Test of Times New Roman: effects of font type on mathematical performance

Abstract

Mathematics is presented in a variety of font types across materials (e.g., textbooks, online problems); however, little is known about the effects of font type on students’ mathematical performance. Undergraduate students ( N = 121) completed three mathematical tasks in a one-hour online session in one of three font conditions: Times New Roman ( n = 45), Kalam ( n = 41), or handwriting ( n = 35). We examined whether font type impacted students’ performance, as measured by accuracy and response time, on the Perceptual Math Equivalence Task, error identification task, and equation-solving task. Compared to students in the Kalam and handwriting conditions, students in the Times New Roman condition were less accurate on the Perceptual Math Equivalence Task in which they judged whether two expressions were equivalent or not equivalent. We did not find differences between conditions in performance on error identification and equation-solving tasks. The findings have implications for research and practice. Specifically, researchers and educators may choose font types in which they present mathematics information with consideration, as font types may impact students’ mathematical processing and performance.

A refined framework for qualitative content analysis of mathematics textbooks

“…The choice of fonts in mathematics textbooks can have significant implications, particularly in early grades, where the characteristics of non-English alphabets, such as Persian, become relevant. These considerations highlight the significance of fonts in mathematics textbooks, and their impact has sparked scholarly interest (Chan et al, 2023). Research by Chan et al (2023) investigates the influence of font type on students' mathematical performance, revealing that Times New Roman font might affect students' accuracy on certain mathematical tasks, underscoring the importance of font selection in instructional materials.…”

Detrimental Impact of Technological Tools on Handwriting

“…However, studies indicate that writing by hand has special advantages for memorization of information (Wrigley, 2017). According to several studies, students who take handwritten notes during lectures outperform those who type their notes when it comes to memory tests (Chan et al, 2023). According to Wrigley's (2017) study, individuals who made handwritten notes exhibited superior conceptual understanding as well as higher levels of memory and retention as compared to those who typed their notes.…”