Spatial Ability: A Neglected Talent in Educational and Occupational Settings

For over 60 years, longitudinal research on tens of thousands of high ability and intellectually precocious youth has consistently revealed the importance of spatial ability for hands-on creative accomplishments and the development of expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) disciplines. Yet, individual differences in spatial ability are seldom assessed for educational counseling and selection. Students especially talented in spatial visualization relative to their status on mathematical and verbal reasoning are particularly likely to be underserved by our educational institutions. Evidence for the importance of assessing spatial ability is reviewed and ways to utilize information about individual differences in this attribute in learning and work settings are offered. The literature reviewed stresses the importance of spatial ability in real-world settings and constitutes a rare instance in the social sciences where more research is not needed. What is needed is the incorporation of spatial ability into talent identification procedures and research on curriculum development and training, along with other cognitive abilities harboring differential—and incremental—validity for socially valued outcomes beyond IQ (or, g, general intelligence).     

Patterns of Response: A Case Study of Elementary Students With Spatial Strengths

Gifted students with spatial strengths have areas of remarkable talent but are often overlooked, underidentified, and underserved in American schools. Their preference for learning through imagistic reasoning conflicts with traditional verbal instructional techniques typically used in schools. To better serve these students who have the potential to be leaders in the fields of engineering, physics, and mathematics, it is important to develop an awareness of their learning patterns and problem-solving processes. The purpose of this case study was to examine, understand, and compare patterns of response in six students, three with spatial strengths and three with verbal strengths, as they solved spatial problems, responded to questions about their preferred learning style, and indicated their instructional preferences. A qualitative research design used structured interviews and observations to investigate the learning preferences of fourth-grade students with spatial strengths and to contrast their patterns of response to students lacking exceptional ability in spatial reasoning. Based on the selective coding, visual ideation, innovation, and holistic processing emerged as predominant themes in this research.     

儿童早期空间测量学习中的核心概念与能力

测量是数学的主题之一,测量能力的发展对儿童数学认知能力的发展有重要影响.儿童获得空间测量能力必须掌握单位、空间概念和数概念等核心概念;儿童熟练进行空间测量活动必须具备传递性推理、选择适当测量策略等核心能力.具体而言,儿童最早掌握的是一维空间的概念.在一维空间测量中,儿童较早掌握的核心概念是端点,同时必须能够准确找到表征测量对象量的特征的具体知觉特征.儿童二维和三维空间概念的形成要经历从不理解到理解、从不稳定到稳定的复杂发展过程,因此相当一部分3～6岁儿童认识的二维和三维空间实质都是一维的.关于单位概念,儿童必须明白作为测量单位的量须与待测定的量是同类量、测量单位的大小与数量之间存在反函数关系、测量单位须大小相等等内容.在测量活动中,儿童掌握关于数的概念实质是学会对连续量进行离散化的心理加工,这能有效巩固和扩展儿童对数概念的理解,使其对数的实际意义有更广泛和深入的认识.传递性推理能力是儿童准确测量的基础,它的形成标志着儿童能够借助中介物进行两个物体的空间比较.选择适当的测量策略是保证儿童有效测量的前提.儿童在空间测量活动中使用的策略主要有目测、并列或重叠比较、使用非标准单位测量、使用标准工具测量等.在当前儿童数学教育实践中,教师因为不清楚上述核心概念与核心能力,往往只是把测量看作一种操作性的活动,只重视教给儿童一组关于测量的程序性知识,是不利于儿童数学思维能力与素质的发展、数学问题解决能力的提高的.     

Educational Adequacy Litigation in the American South: 1973–2009

Calls to strengthen education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are underscored by employment trends and the importance of STEM innovation for the economy. The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) has been tracking over 5,000 talented individuals longitudinally for 40 years, throwing light on critical questions in talent identification and development in STEM. SMPY includes individuals identified in 7th/8th grade as in the top 1% or higher in mathematical or verbal ability, and a comparison group identified as top STEM graduate students. SMPY findings cover the educational and occupational attainments of participants, including a large percentage earning a degree or pursuing high powered careers in STEM; gender differences; the extent to which high school experiences, abilities, and interests predict later outcomes; and subsequent creative production. Mathematical reasoning ability as measured by standardized tests is a reliable predictor for later math/science engagement and achievement in adulthood, and spatial ability adds predictive value. Exposure to appropriate educational opportunities do correlate with career achievement and creative production. SMPY researchers have concluded that potential future STEM innovators can be identified early and that educational interventions can increase their chances of success.     

