Improving Students' Flexibility of Closure while Presenting Biology Content

Lennon, P. Alan

doi:10.2307/4450869

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…However, one potentially negative consequence of this focus is that it misses the opportunity to train basic skills, such as spatial thinking, that can underlie performance in multiple domains. Recent research is beginning to remedy this deficit, with an increase in work examining the link between spatial thinking and performance in STEM disciplines such as biology (Lennon, 2000), chemistry (Coleman & Gotch, 1998;Wu & Shah, 2004), and physics (Kozhevnikov et al, 2007); as well as the relation of spatial thinking to skills relevant to STEM performance in general (Gilbert, 2005), such as reasoning about scientific diagrams (Stieff, 2007). Our hope is that our findings on how to train spatial skills will inform future work of this type and, ultimately, lead to highly effective ways to improve STEM performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies.

Uttal¹,

Meadow²,

Tipton³

et al. 2013

Psychological Bulletin

1,395

1,203

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Having good spatial skills strongly predicts achievement and attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (e.g., Shea, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2001; Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). Improving spatial skills is therefore of both theoretical and practical importance. To determine whether and to what extent training and experience can improve these skills, we meta-analyzed 217 research studies investigating the magnitude, moderators, durability, and generalizability of training on spatial skills. After eliminating outliers, the average effect size (Hedges's g) for training relative to control was 0.47 (SE = 0.04). Training effects were stable and were not affected by delays between training and posttesting. Training also transferred to other spatial tasks that were not directly trained. We analyzed the effects of several moderators, including the presence and type of control groups, sex, age, and type of training. Additionally, we included a theoretically motivated typology of spatial skills that emphasizes 2 dimensions: intrinsic versus extrinsic and static versus dynamic (Newcombe & Shipley, in press). Finally, we consider the potential educational and policy implications of directly training spatial skills. Considered together, the results suggest that spatially enriched education could pay substantial dividends in increasing participation in mathematics, science, and engineering.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies.

Uttal¹,

Meadow²,

Tipton³

et al. 2013

Psychological Bulletin

1,395

1,203

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interpreting two-dimensional representations of objects in terms of their three-dimensional properties is a necessary skill in chemistry, − as well as other fields such as biology, geology, geography, agriculture, and fashion. − In addition to mathematical reasoning and verbal abilities, spatial skills are one of the major ability domains in the structure and organization of human abilities. , …”

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confidence: 99%

The Effects of Using Touch-Screen Devices on Students’ Molecular Visualization and Representational Competence Skills

et al. 2014

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The impact of touch-screen technology on spatial cognitive skills as related to molecular geometries was assessed through 102 one-on-one interviews with undergraduate students. Participants were provided with either printed 2D ball-and-stick images of molecules or manipulable projections of 3D molecular structures on an iPad. Following a brief introduction to common molecular shapes, participants were assessed on their representational competence. In particular, learners were tested on their ability to match and construct molecular representations. Using the device for less than 15 min, iPad users exhibited increased ability to correctly identify related chemical representations relative to learners taught with a paper-based method. Even in the last stage of the experiment, without access to the iPad, a significant difference between the two populations was sustained, with iPad-based learners demonstrating significantly higher representational competence than learners using the paper-based method. These findings suggest that touch-screen devices such as the iPad serve as effective learning technology for development of visuospatial and representational competence skills.

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Science Education and Visuospatial Processing

Castro-Alonso

Uttal

2019

Visuospatial Processing for Education in Health and Natural Sciences

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Improving Students' Flexibility of Closure while Presenting Biology Content

Cited by 3 publications

References 11 publications

The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies.

The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies.

The Effects of Using Touch-Screen Devices on Students’ Molecular Visualization and Representational Competence Skills

Science Education and Visuospatial Processing

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