Using Eye-tracking to Measure the Impact of Self-regulation Skills on Reading Comprehension of Anatomy E-textbooks

Abstract Body : Growth in e-textbook adoption is driven by convenience and affordability but is disliked by students due to the lack of standardization of how content is organized. Students with high self-regulation learning (SRL) can use learning strategies to overcome poorly designed e-textbooks while students without adequate SRL easily experience cognitive overload and reduced reading comprehension. This study examined SRL skill (high, average, low) and education level (undergraduate, graduate) between reading interventions of varying page layouts (long-variable, short-consistent) on learning and engagement. A prospective, randomized controlled design with convenient sampling was used to recruit participants from two universities. 114 students (54 undergraduate, 60 graduate; 86 female, 28 male; median age 25 years) consented to participate in this study. First, participants completed an online presurvey (Qualtrics Inc., Provo, UT) with demographic questions, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and 10-multiple choice questions on heart anatomy. The valid and reliable MSLQ has 81 Likert-items to assess SRL, categorized as high, average, and low. Two parallel heart anatomy tests were developed by content experts to assess baseline knowledge and learning. Next, participants were randomly assigned to the intervention, a long-variable (n=57) or short-consistent (n=57) page layout reading experience. Instructional designers created high-fidelity prototypes for the two page layouts using design software (Axure Software Solutions) with heart anatomy content from an e-textbook. Participants sat at a computer workstation with biometric sensors mounted to the monitor that collected eye tracking data (Tobii Eye Tracker) for reading patterns as measures of engagement. Fixation count (frequency per task) and heat maps (magnitude of visual attention) were calculated using iMotions Biometric Analysis Software (iMotions, Copenhagen, DK). After the intervention, participants completed a 10-question anatomy posttest. Data were analyzed using 3-way ANOVAs to assess learning gains and engagement. Alpha ≤.05 was statistically significant. A main effect for education level found learning gains (covariate: pretest score) were higher in graduate compared to undergraduate students [7.4±1.7, 3.9±1.9 pt, F(1,12) = 19.81, p < .001, partial η = .16] regardless of SRL or intervention group (p > .05). A main effect for intervention found the short-consistent page layout reduced how much participants looked around the page, F(2,1886) = 5.97, p < .01, partial η2 = .01, regardless of education level or SRL (p > .05). Heat map visualizations examined the magnitude of visual attention while reading and showed average and low SRL skill eye-tracking indicated greater visual focus during the short-consistent page layout reading experience. Graduate students, many with high SRL, identified and learned important concepts regardless of the page layout. Page layout considerations are important for average/low SRL when trying to reduce ‘reading fatigue.’ Presenting anatomy e-textbooks in short, predictable pages are easy steps to take to create a digital reading experience that enables more students to engage and achieve higher learning gains. Eye-tracking offers unique insights about reading comprehension. Design efforts that organize content in short, predictable pages may elevate low SRL and learning by improving focus and engagement while reading.