Graph Literacy Research Articles

Evidence of graphical literacy in students' oral presentations: An example from undergraduate chemistry education

Evidence of graphical literacy in students' oral presentations: An example from undergraduate chemistry education

Exploring financial graph literacy: determinants and influence on financial behavior

Purpose Graphs are widely used in the banking and finance domain to support consumers’ decision-making process, but subjects differ in their ability to understand them. This study aims to detect the determinants of the ability to read and process financial information conveyed in the graphical format, i.e. financial graph literacy (FGL) and the relationship between FGL and subjects’ actual financial behavior (FB). Design/methodology/approach Data are collected by administering a structured questionnaire to the Italian adult population (n = 502). The survey includes different sections aimed at collecting information about sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables, financial literacy and FB. The econometric analyses are developed using OLS and Poisson regressions. Findings The results show that gender, geographical area, education, marital status and income are crucial determinants of FGL. Moreover, the analysis reveals that an increase in the FGL indicator is associated with a higher propensity for individuals to purchase banking or financial products or actively manage financial resources; results are robust, even controlling for financial knowledge. Originality/value Although previous research investigates the impact of graphs in financial decision-making, no studies measure the ability of consumers to read and interpret financial information conveyed in the graphical format. This study is the first to investigate the determinants of FGL and link it to actual FB. Implications for policymakers, regulatory and supervisory authorities and financial intermediaries are discussed.

Icon Arrays for Medical Risk Communication: Do Icon Type and Color Influence Cardiovascular Risk Perception and Recall?

Icon arrays have been shown to be an effective method for communicating medical risk information. However, in practice, icon arrays used to visualize personal risks often differ in the type and color of the icons. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of icon type and color on the perception and recall of cardiovascular risk, as little is known about how color affects the perception of icon arrays. A total of 866 participants aged 40 to 90 years representative of the German population in terms of gender and age completed an online experiment. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental groups. They received their hypothetical 10-year cardiovascular risk using an icon array that varied by icon type (smiley v. person) and color (black/white v. red/yellow). We measured risk perception, emotional response, intentions of taking action to reduce the risk (e.g., increasing one's physical activity), risk recall, and graph evaluation/trustworthiness, as well as numeracy and graphical literacy. Icon arrays using person icons were evaluated more positively. There was no effect of icons or color on risk perception, emotional response, intentions of taking action to reduce the risk, or trustworthiness of the graph. While more numerate/graphical literate participants were more likely to correctly recall the presented risk estimate, icon type and color did not influence the probability of correct recall. Differences in the perception of the tested icon arrays were rather small, suggesting that they may be equally suitable for communicating medical risks. Further research on the robustness of these results across other colors, icons, and risk domains could add to guidelines on the design of visual aids. The use of different icons and colors did not influence the perception and the probability of recalling the 10-year cardiovascular risk, the emotional response, or the intentions to reduce the presented risk.Icon arrays with person icons were evaluated more positively.There was no evidence to suggest that the effectiveness of the studied icon arrays varied based on individuals' levels of numerical or graphical literacy, nor did it differ between people with or without a history of CVD or on medication for an increased CVD risk.

Using Separate Single-Outcome Risk Presentations Instead of Integrated Multioutcome Formats Improves Comprehension in Discrete Choice Experiments.

