Teaching geometry in school: Digital resources to develop students' spatial thinking

Spatial thinking skills are competencies individuals will need in their lives in order to know and understand the world and to perceive the space correctly. In order for individuals to have these competencies, effective traning in the development of spatial thinking skills should occur. Spatial thinking skills can be acquired through student-centered, active learning and orienteering activities, all of which can be applied in lessons as a type of game instead of through traditional teaching methods and techniques. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of spatial thinking skills on the orienteering practices of students' in primary school Grade 4 Social Studies course. The study group consists of a total of 104 students: 51 students are in the experimental group and 53 students are in the control group. All participants are in Grade 4 at a primary school in Merkez district of Kastamonu province in Turkey during the 2019-2020 academic year. Lessons were taught with activities based on orienteering practices in the experimental group, and curriculum-based instruction was conducted in the control group. In the research, one of the quantitative research methods was used as a quasi-experimental model with a pretest-posttest control group. The Spatial Thinking Skill Test (STSS) developed by the researcher was used as the data collection tool. As a result of the research, it was concluded that orienteering practices are effective in developing students' spatial thinking skills. Orienteering is recommended to be used as a teaching technique in Social Studies lessons because it is an entertaining activity that enables learning by doing, the development of multi-faceted thinking, and the transference of spatial thinking skills to daily life.

Fostering students' spatial thinking skills holds great promise for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Recent efforts have focused on the development of classroom interventions to build students' spatial skills, yet these interventions will be implemented by teachers, and their beliefs and perceptions about spatial thinking influence the effectiveness of such interventions. However, our understanding of elementary school teachers' beliefs and perceptions around spatial thinking and STEM is in its infancy. Thus, we created novel measures to survey elementary teachers' anxiety in solving spatial problems, beliefs in the importance of spatial thinking skills for students' academic success, and self‐efficacy in cultivating students' spatial skills during science instruction. All measures exhibited high internal consistency and showed that elementary teachers experience low anxiety when solving spatial problems and feel strongly that their skills can improve with practice. Teachers were able to identify educational problems that rely on spatial problem‐solving and believed that spatial skills are more important for older compared to younger students. Despite reporting high efficacy in their general teaching and science teaching, teachers reported significantly lower efficacy in their capacities to cultivate students' spatial skills during science instruction. Results were fairly consistent across teacher characteristics (e.g., years of experience and teaching role as generalist or specialist) with the exception that only years of teaching science was related to teachers' efficacy in cultivating students' spatial thinking skills during science instruction. Results are discussed within the broader context of teacher beliefs, self‐efficacy, and implications for professional development research.

This research aims to examine the extent of success the students enrolled in the 5th Grade Individual Talent Recognition (ITR) program of the Science and Arts Center (BILSEM) would achieve in terms of spatial concepts and spatial thinking through an instructional module on spatial thinking skills embedded in the social studies course. The research process has been completed in accordance with embedded experimental design, which is one of the mixed method designs. The research sample consists of 30 students in the 5th Grade ITR program of Muğla Science and Arts Center. An Instructional Module on Spatial Thinking Skills (IMSTS) was developed to facilitate and improve the students’ spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills. The research data have been gathered via spatial thinking skills test, spatial concepts test, student journals, expert opinion forms, and focus group discussion forms for both students and teachers. Quantitative data obtained after the administration of IMSTS to the gifted students were subjected to parametric analyses while qualitative data were analyzed through content and descriptive analyses. The findings indicate a significant difference between the pre and post-test scores of the gifted students in favor of the post-test results. In the same vein, the findings distilled from the focus group discussions and student journals reflect students’ opinions underlying the necessity of training on spatial thinking skills within the social studies course. The instructional module developed within the scope of the present study has been found effective on improving spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills of the gifted students. In line with the research findings, it is suggested that the IMSTS developed by the researcher can be employed by the social studies teachers to better the spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills of the 5th graders in the ITR program of BILSEM.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of design-based learning (DBL) on students’ spatial thinking skills in architectural design education. Spatial thinking skills are of great importance in the architectural design process for architecture students to perceive and comprehend both the surrounding architectural spaces and the architectural product they design from different dimensions and perspectives. In order to gain this skill, DBL approaches based on a cooperative learning approach, which allow students to actively participate in the learning process, were applied. It was tested whether the DBL approach would increase students’ spatial thinking skills and develop skills, such as visual structuring skills, creativity, multidimensional and abstract thinking skills, imagination, problem solving, and multi-function execution. The research model is a pre-test-post-test control group quasi-experimental design. Data were obtained using the spatial thinking skills test. Based on the findings obtained as a result of the research, it was determined that the DBL approach applied in the color and texture course was effective on the spatial thinking skills of 2nd-year architecture students.

