An Investigation of the Visual-Mental Capability of Pre- and In-Service Mathematics Teachers: A Tale of Two Cones and One Cube

Abstract

This study investigated the visual-mental capability of pre-service and in-service mathematics teachers as well as academicians making a career change to mathematics teachers with regard to manipulations of two geometric shapes (from 2- to 3-dimensional). Moreover, it investigated whether there are differences between the visual-mental capability of these participant groups. Findings illustrate that most of the participants demonstrate an adequate visual capability relating to the task dealing with a cube. Conversely, very low percentage of participants manifested a visual-mental capability in a task requiring the identification of a solid resulting from rotation of a square page, whose diagonal serves as the rotation axis. The study indicates that learners' high visual view should be developed in order to enhance their visual-mental capability.