An Interactive Educational Diagrammatic System for Assessing and Remediating the Graph-as-Picture Misconception

The graph-as-picture misconception (GAPm) is a commonly reported error, but basic questions about its prevalence and degree have not been addressed. An interactive educational diagrammatic system was designed to assess and to help students overcome GAPm. Three activities were administered to students (N=48) using touch screen technology: a diagram/picture decision task, a multiple choice questionnaire, and an interactive racing car game in which the child moves a car along a track and a speed/distance graph is plotted concurrently alongside. Preliminary results demonstrate the utility of the diagram/picture discrimination task for detecting GAPm and providing rich information about children’s knowledge of different representational forms.