A systematic literature review for the use of eye-tracking in special education

• Published in: Education and information technologies Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 6515 - 6540
• Main Author: Donmez, Mehmet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.06.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Children; Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences; Computer Science; Computers and Education; Disabled children; Dyslexia; Education; Educational objectives; Educational Technology; Eye Movements; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Language Acquisition; Literature Reviews; Mathematics Skills; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Outcomes of Education; Pervasive developmental disorders; Special Education; Special Needs Students; Students with Disabilities; Systematic review; Technology Uses in Education; User Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction; Eye movements; Primary school; Special education; Eye-tracking
• ISSN: 1360-2357; 1573-7608
• DOI: 10.1007/s10639-022-11456-z

The present study aimed to present how eye-tracking is employed in special education. While presenting the use of eye-tracking technology, the research considered some eye-tracking-related aspects, such as its potential to facilitate the education of children with special needs, investigation of disabilities through eye-tracking technology, and the relationship between learning outcomes and eye-tracking measurements in studies including children with special needs. Within specified criteria, this systematic review was carried out using famous electronic databases, such as Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Education Source, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and EBSCOhost. Accordingly, 48 papers reviewed demonstrated an increasing trend in the use of eye-tracking technology in special education research. The age range of the target group recruited in previous research was often between 6 and 11 years, and reading and word learning were the most studied learning outcomes. Moreover, dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were commonly investigated by children’s eye movements, particularly fixation duration and fixation count. This study also revealed that eye-tracking technology is helpful in exploring reading, word learning, mathematics skills, social communication, language development, motor learning, eyesight improvement, and route learning in special education. Furthermore, it is pretty suitable and effective to utilize eye-tracking technology as assistive technology (AT) to improve the learning environments of children with special needs.