Spatial thinking is an integral skill for geography students to develop. Whilst many spatial competencies have been identified by researchers, and the merits of GIS seemingly ubiquitous in the published literature, little work has been done into how students’ spatial thinking skills can be assessed. Therefore, further investigation into the relationship between spatial thinking and performance and attainment is needed. This research investigates the impact using a geographic information system (GIS) has on students’ spatial thinking skills and attempts to assess the extent using a framework. This was done through the design and implementation of two GIS-based interventions. This small-scale evaluation used qualitative methods to investigate students’ and teachers’ views. Student work was also analysed using the framework developed for the assessment of spatial thinking skills. The findings suggest that the use of a GIS does enhance, and in most cases improves students’ spatial thinking skills, but, that spatial thinking is hard to quantify and difficult to measure progress in. Another benefit that using a GIS affords is the creation of engaging, contemporary and interactive lessons, using real data, from which students derive a lot of geographical value.

Understanding geographic changes has become an indispensable element in geography education. Describing and analyzing changes in space require spatial thinking skills emphasized in geography curriculum but often pose challenges for secondary school students. This school‐based research targets a specific strand of spatial thinking skills and investigates whether students using geospatial technology, such as Google Earth, are able to develop their thinking about spatio‐temporal changes. An experiment was conducted in a Singaporean secondary school in which skill development was framed within the formal geography curriculum. It compared the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches: learning with Google Earth versus traditional instruction without the use of such a technology. Findings indicate that the use of Google Earth significantly increased students' ability to identify spatial and temporal changes and analyse these changes. Qualitative data complemented the results by showing that Google Earth could offer students more opportunities to observe and infer changes, thus facilitating their understanding about the dynamic and the complex nature of changes.Lay DescriptionWhat is already known about this topic: The advantages of Google Earth utilized as a learning tool over traditional teaching means are obvious regarding building up skills in spatial thinking. Many studies have suggested that incorporating Google Earth into the classroom could help facilitate spatial thinking from the perspective of curriculum design and implementation. What this paper adds: Empirical evidence on the learning effects of using Google Earth in secondary geography education on students' spatial and temporal skills and higher order thinking is provided. Three factors that potentially influence the effects of utilizing geospatial technologies on developing spatial thinking are highlighted. The roles Google Earth plays to assist the development of students' spatial and temporal thinking are identified. Implications for practice and policy: Our findings support the policy to include geospatial technologies as an integral part of school curriculum for effective teaching and learning of spatial thinking. Teachers should be encouraged to incorporate geospatial technologies in classroom to promote spatial skills and higher order thinking. Improvement of the technology‐based learning environment may benefit from considering students' prior knowledge on spatial concepts, the sequence of introducing spatial skills, the type of spatial stimulus used and the depth of technology‐based learning activities.

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the increase in students’ spatial thinking abilities; differences in achievement of spatial thinking skills based on students’ Early Mathematics (PAM) knowledge; and the difference in increasing the mathematical character of students between before and after mathematics learning using the Cabri 3D software with a scientific approach. This study uses quasi-experiment, the experimental class uses Cabri 3D software with a scientific approach and the control class uses conventional learning. The results showed that: there were differences in the increase in spatial thinking skills; there are differences in achievement of spatial thinking skills based on PAM and there is interaction between PAM categories of students with learning in achieving students’ spatial thinking skills; there is a difference in the improvement of students’ mathematical characters between before and after mathematics learning using the Cabri 3D software with a scientific approach. Mathematics learning using Cabri 3D software with a scientific approach is one alternative to improve spatial thinking skills and mathematical character of students.

