Resumen de Strategy use in number line tasks of students with mathematical difficulties: An eye-tracking study

Anna Lisa Simon, Maike Schindler

• The number line is an important mathematical tool, especially in primary education.Previous research suggests that students with mathematical difficulties (MD) tend tohave difficulties in empty number line tasks, but little is known about marked numberlines. The aim of this study was to investigate if students with MD differ in their strategyuse from students without MD in marked number line tasks. In our empirical study withfifth-grade students with and without MD (each n=20), we used eye tracking (ET), therecording of eye movements to gain insights into students’ strategies. Based on ETvideo data, we inductively developed a category system of student strategies usingqualitative content analysis. Our data analysis revealed significant differences:Students with MD used counting strategies more often—and less direct locating.