Despite decades of research on risk-communication approaches, questions remain about the optimal methods for conveying risks for different outcomes across multiple time points, which can be necessary in applications such as discrete choice experiments (DCEs). We sought to compare the effects of 3 design factors: 1) separated versus integrated presentations of the risks for different outcomes, 2) use or omission of icon arrays, and 3) vertical versus horizontal orientation of the time dimension. We conducted a randomized study among a demographically diverse sample of 2,242 US adults recruited from an online panel (mean age 59.8 y, s = 10.4 y; 21.9% African American) that compared risk-communication approaches that varied in the 3 factors noted above. The primary outcome was the number of correct responses to 12 multiple-choice questions asking survey respondents to identify specific numbers, contrast options to recognize dominance (larger v. smaller risks), and compute differences. We used linear regression to test the effects of the 3 design factors, controlling for health literacy, graph literacy, and numeracy. We also measured choice consistency in a subsequent DCE choice module. Mean comprehension varied significantly across versions (P < 0.001), with higher comprehension in the 3 versions that provided separated risk information for each risk. In the multivariable regression, separated risk presentation was associated with 0.58 more correct responses (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval: 0.39, 0.77) compared with integrated risk information. Neither providing icon arrays nor using vertical versus horizontal time formats affected comprehension rates, although participant understanding did correlate with DCE choice consistency. In presentations of multiple risks over multiple time points, presenting risk information separately for each health outcome appears to increase understanding. When conveying information about risks of different outcomes at multiple time points, separate presentations of single-outcome risks resulted in higher comprehension than presentations that combined risk information for different outcomes.We also observed benefits of presenting single-outcome risks separately among respondents with lower numeracy and graph literacy.Study participants who scored higher on risk understanding were more internally consistent in their responses to a discrete choice experiment.

Purple Perils redux: Open-ended, AI-resistant reasoning problems for introductory undergraduate sensation and perception instruction

ABSTRACT In terms of pedagogy, there is a need in introductory sensation and perception courses for practice problems that promote critical thinking and elaborate on course material, like those given in the physical sciences. However, perceptual psychology mostly lacks the mathematical foundations that provide ready material for such elaborative assignments. Here I introduce a series of short assignments dubbed Purple Perils, which are inspired by the perception-related missives made famous by J. J. Gibson. These assignments provide students with open-ended opportunities to think through compelling and relatable problems in perception, often with an applied component. By their nature, such assignments are at present somewhat resistant to large language model AI assistance: probes of ChatGPT suggest that students who illicitly use such systems may not gain the synthesis of ideas that Purple Perils demand, and will therefore be disincentivized to use such illicit aid. This kind of assignment can reinforce learning in topics across sensory modalities, and can be used for exam questions. Purple Perils promote critical thinking and quantitative reasoning, e.g., through graphical literacy; reinforce biological knowledge; encourage classroom debate and discussion; and connect to historical and contemporary debates and findings. Gibson’s own Purple Peril about the El Greco fallacy leads the series of assignments. A protected, crowd-sourced, repository of Purple Perils is also deployed to allow sharing of questions among instructors.

Cultural and Educational Work in The Corrective Labor System of the Ukrainian SSR in 1926-1930

The paper highlights the state of cultural and educational work with prisoners and convicts in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in the 1926-1930s based on the analysis of archival and contemporary normative-legal documents. Previously unknown interesting and important facts on the researched topic have been introduced into scientific circulation. The author arrived at the following conclusions: 1. Cultural and educational work by the Soviet authorities was considered through the prism of ideological work as a secondary means after compulsory labor, together forming the basis of the regime in corrective labor institutions. 2. There existed both school and extracurricular cultural and educational as well as professional-production work, implemented in general education and vocational schools. 3. School attendance was mandatory for all illiterate and poorly literate prisoners up to the age of 50. 4. As of the beginning in November 1928, approximately 40,000 individuals were held in corrective labor institutions of the Ukrainian SSR, of which 26,000 were peasants (65% of all prisoners). 5. In 1926/1927, illiteracy and low literacy were eliminated through school work in 14,796 individuals, 17 corrective labor institutions were equipped with cinemas, 24 had radios, and the library stock of corrective labor institutions amounted to 55,504 books. Wall newspapers were published almost everywhere, as well as the newspaper "Away with Crime." 6. In 1928, as part of accelerated industrialization and mass exploitation of labor, it was legislatively allowed to use the labor of convicts in many cases free of charge or for symbolic payment in many administrative positions in corrective labor institutions (in fact, this had been done much earlier). 7. The theoretical education of prisoners in vocational schools of a production nature lasted 3-6 months in the evening, but not more than 3 hours per day (72 hours per month). Practical training took place directly in workshops for a total of 2 working hours according to the course program. Each group should have no more than 35 individuals. 8. The typical curriculum of vocational courses of a production nature for workshops of corrective labor institutions was designed for 3 months (144 educational hours) and included the study of 5 disciplines: social studies, Ukrainian language, arithmetic, graphical literacy, and materials technology and tool science. 9. Distance learning and self-education of prisoners were encouraged, with prisoners forming study groups where they independently carried out the corresponding work, using only the services of a consultant. Distance learning was paid. The authorities made efforts to diversify sources of funding and reduce the cost of education. 10. In practice, funding for cultural and educational work was carried out on a "residual" basis with a tendency to decrease, corresponding to the general punitive-repressive policy of the Soviet authorities towards prisoners. For example, in the agricultural corrective labor institution of the Kharkiv Unified Agricultural-Industrial State Farm as of October 1, 1927, expenses for cultural and educational needs of prisoners accounted for 5%, whereas as of October 1, 1928, only 0.6%. 11. The annual cost of maintaining 1 prisoner in the House of Forced Public Works in 1928/1929 amounted to almost 65 krb., which was not so cheap considering the conditions of the food crisis and famine of 1928-1929.

