| Abstract: | The goal of this study was to identify and examine results of Piagetian spatial research studies. For inclusion in this review, the studies had to (a) entail individual clinical interviews, (b) involve the manipulation of objects and explanation of answers by subjects, (c) offer written protocols and scoring criteria, and (d) provide documentation of male and female results. Involving over 7,600 individualized clinical interviews, the primary problem focused on whether gender differences existed in Piagetian spatial assessments and, if so, discussion of the significance and implications of the differences. Twenty-three studies assessing for 22 topologic, Euclidean, and projective spatial structures were reviewed and total male and female results compiled. A chi-square test for two independent samples showed that the majority of performance assessments did not demonstrate a significant difference between males and females. Males significantly outperformed females on 8 of the 22 spatial structure tasks. However, as with other gender studies, similarities between male and female performances far outweighed any differences. The clinical interview results provide evidence to support the overall poor spatial ability of both males and females. Educational practices designated to improve spatial abilities should not be a female-only endeavor. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
