Abstract
The paper describes a systematic review focused on the use of eye-tracking in science education research till 2019. The aim is to present the main phenomena of this type of research and their results.
English-language journal articles and conference proceedings presenting primary research (N=106) were selected from the original database records (N=251) on WoS core collection. The data show that the use of eye-tracking research in this area has been increasing over the years.
The most active authors come from the USA, Taiwan and Germany. Eye movements of students from primary school to university are examined.
The main research topics are general trends, such as reading science texts, working with graphs, diagrams, and images. In the field of chemistry, simulations, representations, videos and experiments were examined.
The number of respondents tends to be lower and depends on technical possibilities (1-258), yet research using quantitative data - fixations or saccades - prevails. However, qualitative research is also emerging, often focused on out-of-school education.
In these studies, researchers use eye-tracking glasses, and the data are supplemented by interviews and other materials (e.g. video recording). The research results are mainly focused on differences between particular solvers' groups according to their success.
Didactic tools, e.g. textbooks or educational videos, were also examined. The results show the possibilities of modifying these tools.