Children spend many hours of their free time "playing" computerized video games. This learner involvement may have significant educational implications. One area of impact is on the acquisition of spatial visualization skills. The general nature of spatial visualization and its educational and social relevance is presented. Skills development by student/video game interaction is also explored.
One in four households today have some form of computer-based video game orcomputer. This fact is relevant only because of the sheer numbers and the potential impact of these information processors for an information handling industry: EDUCATION.A staggering number of hours is spent by school age students with these devices. In one survey, 120 sixth-grade students were asked if they had a micro-computer/video game and over 50 per cent said "yes." Nearly 85 per cent indicated they played every day. These computer/video games are rapidly invading our homes, supermarkets, game centers, and convenience stores. The unanswered question is: "What is the impact on the children of spending hours before a cathode ray tube playing these 'games? '"
SPATIAL VISUALIZATIONOne impact on a child seems to involve spatial visualization. This skill has been defined as the ability to imagine movements, transformations, and other changes in visual objectives [1 ]. Spatial visualization can be thought of as the
This study showed that pairing students for computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is efficient and cost-effective. The interactive effects of individual cognitive style on paired/cooperative CAI were also examined. Three different student pairings were analyzed—field independent with field independent, field dependent with field independent, and field dependent with field dependent. A three-group, posttest-only design was utilized. No significant difference existed between the mean posttest scores of participants who worked individually and those who worked in pairs. The manner in which individuals were paired by individual cognitive style also made a significant difference. Groups made up of either two field independent students or a mixed group of one field dependent student and one field independent student significantly outperformed groups made up of two field dependents.
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