There is a dearth of research concerning the learning effects of web‐based mapping tools on students with different learning characteristics. This study investigates the extent that different learning styles exert an influence on spatial thinking of students within a web‐based GIS mapping environment. Thirty six sophomores utilized the tools over one semester in a course guided by a blended learning approach. A learning style inventory, a self‐rating questionnaire and a survey were administered to these students to examine their learning styles, the development of their spatial thinking skills as well as factors influencing the enhancement of their spatial thinking skills. Results show that all learners have improved their spatial thinking skills after interacting with the GIS mapping tools. However, the visual and auditory learners have improved significantly more than the kinaesthetic learners (p = 0.024). The survey result from students shows that such differences may be attributable to the design of the web interface that matches the learning styles of the visual and auditory learners better than with that of the kinaesthetic learners. Our findings contribute to the current debate on students’ learning styles as well as to help instructional designers and educators optimize learning in spatial thinking through personalized learning design.

One of the goals of learning geography is to give students the ability to think spatially. But based on observations in the field, it shows that students' spatial thinking skills have not shown maximum results. This study aims to determine the effect of the Project Based Learning (PJBL) learning model on spatial thinking skills in class X geography subjects at SMA PGRI 2 Palembang. To determine the effect of Project Based Learning (PJBL) on spatial thinking skills, the researcher used the Experimental method. Based on the results of data analysis and discussion on the effect of Project Based Learning (PJBL) learning models on spatial thinking skills in class X geography subjects at SMA PGRI 2 Palembang, it can be concluded that the results of the average data analysis results of the students' experimental class spatial thinking test 76.02 while the control class averages 61.72. Based on the results of the t-test obtained thitung = 8.43 then compared with t table = 1.66, then t count > t table is 8.43> 1.66. These results prove that there is a significant influence between the Project Based Learning (PJBL) learning model on spatial thinking skills in class X geography subjects at SMA PGRI 2 Palembang.

Spatial thinking skills, which encompass the ability to mentally perceive, manipulate, and find meaning in spatial information, are essential to student success across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, including meteorology. Atmospheric data are inherently spatial, with meteorology coursework requiring students to comprehend, interpret, and predict meteorological data across spatial scales. Spatial skills are known to improve over time in response to instruction, but the rate and nature of that progression in meteorology students as they move through the curriculum have yet to be characterized. In this study, the Spatial Thinking Abilities Test (STAT) was used to quantify spatial thinking skills in undergraduate students in 10 courses required for the meteorology major at a single institution. The STAT was administered twice a semester over a three-semester period at the start and end of each course. Gains in spatial reasoning skills were typically modest for a single semester, though overall levels of spatial skills were sensitive to declared major; meteorology and STEM majors scored significantly higher than nonmeteorology and non-STEM majors. Additionally, meteorology majors regularly exhibited improved performance on questions evaluating the skill of disembedding, which is particularly important for interpreting meteorological maps. Even so, disembedding was the weakest spatial thinking skill for all cohorts of meteorology majors. Longitudinal analysis of meteorology majors revealed that novice students progressed the least in their spatial skills, while students in the middle of curriculum exhibited the strongest gains, likely tied to an increased number of required meteorology courses and their specific content.

