Challenging the Eye-Mind Link Hypothesis: Visualizing Gazes For Each Programming Problem (2504.13182v1)

Abstract: This investigates the relationship between eye fixation patterns and performance in Java programming exercises using eye-tracking technology. Thirty-one students from a university in Metro Manila participated, and their eye movements were recorded while solving five Java programming exercises (three of the five exercises were picked). The fixation data were preprocessed and visualized using heatmap bin graphs, dividing the participants into correct and wrong answer groups. The Mann-Whitney U Test was employed to determine if there were significant differences in the fixation patterns between the two groups.