engleski

Students' strategies in simple equation solving: insights from developmental and eye-tracking studies

Simple equation rearrangement is an important skill required for problem solving in mathematics and science. The developmental trajectory of the students’ ability to solve simple algebraic equations was investigated using a computerized test administered to 311 primary and secondary school students (age 13–17 years). Younger participants mostly used concrete strategies such as inserting numbers, while older participants typically used more abstract, rule-based strategies. These results indicate that the development of algebraic thinking is a process which unfolds over a long period of time. In addition to behavioral data, we recorded eye movements of the university students while they were rearranging algebraic equations. The results indicated that the number of fixations represents a reliable and sensitive measure that can give valuable insights into participants’ flow of attention during equation solving. A correlation between the number of fixations and participants’ efficiency in equation solving was found, suggesting that more efficient participants developed adequate strategies, i.e. “knew where to look”. The measures derived from eye-tracking data were found to be more objective and reliable than the participants’ reports. Overall, eye tracking provides insights into otherwise unavailable cognitive processes and may be used for exploring problem difficulty, student expertise, and metacognitive processes.

equation solving ; development ; eye tracking

nije evidentirano