologies, and teaching and learning strategies in geography education.

Jungyeop Shin

Jungyeop Shin is an associate professor in the Department of Geography Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. His main research interests are spatial cognition, GIS, and spatial analysis.

Jaemyong Ryu

Jaemyong Ryu is a professor in the Department of Geography Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. His research focuses on the communication of geographical information, creativity, and leadership in geography education.