非言语学习困难青少年空间和非空间关系推理策略分析

目的:探讨非言语学习困难青少年二维空间和非空间关系推理策略。方法:从初中二年级选取三组被试:非言语学习困难组(简称NLD)、言语学习困难组(简称VLD)和一般组(简称C)。结果:(1)NLD组空间关系推理成绩显著低于一般组;(2)在空间关系推理中,两类单模题推理成绩显著高于双模题。在非空间关系推理中,有无关前提的题推理成绩显著高于没有无关前提的题;(3)一般组正确运用模型建构策略显著高于NLD和VLD组。结论:NLD青少年通过建构模型解决空间关系推理,但不能有效运用该策略,非空间关系推理则采用逻辑规则策略。     

Instructional Design of Web-based Simulations for Learners with Different Levels of Spatial Ability

This study, the purpose of which is to determine an efficient instructional design for different levels of spatial abilities, investigates: (1) the main effects of visual treatments in simulation environments on comprehension and the transfer of chemistry knowledge and (2) the interaction effects of the visual treatments and the learners’ spatial abilities. Two hundred and fifty-seven middle school students were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions. The results indicated: (1) a significant main effect of the treatment condition for both comprehension (p < 0.001) and transfer (p < 0.005) tests, where the treatment group performed better than the control group and (2) a significant interaction effect (p < 0.05) between the instructional treatment conditions and level of spatial ability for the comprehension test: Low spatial ability learners performed better in the treatment group than in the control group, whereas high spatial ability learners performed similarly regardless of the instructional conditions.     

Process skills acquisition,cognitive growth,and attitude change of ninth grade students in a scientific literacy course

This is a report of the effects of a scientific literacy course on the skills, cognitive ability, and attitude of students in the first year of high school. Specifically, the research examines (1) whether it is possible to teach scientific skills, (2) whether a literacy curriculum affects attitude and cognitive ability, and (3) whether incoming student characteristics affect the development of attitude and cognitive abilities. Two hundred and fifty (126 male and 124 female) ninth grade students were enrolled in a specially designed literacy course which met for 3 hours and 20 minutes each week for 39 weeks. Students were pretested for logical, spatial, verbal, and mathematical ability, as well as for attitude toward self and science, and psychological type. The course was successful in teaching skills. In addition, there were significant increases in spatial, verbal, and quantitative ability. Increases in cognitive ability were predicted by logical ability, measurement skills, and academic self-concept. Attitudes declined as a result of participation in the course. Self concept and mastery were related to cognitive variables and motivation, mastery, and control were related to psychological type.     

Science Background and Spatial Abilities in Men and Women

Deficits in spatial abilities, particularly mental rotation (MR), may contribute to women's avoidance of areas of study that rely on MR, including chemistry. Women who do experience success in chemistry may do so because they have good MR skills. We examined MR ability, assessed by the Purdue Visual Rotations Test (PVRT; Bodner and R. B. (1997)) in three groups of students: those with no college science background, those with a limited college science background that did not include organic chemistry, and those with more extensive science background including organic chemistry. Men and women with extensive background that included organic chemistry performed equally on the MR task, as did those students who had no college science background. However, men outperformed women on the MR task if they had limited science training, although this effect was mediated by the total number of chemistry courses taken. Self-reports of competence on the task were positively related to MR ability, but neither self-described effort nor other background variables (such as experience with spatial tasks and participation in athletics) were important to MR. Grades in science courses were not related to MR capability for any group of students. Our results suggest that while women often show a lesser ability with MR tasks, this deficit may not be an important contribution to women's tendency to avoid the physical sciences.     

Effects of Peer Tutoring on Abilities and Achievement

This study explored the efficacy of peer tutoring in the development of verbal and spatial abilities that helps students attain a high level of academic achievement in geography. Students studying in class VIII of five selected schools took one standardized and three self-made tests. Results indicated that peer tutoring strategy plays a significant role in increasing the verbal and spatial abilities as well as in raising the academic level of students in geography.     

