The Spatial Contiguity Principle in Mathematics Textbooks
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| Title: | The Spatial Contiguity Principle in Mathematics Textbooks |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Bethany Woollacott, Lara Alcock, Matthew Inglis (ORCID |
| Source: | Research in Mathematics Education. 2024 26(3):386-406. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education High Schools Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Textbooks, Textbook Evaluation, Mathematics Education, Secondary School Mathematics, Visual Aids, Layout (Publications), Eye Movements, High School Students, Undergraduate Students, Mathematics Teachers, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| DOI: | 10.1080/14794802.2022.2158122 |
| ISSN: | 1479-4802 1754-0178 |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we explore how diagram placement in mathematics textbooks influences (i) students' and teachers' perceptions of exposition quality and (ii) students' reading behaviour as indexed by their eye movements. Our findings contribute to research on the "spatial contiguity principle," which recommends that related educational pictures and text should be displayed close together. In our first study, we used a comparative judgement technique to ask three groups of textbook users to compare real-world textbook expositions. Participants tended to perceive expositions as higher in quality if diagrams were placed in the main text rather than the margins. In a second study, we used eye tracking to explore whether students read expositions differently when diagrams were placed differently. Participants attended less to diagrams in the margins than to those in the main text. The findings of both studies suggest that authors should attend to the spatial contiguity principle when designing mathematics textbooks. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1452689 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | In this paper, we explore how diagram placement in mathematics textbooks influences (i) students' and teachers' perceptions of exposition quality and (ii) students' reading behaviour as indexed by their eye movements. Our findings contribute to research on the "spatial contiguity principle," which recommends that related educational pictures and text should be displayed close together. In our first study, we used a comparative judgement technique to ask three groups of textbook users to compare real-world textbook expositions. Participants tended to perceive expositions as higher in quality if diagrams were placed in the main text rather than the margins. In a second study, we used eye tracking to explore whether students read expositions differently when diagrams were placed differently. Participants attended less to diagrams in the margins than to those in the main text. The findings of both studies suggest that authors should attend to the spatial contiguity principle when designing mathematics textbooks. |
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| ISSN: | 1479-4802 1754-0178 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/14794802.2022.2158122 |
