The influence of spatial ability on undergraduate students’ tree-thinking ability

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tree-thinking ability is essential in the learning of biological evolution. Spatial ability as a potential factor which might impact students’ tree-thinking ability remains unknown. To explore the influence of spatial ability and spatial-related interventions on students’ tree-thinking ability, 312 undergraduate students participated in this study. Students’ spatial ability was evaluated using the Mental Rotation Test (MRT). A pre-test-post-test design was adopted to assess students’ tree-thinking ability by using the Model of the Use of Evolutionary Trees (MUET) survey. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to explore the factors that influenced students’ tree-thinking ability. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated when positive or negative predictors of student’ tree-thinking ability were identified. Results shown that students’ MRT scores and previous tree-learning experience were the sole factors that positively predicted students’ pre-MUET survey scores, explaining 2.5% and 4.1% of the observed variance, respectively. Pre-MUET survey scores and the type of tree-thinking-related instructional intervention were found to be the only unique predictors of students’ post-MUET survey scores, explaining 22.2% and 6.5% of the observed variance, respectively. Results suggest that the tree-thinking-related instructional intervention has the potential to modulate the relationship between individuals’ spatial ability and tree-thinking ability.