VISUAL ATTENTION IN EARLY PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DURING OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES
VISUAL ATTENTION IN EARLY PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DURING OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES

Summary/Abstract: Scientific observation is a foundational inquiry skill in early childhood science education, yet how visual attention develops during observation tasks among lower-grade primary school students remains underexplored. This study examined whether and how visual attention during science observation activities differs across Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 primary school students and adults in Korea. A cross-sectional comparative design was employed, using eye-tracking technology to measure fixation duration, fixation count, and gaze transitions across four tasks structured according to SAPA's hierarchy of observation skills. A total of 108 participants (Year 1: n=16, Year 2: n=35, Year 3: n=33, Adults: n=24) completed the tasks, and group differences were examined using one-way ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc tests. Year 1 students consistently differed from all other groups: they showed shorter fixation durations on target areas, more frequent gaze transitions, greater attention dispersal toward irrelevant information, and weaker top-down attentional control. Year 2 and Year 3 students generally performed comparably to adults. These findings indicate that Year 1 students are at a critical developmental stage in the development of observation ability, and suggest that the design of science observation activities and curriculum materials for lower-grade students should reflect these age-related attentional characteristics.

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