The Lure of Beauty: People Select Representations of Statistical Information Largely Based on Attractiveness, Not Comprehensibility.

People differ in whether they understand graphical or numerical representations of statistical information better. However, assessing these skills is often not feasible when deciding which representation to select or use. This study investigates whether people choose the representation they understand better, whether this choice can improve risk comprehension, and whether results are influenced by participants' skills (graph literacy and numeracy). In an experiment, 160 participants received information about the benefits and side effects of painkillers using either a numerical or a graphical representation. In the "no choice" condition, the representation was randomly assigned to each participant. In the "choice" condition, participants could select the representation they would like to receive. The study assessed gist and verbatim knowledge (immediate comprehension and recall), accessibility of the information, attractiveness of the representation, as well as graph literacy and numeracy. In the "choice" condition, most (62.5%) chose the graphical format, yet there was no difference in graph literacy or numeracy (nor age or gender) between people who chose the graphical or the numerical format. Whereas choice slightly increased verbatim knowledge, it did not improve gist or overall knowledge compared with random assignment. However, participants who chose a representation rated the representation as more attractive, and those who chose graphs rated them as more accessible than those without a choice. The sample consisted of highly educated undergraduate students with higher graph literacy than the general population. The task was inconsequential for participants in terms of their health. When people can choose between representations, they fail to identify what they comprehend better but largely base that choice on how attractive the representation is for them. People differ systematically in whether they understand graphical or numerical representations of statistical information better. However, assessing these underlying skills to get the right representation to the right people is not feasible in practice. A simple and efficient method to achieve this could be to let people choose among representations themselves.However, our study showed that allowing participants to choose a representation (numerical v. graphical) did not improve overall or gist knowledge compared with determining the representation randomly, even though it did slightly improve verbatim knowledge.Rather, participants largely chose the representation they found more attractive. Most preferred the graphical representation, including those with low graph literacy.It would therefore be important to develop graphical representations that are not only attractive but also comprehensible even for people with low graph literacy.

How Do People Process Different Representations of Statistical Information? Insights into Cognitive Effort, Representational Inconsistencies, and Individual Differences.

Graphical representation formats (e.g., icon arrays) have been shown to lead to better understanding of the benefits and risks of treatments compared to numbers. We investigate the cognitive processes underlying the effects of format on understanding: how much cognitive effort is required to process numerical and graphical representations, how people process inconsistent representations, and how numeracy and graph literacy affect information processing. In a preregistered between-participants experiment, 665 participants answered questions about the relative frequencies of benefits and side effects of 6 medications. First, we manipulated whether the medical information was represented numerically, graphically (as icon arrays), or inconsistently (numerically for 3 medications and graphically for the other 3). Second, to examine cognitive effort, we manipulated whether there was time pressure or not. In an additional intervention condition, participants translated graphical information into numerical information before answering questions. We also assessed numeracy and graph literacy. Processing icon arrays was more strongly affected by time pressure than processing numbers, suggesting that graphical formats required more cognitive effort. Understanding was lower when information was represented inconsistently (v. consistently) but not if there was a preceding intervention. Decisions based on inconsistent representations were biased toward graphically represented options. People with higher numeracy processed quantitative information more efficiently than people with lower numeracy did. Graph literacy was not related to processing efficiency. Our study was conducted with a nonpatient sample, and the medical information was hypothetical. Although graphical (v. numerical) formats have previously been found to lead to better understanding, they may require more cognitive effort. Therefore, the goal of risk communication may play an important role when choosing how to communicate medical information. This article investigates the cognitive processes underlying the effects of representation format on the understanding of statistical information and individual differences therein.Processing icon arrays required more cognitive effort than processing numbers did.When information was represented inconsistently (i.e., partly numerically and partly graphically), understanding was lower than with consistent representation, and decisions were biased toward the graphically represented options.People with higher numeracy processed quantitative information more efficiently than people with lower numeracy did.

