TY - JOUR
T1 - How do people compare visualizations of fraction magnitudes? Evidence from adults’ and children's eye movements with continuous and discretized tape diagrams
AU - Schwarzmeier, Sabrina
AU - Obersteiner, Andreas
AU - Alibali, Martha Wagner
AU - Marupudi, Vijay
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Adults and children are able to compare visually represented fractions. Past studies show that people are more efficient with continuous visualizations than with discretized ones, but the specific reasons are unclear. Presumably, continuous visualizations highlight magnitudes more directly, while discretized ones encourage less efficient strategies such as counting. In two experiments, adults and children compared the magnitudes of continuous and discretized tape diagrams of fractions. In both experiments, participants answered more accurately, faster, and with fewer eye saccades when the visualizations were continuous rather than discretized. Sequences of saccades indicated that participants used counting strategies less often with continuous than discretized diagrams. The results suggest that adults and children are more efficient with continuous than discretized visualizations because they use more efficient, magnitude-based strategies with continuous visualizations. The findings indicate that integrating continuous visualizations in classroom teaching more frequently could be beneficial for supporting students in developing fraction magnitude concepts.
AB - Adults and children are able to compare visually represented fractions. Past studies show that people are more efficient with continuous visualizations than with discretized ones, but the specific reasons are unclear. Presumably, continuous visualizations highlight magnitudes more directly, while discretized ones encourage less efficient strategies such as counting. In two experiments, adults and children compared the magnitudes of continuous and discretized tape diagrams of fractions. In both experiments, participants answered more accurately, faster, and with fewer eye saccades when the visualizations were continuous rather than discretized. Sequences of saccades indicated that participants used counting strategies less often with continuous than discretized diagrams. The results suggest that adults and children are more efficient with continuous than discretized visualizations because they use more efficient, magnitude-based strategies with continuous visualizations. The findings indicate that integrating continuous visualizations in classroom teaching more frequently could be beneficial for supporting students in developing fraction magnitude concepts.
KW - Discretized and continuous
KW - Eye movements
KW - Fraction comparison
KW - Visualizations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85194169950&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jmathb.2024.101160
DO - 10.1016/j.jmathb.2024.101160
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85194169950
SN - 0732-3123
VL - 75
JO - Journal of Mathematical Behavior
JF - Journal of Mathematical Behavior
M1 - 101160
ER -