Third grade students’ spatial structuring of rectangular arrays: A constructive replication study with eye-tracking data

Children’s spatial structuring is a critical aspect of their understanding of both area and multiplicative reasoning. Since Battista et al.’s (1998) and Outhred and Mitchelmore’s (2000) studies over 20 years ago, spatial structuring of rectangular arrays have been examined with a wide variety of tasks and protocols. Despite observations that tasks can affect such reasoning, there has been little specific focus on examining how task and protocol structure affect students’ spatial structuring. This paper presents a constructive replication study with third-grade students and the inclusion of eye-gaze data from mobile eye-tracking headsets. Findings confirm previously identified levels, while identifying task features that coincide with higher levels of spatial structuring. Additionally, eye-tracking data reveal evidence of eye-gaze behavior that correspond with construction in activity and anticipatory actions for unit coordination of spatial structuring.