EFFECTIVENESS OF PERSPECTIVE-TAKING SUPPORT IN A VISUAL LEARNING TASK ON THE CAUSE OF SEASONAL CHANGES: AN EYE-TRACKING APPROACH

This study examined the effectiveness of incorporating a visual element to support perspective taking in learning about the cause of seasonal changes. Participants were 44 sixth-form pupils who studied materials consisting of illustrations and explanatory texts. In the experimental group, the illustrations included a figure of an observer standing on the Korean Peninsula during summer and winter, whilst the control group viewed the same illustrations without the observer. During the task, eye-tracking devices recorded gaze data, and conceptual understanding was assessed before and after learning. Results showed no significant difference in the proportion of gaze fixation on core areas of the illustrations. However, significant differences emerged in fixation transitions, fixation durations on text, gaze shifts between illustrations and text, and post-test scores of understanding. Eye-movement analyses indicated that the experimental group engaged in cyclic gaze transitions between conceptually related elements of text and illustration, whereas the control group primarily processed text before shifting attention unidirectionally to the illustrations. These findings suggest that perspective-taking elements in visual materials promote qualitatively different cognitive processing strategies and enhance conceptual understanding of astronomical phenomena such as seasonal changes. Keywords: astronomy education, eye-tracking, perspective taking, seasonal change, spatial reasoning