Finger versus pencil: An eye tracking study of learning by drawing on touchscreens

Abstract Background Drawing is generally regarded as a promising learning strategy and has been explored in the touchscreen setting with different drawing modes. Although both a finger and a digital pencil can help individuals complete drawing activities effortlessly on touchscreen devices, there is no guarantee that they show the same effect on learning, which should be further tested. Objectives This study paid attention to the influence of drawing mode on learning processes and outcomes. Methods By means of the eye tracking technique, this study recruited college students as participants who were required to learn instructional materials consisting of actual (Experiment 1) or fictitious (Experiment 2) terms and definitions to test the effects of touchscreen‐based finger drawing versus pencil drawing on visual attention, learning performance as well as motivation. Results and Conclusions Across both experiments, learners showed more fixation count in areas of interest, and also more transition count between these areas for the finger drawing condition as compared to the pencil drawing condition. Recall performance on the studied definitions in the finger drawing condition was better than that in the pencil drawing condition. However, learners were subjectively less motivated to use a finger to draw than a digital pencil. Implications These findings show contributions to the emphasis of importance of drawing mode when the generative drawing activity is applied to touchscreens.