Integrating participant feedback and concerns to improve community and individual level chemical exposure assessment reports

BackgroundAs exposure assessment has shifted towards community-engaged research there has been an increasing trend towards reporting results to participants. Reports aim to increase environmental health literacy, but this can be challenging due to the many unknowns regarding chemical exposure and human health effects. This includes when reports encompass a wide-range of chemicals, limited reference or health standards exist for those chemicals, and/or incompatibility of data generated from exposure assessment tools with published reference values (e.g., comparing a wristband concentration to an oral reference dose).MethodsHouston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3H) participants wore silicone wristbands that were analyzed for 1,530 organic compounds at two time-points surrounding Hurricane Harvey. Three focus groups were conducted in separate neighborhoods in the Houston metropolitan area to evaluate response to prototype community and individual level report-backs. Participants (n = 31) evaluated prototype drafts using Likert scales and discussion prompts. Focus groups were audio-recorded, and transcripts were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis program for common themes, and quantitative data (ranking, Likert scales) were statistically analyzed.ResultsFour main themes emerged from analysis of the transcripts: (1) views on the report layout; (2) expression of concern over how chemicals might impact their individual or community health; (3) participants emotional response towards the researchers; and (4) participants ability to comprehend and evaluate environmental health information. Evaluation of the report and key concerns differed across the three focus groups. However, there was agreement amongst the focus groups about the desire to obtain personal exposure results despite the uncertainty of what the participant results meant.ConclusionsThe report-back of research results (RBRR) for community and individual level exposure assessment data should keep the following key principles in mind: materials should be accessible (language level, data visualization options, graph literacy), identify known information vs unknown (e.g., provide context for what exposure assessment data means, acknowledge lack of current health standards or guidelines), recognize and respect community knowledge and history, and set participant expectations for what they can expect from the report.

Health literacy, numeracy, graph literacy, and digital literacy: an overview of definitions, evaluation methods, and best practices.

Health literacy is an important skill for people receiving care. Those with limited literacy face disparities in their care and health outcomes when strategies for addressing literacy are not used when delivering health information. In this article, we introduce the importance of considering health literacy, defining it and related concepts including numeracy, graph literacy, and digital literacy, and discuss open questions about measuring health literacy in clinical care. Finally, we present best practices, including assuming 'universal precautions', carefully considering wording, leveraging visualizations, recognizing cultural differences in interpretation, providing guidance on pilot testing, and considering digital literacy when developing electronic materials.

Examining Care Planning Efficiency and Clinical Decision Support Adoption in a System Tailoring to Nurses' Graph Literacy: National, Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