Geo-Virtual Reality (GVR): The creative materials to construct spatial thinking skills using virtual learning based metaverse technology

Purpose: To investigate the inclusion of spatial thinking skills in 10 th -grade social studies textbooks and their acquisition by Omani female students. Methodology: An analysis card was developed to evaluate the inclusion of spatial skills in 10 th -grade social studies textbooks according to a spatial skills thinking test, considering six skills. The study sample comprised 408 female students from Al-Batinah Province, Oman. Findings: The six thinking skills were included 98 times in the reviewed social studies textbooks, and participants had a relatively low rate of acquisition of these skills (60%). Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study sheds light on the under-explored issue of spatial thinking skills, with particular insights on their acquisition among Omani female students in the 10 th grade, a population lacking pedagogical studies in general. Its findings support policy targeted to enhance the target group’s spatial thinking skills with improved learning resources provision. Keywords: Oman, 10 th grade, social studies, spatial thinking DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-27-12 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

A typical classroom exercise in hydrogeology is to develop a conceptual model of a contaminated site, identify groundwater flow direction(s), and predict the location and mass of a contaminant plume. This requires knowledge of key hydrogeological concepts and is highly visuospatial in nature. Among multiple discrete spatial thinking skills identified by cognitive science, the combination of visual penetrative ability and working in multiple frames of reference were identified to significantly predict performance on a hydrogeology task and showed that together with hydrogeology knowledge, these spatial thinking skills account for 49% of the variability on task performance. Seventy-two hydrogeology practitioners and students with varying levels of expertise were administered multiple spatial thinking tests and an assessment of hydrogeology knowledge before completing a hydrogeology task that was developed for the study. Using spatial thinking and knowledge test scores as predictor variables, a hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with performance on the hydrogeology task as the outcome variable. The resulting model predicts that at low levels of hydrogeology knowledge, the identified spatial thinking skills account for more than a 25% difference on the hydrogeology task. This study provides empirical evidence that visual penetrative ability and working in multiple frames of reference are important skills in hydrogeology; thus, instructors are encouraged to recognize that underdeveloped spatial thinking skills could present hurdles for students and that targeted spatial thinking training may yield positive results for both weak and strong spatial thinkers.

The Use Of Map Media: A Study Of Spatial Thinking Skills. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of using map media in improving students' spatial thinking skills in biosphere phase E (class X) material at SMAN 1 North Kampar. Spatial thinking is very important in science education to understand spatial relationships in ecosystems, but biosphere learning faces complex challenges related to the interaction of organisms and their environment. Therefore, the use of map media, both digital and printed, is integrated in ecosystem analysis and prediction of environmental change to improve students' understanding. This study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental method and Non-Equivalent Group Design. The research sample consisted of 30 students of class X3 as the experimental group and 30 students of class X1 as the control group. The intervention was conducted for two weeks in the odd semester. Data analysis using Independent Sample T-Test showed a significance value (sig = 0.001 <0.05), which means there is a significant difference between the two groups. N-Gain results showed that the experimental class had high effectiveness in spatial thinking (76.68%), while the control class was less effective (55.58%). These results show that map media can be used as an effective learning tool to improve students' spatial thinking skills. Teachers can utilize interactive or digital maps in ecology learning to clarify the concept of space and improve students' understanding of the biosphere.

ABSTRACTSpatial reasoning is a critical skill in the Geosciences. Using a randomized control study with 592 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory and advanced Geology courses, our data indicates that regular, short interventions throughout an academic semester improve students’ spatial thinking skills significantly with a moderate to large effect size when compared to an instruction-as-usual control group. We found evidence for additional gains in students who participated also in hands-on training interventions. We found even larger training effects on students who achieved correct scores of >50% on the practice modules, with gains of almost three-quarter of a standard deviation relative to their baseline scores. Male and female students display significant differences in spatial skills, with males outperforming females. Training resulted in similar magnitudes of improvement in both genders, so we see no evidence that the interventions closed the gender gap. Using the initial performance as a baseline, poor performers’ spatial skills appear to improve through practice at the same rate as their peers. We argue that 15.4% of students improve their spatial skills through participation in the training towards a threshold that appears to be critical for participation in STEM careers. On a reflection survey, half of the students reported that they felt their spatial thinking skills improved through their participation, and over a third found the training beneficial for their overall learning in Geology or other classes. We hypothesise that formal training opportunities for spatial reasoning could increase the potential pool of students who successfully enter and succeed in Geoscience careers.