The Impact of Instructional Visualizations on Students’ Drawings During Mathematical Problem Solving (Poster 10)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 2:30 pm
  In Poster Session: Cognitive and Emotional Processes in Learning Environments

Abstract

Students’ drawings can benefit their math problem solving skills. However, it is not clear whether and how visualizations presented during math instruction can change the frequency or quality of students’ drawings. 129 undergraduate students received different versions of instruction for conditional probability problems. The conditions either combined textual instructions with diagrams, or used text only across multiple stages of learning. The results showed that diagrams presented during the main instruction stage, but not during the feedback stage, led to better progress in producing drawings. Qualitative analysis revealed a shift from more rigid hierarchical representations (such as trees) to more flexible forms (such as tables). This study highlights the benefits of incorporating diagrams into instruction to facilitate student drawings and mathematical understanding.

Authors

• Tongyao Zhang, Indiana University

• Sebahat Gok, Northwestern University

• Emily R. Fyfe, Indiana University

• Robert Goldstone, Indiana University