The proliferation of health care data in electronic health records (EHRs) is fueling the need for clinical decision support (CDS) that ensures accuracy and reduces cognitive processing and documentation burden. The CDS format can play a key role in achieving the desired outcomes. Building on our laboratory-based pilot study with 60 registered nurses (RNs) from 1 Midwest US metropolitan area indicating the importance of graph literacy (GL), we conducted a fully powered, innovative, national, and web-based randomized controlled trial with 203 RNs. This study aimed to compare care planning time (CPT) and the adoption of evidence-based CDS recommendations by RNs randomly assigned to 1 of 4 CDS format groups: text only (TO), text+table (TT), text+graph (TG), and tailored (based on the RN's GL score). We hypothesized that the tailored CDS group will have faster CPT (primary) and higher adoption rates (secondary) than the 3 nontailored CDS groups. Eligible RNs employed in an adult hospital unit within the past 2 years were recruited randomly from 10 State Board of Nursing lists representing the 5 regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West) to participate in a randomized controlled trial. RNs were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 CDS format groups-TO, TT, TG, and tailored (based on the RN's GL score)-and interacted with the intervention on their PCs. Regression analysis was performed to estimate the effect of tailoring and the association between CPT and RN characteristics. The differences between the tailored (n=46) and nontailored (TO, n=55; TT, n=54; and TG, n=48) CDS groups were not significant for either the CPT or the CDS adoption rate. RNs with low GL had longer CPT interacting with the TG CDS format than the TO CDS format (P=.01). The CPT in the TG CDS format was associated with age (P=.02), GL (P=.02), and comfort with EHRs (P=.047). Comfort with EHRs was also associated with CPT in the TT CDS format (P<.001). Although tailoring based on GL did not improve CPT or adoption, the study reinforced previous pilot findings that low GL is associated with longer CPT when graphs were included in care planning CDS. Higher GL, younger age, and comfort with EHRs were associated with shorter CPT. These findings are robust based on our new innovative testing strategy in which a diverse national sample of RN participants (randomly derived from 10 State Board of Nursing lists) interacted on the web with the intervention on their PCs. Future studies applying our innovative methodology are recommended to cost-effectively enhance the understanding of how the RN's GL, combined with additional factors, can inform the development of efficient CDS for care planning and other EHR components before use in practice.

Free Fall Motion Learning Design with Tracker Software to Improve Graphic Literacy

Physics learning is process skill-based learning. One of the science process skills that students must master is graphic literacy. The material on free fall motion is a lesson that requires students to have graphic literacy skills, but the facts in the field show that not a few of the students have difficulty reading and managing information based on graphs. This study aims to analyze the improvement students' graph literacy, which was conducted at Senior High School. The research subjects were students, the research sample amounted to 21 students of class X MIA. Using a quasi-experimental method with a quantitative approach, one group pre-post test design. The research instruments used pretest and posttest questions, modules, and LKS. Data analysis using JASP software to get t-test results and Ngain. The results showed that there was a significant difference in students' graphic literacy skills before and after using the video tracker as indicated by the results of the paired samples t-test at a sig value. (P) 0,001 &lt; 0,05. Each indicator of students' graphic literacy has increased even though not all are at high criteria. Students mastery of science literacy can easily solve problems about regular straight-line motion.

A Content Analysis of Tasks Involving Two-Dimensional Cartesian Graphs in Grade 6–8 U. S. Textbooks

ABSTRACT Understanding and supporting students’ development of graph literacy is important. We studied how aspects of graph literacy might be supported (or hindered) in middle school by analyzing the content in textbooks. Specifically, we conducted a content analysis of tasks involving two-dimensional Cartesian graphs presented in grade 6–8 US textbooks. Three elements were analyzed: the type of activity involved in graphing, the nature of the graph, and the relevant mathematical topic. We first present three illustrative tasks to demonstrate how we made sense of these three elements with graphing tasks. Second, we present the frequency of different types of coordinate system activity, graph activity, and coordinate system types involved in textbook tasks and how they change across grade level and mathematical domain. Our findings reveal varying levels of explosure to different graphing elements students might encounter through textbooks. We discuss implications of our findings on research, teaching, and curriculum development.

Designing Visual Aid

Designing visual aids are essential for informed decision making. Unfortunately, many people struggle to understand typical risk communications because they lack essential decision-making skills. Objective The aim of this study was to review the literature on the effect of numeracy on risk literacy, decision making, and health outcomes, and to evaluate the benefits of visual aids in risk communication. Method We present a conceptual framework describing the influence of numeracy on risk literacy, decision making, and health outcomes, followed by a systematic review of the benefits of visual aids in risk communication for people with different levels of numeracy and graph literacy. The systematic review covers scientific research published between January 1995 and April 2016, drawn from the following databases: Improvements in risk understanding consistently produced beneficial changes in attitudes, behavioral intentions, trust, and healthy behaviors. Visual aids were found to be particularly beneficial for vulnerable and less skilled individuals.

