Graphical representations of data improve student understanding of measurement and uncertainty: An eye-tracking study

作     者：Ana Susac Andreja Bubic Petra Martinjak Maja Planinic Marijan Palmovic 

作者机构：Department of Physics Faculty of Science University of Zagreb Bijenicka 32 10000 Zagreb Croatia Department of Applied Physics Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing University of Zagreb Unska 3 10000 Zagreb Croatia Chair for Psychology Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Split Sinjska 2 21000 Split Croatia Laboratory for Psycholinguistic Research Department of Speech and Language Pathology University of Zagreb Borongajska cesta 83h 10000 Zagreb Croatia 

出 版 物：《Physical Review Physics Education Research》 (Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.)

年 卷 期：2017年第13卷第2期

页      面：020125-020125页

核心收录：

基　　金：Sveučilište u Splitu 

主　　题：Concepts & principles Instructional strategies Lower undergraduate students 

摘      要：Developing a better understanding of the measurement process and measurement uncertainty is one of the main goals of university physics laboratory courses. This study investigated the influence of graphical representation of data on student understanding and interpreting of measurement results. A sample of 101 undergraduate students (48 first year students and 53 third and fifth year students) from the Department of Physics, University of Zagreb were tested with a paper-and-pencil test consisting of eight multiple-choice test items about measurement uncertainties. One version of the test items included graphical representations of the measurement data. About half of the students solved that version of the test while the remaining students solved the same test without graphical representations. The results have shown that the students who had the graphical representation of data scored higher than their colleagues without graphical representation. In the second part of the study, measurements of eye movements were carried out on a sample of thirty undergraduate students from the Department of Physics, University of Zagreb while students were solving the same test on a computer screen. The results revealed that students who had the graphical representation of data spent considerably less time viewing the numerical data than the other group of students. These results indicate that graphical representation may be beneficial for data processing and data comparison. Graphical representation helps with visualization of data and therefore reduces the cognitive load on students while performing measurement data analysis, so students should be encouraged to use it.