Improving Text and Picture Integration during Reading through Eye-Movement Modeling

Successful learning from illustrated text requires integrating information provided by the text and pictures. To extend current research, this study used eye movement modeling examples (EMME) in the school context to model the crucial integrative processing of text and graphics and examine the effects of this modeling on processing and learning outcomes. Forty-two 7th graders participated in the study, randomly assigned to the experimental (EMME) or control condition. Before the learning episode, each participant in the EMME condition individually observed a replay (video) of a model’s eye movements while reading an illustrated science text on a topic (water cycle) different from that of the learning episode (food chain). Based on the theoretical assumption of a successful reading strategy, the visual behavior of the model replay emphasized the integrative processing of text and picture. Results revealed that students who observed the eye-movements of the model replay, showed more strategic, integrative rereading of the learning material than the control students. Specifically, EMME students spent more time attending the illustration while rereading corresponding text segments. In addition, they backtracked longer the corresponding and non-corresponding text segments while reinspecting the illustration. Furthermore, EMME students outperformed the control students in less and deeper learning tasks, such as verbal recall, graphical recall, and transfer of knowledge. We conclude that eye-tracking methodology is not only a research tool but also an instruction tool that can be effectively used to model students’ reading behavior in the school context.