The Emergence of Proportional Reasoning From Embodied Interaction With a Tablet Application: an Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

See, stats, and : https : / / www . researchgate . net / publication / 273133785 THE REASONING WITH . . . Conference CITATIONS 6 READS 109 5 , including : Some : Medical - VQuest Images Shakila Utrecht 11 SEE Dor University , Berkeley 134 SEE Arthur Utrecht 163 , 458 SEE M . F . Van Utrecht 107 SEE All . The . All - text and , letting . Abstract Embodied cognition is emerging as a promising approach in educational technology . This study is based on the conjecture that a potentially powerful methodology for researching embodied mathematics design would be to gather empirical data on children ' s shifting visual attention as they learn to operate the technological devices so as to solve the situated problems . The aim of the study is to gain insight into the role of visual attention in the emergence of new sensorimotor schemes underlying mathematical concepts , especially proportion tasks . The research question is : How does visual attention change in the emergence of sensorimotor schemes during proportional reasoning tasks ? An exploratory study was conducted amongst eight 5 th - and 6 th - grade students (age 10 - 12 years) . Based on the original Mathematical Imagery Trainer for Proportion (MIT - P) designs for Wii and iPad (Abrahamson) , a new tablet app has been developed . While students completed the hands - on proportion tasks , a Tobii x2 - 30 and an external camera were used for real - time processing and storage of both video and gaze data , resulting in integrated videos of hand - and eye movements . Data analysis revealed cross - participant variation in exploration path , progress rate , and inferences . Yet across all participants insight coincided with a shift from : (a) random finger movements accompanied by gazing at salient figural contour ; to (b) new bimanual coordinations accompanied by gazing at new non - salient figural features . The study thus supports classical constructivist claims that mathematical concepts are grounded in operatory schemes . In particular , the data literally show the dynamical emergence of attentional anchors for situated problem solving as mediating the development of mathematical concepts . Thus new research methodologies stand to validate claims from embodiment .