Analyzing image recognition characteristics in landscape architecture: A study using eye tracking with a focus on educational perspectives

Despite the educational importance of visual communication skills in spatial design education, the patterns and characteristics of students' image recognition, as well as the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors, remain unknown. This study employs objective measurement through eye-tracking to investigate students' image recognition patterns in response to a range of spatial problems, including those specific to landscape architecture based on designers' plans and perspectives, as well as their overall learning capacity. The research compares eye movements as Landscape Architecture students explore different learning materials, considering spatial scale, dimensions, and degree of detail. Additionally, influential factors such as problem difficulty and students' ability levels are examined. Results reveal that students experience significantly less visual attention pressure in Landscape Architecture-specific Spatial Ability tests, suggesting that those at a rudimentary level easily access and accept spatial learning materials in this domain due to visual coherency and real-world spatial familiarity. Furthermore, spatial scale emerges as a significant factor affecting recognition patterns, indicating higher levels of visual attention required for large-scale spatial design drawings. The findings suggest that neurophysiological data, such as eye-tracking, is effective in understanding students' challenges and mental pressures in learning visual communication skills in Landscape Architecture education. This study's insights may assist Landscape Architecture educators in developing design studio projects and assignments that align with students' cognitive characteristics in image recognition.