Using eye-tracking to for analyzing case study materials

Abstract

Case studies are an important part of management education, but especially when working with diverse classes, differences in understanding the case materials or in cognitive processing are often unclear. Existing studies use interviews, questionnaires or tests, but cannot gain deeper insights into information processing. Information-processing data would be valuable in designing case materials, e.g., to be able to adjust the cognitive load to different groups of students by assessing difficulty or reading depth. Eye tracking can provide information about where participants focused for how long, what level of cognitive processing took place, and in which areas of the case materials provided. The objective of this paper is to show how eye tracking can be used to gain additional insights into how participants work with the cases. This is illustrated with the help of a study with Indian and German management students and a small case on Expected Utility Theory. Different variables for analyzing case materials are introduced, e.g., fixation duration, dwell time, or reading depth. It is argued that eye tracking can be used more often to analyze case studies to ensure that the cognitive processing matches the intended level and inform instructors about what does and does not attract attention.