PERC 2018 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Visual understanding of divergence and curl: Visual cues promote better learning |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Prior research has shown that students struggle to indicate whether vector field plots have zero or non-zero curl or divergence. In an instruction-based eye-tracking study, we investigated whether visual cues (VC) provided in the vector field plot can foster students' understanding of these concepts. The VC were only present during instruction and highlighted conceptual information about vector decomposition and partial derivatives. Thirty-two physics majors were assigned to two groups, one was instructed with VC about the problem-solving strategy, and one without. Results show that students in VC-condition performed better, responded with higher confidence, experienced less mental effort, and rated the instructional quality better than students instructed without cues. The superior performance of students in VC-condition can be attributed to saccadic eye-movements which are in line with correct application of the strategy. The outcomes strongly confirm multimedia design principles and reveal a link between processing instructions and application in subsequent tasks. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session III |
| Poster Number: | C41 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Pascal Klein TU Kaiserslautern Erwin-Schrödinger Str. 46 67663, Non U.S. 67663 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Jouni Viiri, Jochen Kuhn |