Plotting Success: A Communication Activity for Promoting Graph Literacy

Graphical representations appear everywhere in modern society. Their ubiquity has, in part, justified graph literacy as a core competency in education. Graph literacy - the capacity to read and interpret graphs - consists of understanding features, identifying variables, interpreting trends, and forming real-world connections. Experts and novices engage with graphical representations in profoundly distinct ways. Experts almost exclusively interpret graphs in sequences moving from titles/captions to labels/axes to data/trends, while novices demonstrate unrecognizable or wildly varying sequences. If students are to reasonably interpret and act on graphical information, then teachers must assist them in transitioning from novice to expert practices and provide a compelling justification for doing so.

Testing Explanations for Skepticism of Personalized Risk Information.

The promise of precision medicine could be stymied if people do not accept the legitimacy of personalized risk information. We tested 4 explanations for skepticism of personalized diabetes risk information. We recruited participants (N = 356; Mage = 48.6 [s = 9.8], 85.1% women, 59.0% non-Hispanic white) from community locations (e.g., barbershops, churches) for a risk communication intervention. Participants received personalized information about their risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, and/or breast cancer (women). Then they completed survey items. We combined 2 items (recalled risk, perceived risk) to create a trichotomous risk skepticism variable (acceptance, overestimation, underestimation). Additional items assessed possible explanations for risk skepticism: 1) information evaluation skills (education, graph literacy, numeracy), 2) motivated reasoning (negative affect toward the information, spontaneous self-affirmation, information avoidance); 3) Bayesian updating (surprise), and 4) personal relevance (racial/ethnic identity). We used multinomial logistic regression for data analysis. Of the participants, 18% believed that their diabetes risk was lower than the information provided, 40% believed their risk was higher, and 42% accepted the information. Information evaluation skills were not supported as a risk skepticism explanation. Motivated reasoning received some support; higher diabetes risk and more negative affect toward the information were associated with risk underestimation, but spontaneous self-affirmation and information avoidance were not moderators. For Bayesian updating, more surprise was associated with overestimation. For personal relevance, belonging to a marginalized racial/ethnic group was associated with underestimation. There are likely multiple cognitive, affective, and motivational explanations for risk skepticism. Understanding these explanations and developing interventions that address them will increase the effectiveness of precision medicine and facilitate its widespread implementation.

Determining the graphical literacy levels of the middle school mathematics teachers

This study aims to determine the graphical literacy levels of middle school mathematics teachers. The participants of the study consisted of 33 middle school mathematics teachers working in different provinces. The data of the study were collected with the help of the graphical literacy test created by the researchers. The data were analyzed by content analysis method. As a result of the study, it was seen that the teachers were more successful in the questions that required reading the data in the graph. It has been revealed that teachers are unsuccessful in reading beyond data questions that require higher-level thinking. In addition, the teachers had the most difficulty creating the graphs. In other words, it was determined that the graphical literacy levels of the teachers were low. Therefore, it is thought that studies to improve the graphical literacy skills of teachers in in-service training programs will be important.

Taking shared decision making for prostate cancer to the next level: Requirements for a Dutch treatment decision aid with personalized risks on side effects

BackgroundDifferent curative treatment modalities need to be considered in case of localized prostate cancer, all comparable in terms of survival and recurrence though different in side effects. To better inform patients and support shared decision making, the development of a web-based patient decision aid including personalized risk information was proposed. This paper reports on requirements in terms of content of information, visualization of risk profiles, and use in practice. MethodsBased on a Dutch 10-step guide about the setup of a decision aid next to a practice guideline, an iterative and co-creative design process was followed. In collaboration with various groups of experts (health professionals, usability and linguistic experts, patients and the general public), research and development activities were continuously alternated. ResultsContent requirements focused on presenting information only about conventional treatments and main side effects; based on risk group; and including clear explanations about personalized risks. Visual requirements involved presenting general and personalized risks separately; through bar charts or icon arrays; and along with numbers or words, and legends. Organizational requirements included integration into local clinical pathways; agreement about information input and output; and focus on patients' numeracy and graph literacy skills. ConclusionsThe iterative and co-creative development process was challenging, though extremely valuable. The translation of requirements resulted in a decision aid about four conventional treatment options, including general or personalized risks for erection, urinary and intestinal problems that are communicated with icon arrays and numbers. Future implementation and validation studies need to inform about use and value in practice.