Correlating Spatial Ability With Anatomy Assessment Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Interest in spatial ability has grown over the past few decades following the emergence of correlational evidence associating spatial aptitude with educational performance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The research field at large and the anatomy education literature on this topic are mixed. In an attempt to generate consensus, a meta-analysis was performed to objectively summarize the effects of spatial ability on anatomy assessment performance across multiple studies and populations. Relevant studies published within the past 50 years (1969–2019) were retrieved from eight databases. Study eligibility screening was followed by a full-text review and data extraction. Use of the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) was required for study inclusion. Out of 2,450 screened records, 15 studies were meta-analyzed. Seventy-three percent of studies (11 of 15) were from the United States and Canada, and the majority (9 of 15) studied professional students. Across 15 studies and 1,245 participants, spatial ability was weakly associated with anatomy performance (r_pooled = 0.240; CI at 95% = 0.09, 0.38; P = 0.002). Performance on spatial and relationship-based assessments (i.e., practical assessments and drawing tasks) was correlated with spatial ability, while performance on assessments utilizing non-spatial multiple-choice items was not correlated with spatial ability. A significant sex difference was also observed, wherein males outperformed females on spatial ability tasks. Given the role of spatial reasoning in learning anatomy, educators are encouraged to consider curriculum delivery modifications and a comprehensive assessment strategy so as not to disadvantage individuals with low spatial ability.     

Spatial ability and transformational geometry

New technologies in education are placing more emphasis upon visual and spatial skills, those required to inspect, encode, transform, and construct information in visual displays. They do this by presenting students with learning material embedded in complex visual displays and hypermedia, and by requiring students to navigate through virtual space. These developments make it important for us to learn more about the underlying nature of visuospatial ability, how it is related to academic performance, and how it can be improved. This paper explores these issues in the context of instruction in transformational geometry upon geometry performance and spatial ability of Grade 7/8 students. The instructional conditions were (a) a traditional textbook approach involving paper-and-pencil tasks and verbal instruction (Traditional Group), and (b) an approach incorporating object manipulation, and visual imagery, which was designed to encourage spatial thinking (Spatial Group). Multiple regression results indicated that posttest geometry performance was predicted by pretest geometry, pretest spatial ability, and the interaction of pretest geometry and instructional condition; the interaction indicated that high prior knowledge subjects performed better in the Spatial group, low prior knowledge subjects in the Traditional group. Posttest spatial ability was predicted by handedness, pretest geometry, pretest spatial ability, and the interaction of pretest spatial ability and handedness; the interaction indicated that less right-handed subjects of low spatial ability improved on spatial ability more than their more right-handed peers.     

Gender differences in self-estimates of general, mathematical, spatial and verbal intelligence: Four meta analyses

Four meta-analyses were conducted to examine the magnitude of sex differences in self-estimates of general, mathematical/logical, spatial and verbal abilities. For all but verbal ability males gave significantly higher self-estimates than did females. The weighted mean effect size d for general intelligence was .37, for mathematical .44, for spatial .43 and for verbal .07. As these were significantly heterogeneous, homogeneity analysis was performed to identify moderating factors. These included age, instruction type, country and dominating author's gender. The outcomes were discussed in terms of possible causes of this phenomenon and some concerns about the interpretation of the results were raised.     

Spatial visualization, visual imagery, and mathematical problem solving of students with varying abilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' use of visual imagery and its relationship to spatial visualization ability while solving mathematical word problems. Students with learning disabilities (LD), average achievers, and gifted students in sixth grade (N = 66) participated in this study. Students were assessed on measures of mathematical problem solving, visual imagery representation, and spatial visualization ability. The results indicated that gifted students performed better on both spatial visualization measures than students with LD and average-achieving students. Use of visual images was positively correlated with higher mathematical word-problem-solving performance. Furthermore, the use of schematic imagery was significantly and positively correlated with higher performance on each spatial visualization measure; conversely, it was negatively correlated with the use of pictorial images.     

Spatial ability and achievement in introductory physics

This research was undertaken to clarify the nature of the relationship between visual-spatial abilities and achievement in science courses. A related purpose was to determine what influence visual-spatial abilities have on the high attribution rate characteristic of many introductory college-level science courses. Three sections of introductory college level physics (S = 136) and one nonscience liberal arts section (S = 52) received pre- and postmeasures of visual-spatial ability in the areas of perception, orientation, and visualization. Increases in visual-spatial abilities were greatest with an experimental section that received a spatial intervention. These gains were related to test items that utilized graphical form and to laboratory work. Substantial gains in visual-spatial ability were also registered by a placebo and by control sections. These increases suggest that taking introductory physics improves visual-spatial abilities. Although students who withdrew from the course demonstrated mathematics skills comparable to those of students who completed the course, their scores on perception tests were appreciably lower. Visual-spatial scores of the liberal arts group were lower than those of the physics sections, suggesting that visual-spatial ability influences course selection.     

