The relationship between students’ self-assessments of difficulties in understanding scientific texts presented on paper or digital devices and eye-tracking indicators

Introduction. The article examines the problem of the quality of students’ understanding of a scientific text presented in a traditional format, as well as on a computer and smartphone screen. The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between students’ self-assessments of difficulties in understanding scientific texts presented on paper or digital devices, and eye-tracking indicators of reading. Materials and Methods. The experimental study involved 55 students divided into three subgroups: those who read the text of a scientific article on paper, on a computer monitor and on a smartphone screen. The eye-tracking characteristics were recorded using a Pupil Core binocular eytracker. The assessment of difficulties in understanding the educational text was carried out using the author’s modification of T. V. Borzova’s ‘Understanding the scientific text’ questionnaire. Results. The results show three types of difficulties in students’ understanding of a scientific article: difficulties in comprehending the material, difficulties in memorization, and difficulties in concentration. The study has revealed: (1) negative correlations between difficulties in understanding the text and eye-tracking characteristics indicating concentration on the article and cognitive involvement in reading in the group of students who read the paper text; (2) positive correlations between subjective difficulties in understanding and indicators associated with cognitive involvement in reading with the text and concentration on it in the group of students who read the text on the computer monitor; (3) no correlations in the group of students who read the text on the smartphone screen, that suggests a variety of cognitive information processing strategies accompanied by reduced concentration on the text and underestimation of difficulties in understanding in this group. Conclusions. The authors conclude that differences in cognitive information processing strategies when reading the scientific text presented on paper, a computer monitor and a smartphone screen determine learning attainments.