An exploratory study on eye-gaze patterns of experts and novices of science inference graph items

&lt;abstract&gt;&lt;p&gt;Graphs are highly prevalent as a form of quantitative data in various science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Thus, graphical literacy is especially important in understanding today's world and being scientifically literate. However, students often face difficulties in graph interpretation and differ substantially in their graphical literacy. While many teachers are aware of students' difficulties in answering graph items, there is limited knowledge about how students go about attempting graph items. In this exploratory study, we investigated the eye-gaze patterns of experts and novices in graph interpretation of five science inference-based multiple-choice items requiring no prior content knowledge to problem-solve. Experts refer to science university faculty members who are currently teaching science content courses to undergraduate students. Novices refer to university undergraduates majoring in one of the science subjects. Participants' eye-gaze movements were recorded using the Dikablis eye-tracker, and their eye-gaze patterns and total glance time (s) were subsequently analyzed using the software D-Lab 3.0. Experts focused more on the question stem, whereas novices focused more on the graph. Additionally, experts tend to focus on contextual and graph data features initially, before moving to cues such as options. Conversely, novices demonstrated more sporadic search patterns. The findings contribute to the literature that compares how experts and novices' problem-solve graph items that are inference-based. An interesting future study on the eye gaze patterns and accuracy of answers is suggested from a finding. This study also provides a set of heuristics to be adopted in the teaching and learning of graph interpretation. The findings of this study have implications for teachers in the way they scaffold students' approach to answering graphical items. Additionally, students can employ heuristics to answer graphical items more effectively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/abstract&gt;

Graph Constructors vs Graph Interpretors vs Non Graphers: A Search towards Better Cognitive Performers in Biochemistry among First Year Medical Undergraduates

Introduction: Didactic lectures for medical undergraduates are usually presented with more text based factual contents with less room for visual representation. They contribute less for improved cognitive performance. Graphs are visually appealing for presentation of data and are a common means to illustrate data relationships. Graph literacy involves both graph creation and graph interpretation, benefits of which might well contribute to better cognitive performance. Aim: To compare the cognitive performance of graph interpretors, graph creators and non graphers in biochemistry among 1st year medical undergraduates. Materials and Methods: A Medical educational study with an analytical cross-sectional design was conducted during February 2023-March 2023. Total 150 students of both gender aged between 17-21 years, were included and divided equally with 50 subjects in each group (group I (non graphers), group II (graph creators), group III (graph interpretors). Lecture discussion was conducted on the topic of enzyme activity using textual contents for group I, Graph creation based teaching for group II and Graph interpretation based teaching for group III. Prior to lectures, priming session on graphing literacy using four stepped 20 point rubric based teaching was conducted for group II and III. Cognitive performance assessment was done at both lower and higher cognitive domain levels for all three groups. The scores obtained were analysed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Chi-square test as tests for significance and odds ratio by logistic regression as test for outcome association. Results: The mean age of the participants were 17.82±0.873 years for group I, 17.78±0.954 years for group II, 17.70±0.814 years for group III, along with gender ratio (female:male) distributed at 1.9:1, 1.7:1, 1.9:1 for group I, II and III, respectively. The results of the present study showed that the graphers {group II (graph creators) (12.24±1.02) and group III (graph interpretors) (11.06±1.03)} had significantly higher total cognitive performance scores compared to non graphers (group I) (9.34±1.64). Though the logistic regression model for graphing exposure to improved cognitive performance outcome showed no significant association with total cognitive performance, but statistically significant association was found at higher cognitive domain performance scores with positive B (2.819) (slope of regression coefficient) and odds of occurrence for higher cognitive performance increased by 16.75 times on graphing exposure when compared to non graphers. Conclusion: The study concluded that graphs are superior over textual contents and graph creation is marginally but superior to graph interpretation in terms of comprehension and improving performance especially at higher cognitive levels.