ERIC Number: EJ1233784
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 40
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-8251
EISSN: N/A
An a Priori Measure of Visual Difficulty of 2-D Sketches Depicting 3-D Objects
Widder, Mirela; Berman, Avi; Koichu, Boris
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, v49 n50 p489-528 Nov 2019
Aiming to enhance understanding of visual obstacles inherent in two-dimensional (2-D) sketches used in high school spatial geometry instruction, we propose a measure of visual difficulty based on two attributes of the sketches: potentially misleading geometrical information (PMI) and potentially helpful geometrical information (PHI). The difficulty of 12 normatively oriented cube-related sketches was theoretically ranked according to their ratios, #PHI/#PMI. The ranking was compared to the actual visual difficulty as measured by the percentage of correct or desired comprehension, individual spatial ability, and study-time allocation. This procedure was repeated for unnormatively oriented sketches, obtained by vertically flipping the original sketches. In both cases, the findings substantiate #PHI/#PMI as an a priori measure of visual difficulty. Practical, theoretical, and methodological implications are inspected and discussed.
Descriptors: High School Students, Spatial Ability, Visual Perception, Geometry, Mathematics Instruction, Time Management, Comparative Analysis, Barriers, Difficulty Level, Teaching Methods, Visualization, Geometric Concepts
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: NCTM@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/journal-for-research-in-mathematics-education
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A