Gender Differences in Gaze Patterns during Block-Based Programming: A Multimodal Literacy Perspective

Eye tracking reveals attention patterns in block-based programming. This lets us examine gender-linked differences as students manage the multimodal literacy of coordinating text prompts, color-coded blocks, navigation, and live output. We examined how K–12 students allocate attention while independently completing a short Scratch-like task using a mixed-methods approach. Thirty-two fourth- to sixth-grade students (19 boys, 13 girls) participated. We recorded gaze with a Tobii Spark screen-based tracker and analyzed the data in Tobii Pro Lab. For each student, we computed 187 metrics across four Areas of Interest (AOIs)—Script, Coding Blocks, Output, and Navigation—and analyzed in R 4.3.1 with multiple-comparisons correction. Fifteen metrics differed by gender (seven in Script, four in Coding Blocks, two in Output, two in Navigation). In a qualitative review of eye-tracking videos, girls tended to reread and plan in Script and checked Output later and for longer, whereas boys moved to the workspace sooner, exited Blocks faster with larger, faster eye movements, and made brief early Output checks. Because the study is ongoing, analyses are still in progress and the findings are not yet final; so far, results indicate different strategies, not ability differences.