Talent development,work habits,and career exploration of Chinese middle‐school adolescents: development of the Career and Talent Development Self‐Efficacy Scale

This article describes the development of an instrument – the Career and Talent Development Self‐Efficacy Scale (CTD‐SES) – for assessing students’ self‐efficacy in applying life skills essential for personal talent development, acquisition of positive work habits, and career exploration. In Study 1, data were obtained from a large sample of Chinese middle‐school students (N=15,113) in Grades 7–9 in Hong Kong. The CTD‐SES is an 18‐item questionnaire with subscales containing items that address students’ orientations toward developing their own talents, acquiring and applying positive work habits, and exploring their career possibilities. Evidence is provided for internal consistency, temporal stability, and factor structure of the CTD‐SES. Goodness of fit statistics provided support for a three‐primary‐factor‐plus‐higher‐factor model, and this solution was used in the statistical analyses. The data also indicated that students with plans for university study reported significantly higher scores than those without on all three domains of career and talent development. In Study 2 (N=308) Grade 10 high‐ability students’ scores in CTD‐SES were correlated with scores in career decision self‐efficacy and academic performance. The development and validation of CTD‐SES is the first step toward investigating career exploration, work habits, and talent development among Asian middle‐school adolescents.     

The Role of Anatomy Computer-Assisted Learning on Spatial Abilities of Medical Students

Currently, medical education context poses different challenges to anatomy, contributing to the introduction of new pedagogical approaches, such as computer-assisted learning (CAL). This approach provides insight into students' learning profiles and skills that enhance anatomy knowledge acquisition. To understand the influence of anatomy CAL on spatial abilities, a study was conducted. A total of 671 medical students attending Musculoskeletal (MA) and Cardiovascular Anatomy (CA) courses, were allocated to one of three groups (MA Group, CA Group, MA + CA Group). Students' pre-training and post-training spatial abilities were assessed through Mental Rotations Test (MRT), with scores ranging between 0-24. After CAL training sessions, students' spatial abilities performance improved (9.72 ± 4.79 vs. 17.05 ± 4.57, P < 0.001). Although male students in both MA Group and CA Group show better baseline spatial abilities, no sex differences were found after CAL training. The improvement in spatial abilities score between sessions (Delta MRT) was correlated with Musculoskeletal Anatomy training sessions in MA Group (r = 0.333, P < 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.342, P < 0.001), and with Cardiovascular Anatomy training sessions in CA Group (r = 0.461, P = 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.324, P = 0.001). Multiple linear regression models were used, considering the Delta MRT as dependent variable. An association of Delta MRT to the amount of CAL training and the baseline spatial abilities was observed. The results suggest that CAL training in anatomy has positive dose-dependent effect on spatial abilities.     

运用情景教学建构职业院校公共课教学模式的探讨

以培养学生可持续发展能力为宗旨,以全面提高学生素质为目标,努力打造与专业课衔接,融教、学、做为一体,体现真实情境的公共课教学模式,从而使公共课教学很好地融入"高素养、高技能"人才培养工作中去,为"高素养、高技能"人才培养作出自己的贡献。为践行教学理念,结合公共课教学特点,可以尝试建构政治行为导向教学、体育选项教学、英语情景教学模式、数学建模教学、应用文模拟教学。     

Engineers’ spatial orientation ability development at the European Space for Higher Education

The aim of this research was to determine whether the new geographic information technologies, included as teaching objectives in the new European Space for Higher Education Engineering degrees, develop spatial abilities. Bearing this in mind, a first year seminar using the INSPIRE Geoportal (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) was designed, involving 46 engineering students from the University of La Laguna. The spatial orientation ability development was analysed through statistical inference methods, using the Perspective Taking/Spatial Orientation Test.     

Technical drawing course,video games,gender, and type of school on spatial ability

Abstract

The authors investigated the effects of a technical drawing course, video games, gender, and type of school on the spatial ability (spatial visualization and orientation) of secondary school students in Barbados. A total of 420 students (269 boys; 151 girls) from nine government schools within Category 3 and Category 4 were sampled. A four-way between-subjects analysis of covariance revealed significant main effects for technical drawing on spatial visualization and orientation and video games on spatial orientation. Significant two- and three-way interactions occurred, but four-way interactions failed to reach significance. Implications are discussed for secondary school teachers and educational stakeholders on improving practice and context through the innovative delivery of spatial content, with consideration of biological and social factors that affect spatial abilities.     

现代人才理念与人才经营论析

持续发展,需要更新人才理念。确立现代人才理念和人才经营思想,攸关一个国家和城市建设的大计。人才资本是知识经济时代经济增长的核心要素,积极导入现代人才经营理念,以全球眼光审视人才,以创新精神培育人才,以高尚才德对待人才,以科学态度选用人才,以激励方式凝聚人才,大力推进人才创新,是造就宏大的高素质人才队伍、加快城市发展的必由之路、明智之举。