Journal article

Authors list: Rodemer, M; Eckhard, J; Graulich, N; Bernholt, S

Publication year: 2020

Pages: 3530-3539

Journal: Journal of Chemical Education

Volume number: 97

Issue number: 10

ISSN: 0021-9584

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00418

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Abstract: 
Reaction mechanisms commonly used in organic chemistry are a great challenge for students in terms of understanding the representation and inferring the appropriate chemical concepts. In order to support the process of identifying and selecting chemical concepts, purposefully designed case comparisons are widely used. While these tasks place great demands on students' problem-solving capabilities, it is unknown how learners distribute their attention on the complex and information-rich representations. Understanding students' visual decoding behavior when dealing with case comparisons could provide valuable insights into supporting students' problem-solving process. In this exploratory study, we employed eye-tracking methodology to observe beginner and advanced undergraduate chemistry students when working through case-comparison tasks. By establishing a novel eye-tracking measure, the fixation/transition ratio, distinct viewing behaviors could be observed. Results indicate significant differences between both status groups. Advanced students are overall faster in their decision-making and transition more frequently between the representations, indicating a higher selectivity for chemically relevant entities. Further, the results show a significant impact of the visual complexity of a representation on students' visual behavior. Implications for designing case comparisons and supporting students' decoding process are discussed.

Harvard Citation style: Rodemer, M., Eckhard, J., Graulich, N. and Bernholt, S. (2020) Decoding Case Comparisons in Organic Chemistry: Eye-Tracking Students' Visual Behavior, Journal of Chemical Education, 97(10), pp. 3530-3539. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00418

APA Citation style: Rodemer, M., Eckhard, J., Graulich, N., & Bernholt, S. (2020). Decoding Case Comparisons in Organic Chemistry: Eye-Tracking Students' Visual Behavior. Journal of Chemical Education. 97(10), 3530-3539. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00418