Advantages of EEG monitoring in education

Emri, Zsuzsanna and Antal, Károly and Csordás, Georgina and Prantner, Csilla and Kis-Tóth, Lajos (2024) Advantages of EEG monitoring in education. In: Agria Média 2023 : „A magas szintű digitális kompetencia a jövő oktatásának kulcsa”. Eszterházy Károly Katolikus Egyetem Líceum Kiadó, pp. 174-183.

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Abstract

Affordable, portable, and easy-to-use devices, as well as computer programs that allow the quantitative analysis of EEG signals, provide the opportunity for wide-ranging educational applications of EEG. However, the use of EEG data is complicated by the presence of significant individual differences in resting activity; therefore, this technology is not suitable for analyzing educational processes on its own. However, when used together with other methods, it could provide valuable data on learning-related brain activity. In our study, we used the Emotiv EPOC EEG headset and monitored brain activity during closed- and open-eye relaxation, reading, and arithmetic calculation. We used the Fourier Transform (FFT) to analyze the spectral content of the EEG signal, determined the power of the theta, alpha, and beta EEG bands, and then calculated the attention, engagement, and cognitive load values for each task. Participants also solved a test related to the tasks, evaluated their performance, and filled out a questionnaire about their impressions of the measurement. We made our conclusions by combining the data from the EEG, the test, and the questionnaire results. We found an increase in the alpha power related to tiredness, increased attention during reading, and high cognitive load during calculation, especially when the result was correct. Participants diagnosed with dyslexia showed lower alpha peak frequency during open-eye relaxation and increased theta activity during reading. Although they needed more time to complete the reading task, their test results were similar to the results of the control group. Our results suggest several possible usage of EEG in education. It enables the continuous monitoring of alertness, can detect fatigue, and helps keep task difficulty at an optimal level. However, the beta theta ratio used in this study to determine attention level does not seem suitable for monitoring sustained attention. EEG can also give us useful insight into the performance of students with special needs, helping teachers provide adequate tasks and guidance.

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