Technology-Based Content through Virtual and Physical Modeling: A National Research Study

‘‘Lend a Hand’’ Project Helps Students: Improved Spatial Visualization Skills Through Engaging in Hands-On 3-D Printed Prosthetics Project During a 9th Grade Engineering Course

“…All gains in Revised PSVT:R scores were greater than this level, indicating that the observed gains were from more than increased familiarity with the instrument; rather, the students' spatial visualization skills did improve over the course of this nine-week project. This overall increase is in line with other similar research studies that integrated spatially-rich curricula with secondary populations (Brudigam & Crawford, 2012;Ernst & Clark, 2009;Hungwe, et al, 2014;Onyancha et al, 2009;Sorby et al, 2003), which indicates that the novel integration of the collaborative hands-on 3-D printed prosthetic project can positively impact students' spatial visualization skills.…”

“…Though most studies using the PSVT:R and Revised PSVT:R to explore the development of spatial visualization and mental rotations focus on post-secondary undergraduate engineering education contexts, many researchers see the importance of working with K-12 populations in order to impact these skills prior to post-secondary enrollment. Using PSVT:R as a pre-and post-test, numerous studies have found an effect size in favor of males: Stumpf and Eliot's (1995) study with 152 middle and high school students found an effect size of .56; Yue's (2002) study with 12 high school students found an effect size of .48; and Ernst and Clark's (2009) study with 572 middle school and high school participants found an effect size of .35. When conducting targeted intervention using Sorby, Wysocki, and Baartmans' (2003) spatial visualization training curriculum with 263 middle school students (141 in control group, 122 in treatment groups) and 193 high school students (75 in control group and 118 in treatment groups), Hungwe, Sorby, Molzon, Charlesworth, and Wang (2014) found that both males and females in treatment groups improved spatial visualization scores on the PSVT:R. Most notable, the effect size in the treatment groups still favored males (.28 with middle school students and .32 with high school students); however, it showed significant reduction in the gender gap.…”

ICT use in education: different uptake and practice in Hebrew‐speaking and Arabic‐speaking schools in Israel

“…2009). Also, the power of the Internet in modeling and visualizing scientific phenomena (Ernst & Clark 2009) is limited among Arab‐speaking schools because of lower connectivity to the Internet in spite of the lack of differences between the means by which traditional science is taught in the two sub‐sectors, e.g. science labs (Nachmias et al.…”

“…This may be the result of science being associated with collaborative learning, complying with an emerging pedagogical paradigm that is found more within the Hebrew-speaking sector compared with the Arabspeaking sector (Nachmias et al 2009). Also, the power of the Internet in modeling and visualizing scientific phenomena (Ernst & Clark 2009) is limited among Arab-speaking schools because of lower connectivity to the Internet in spite of the lack of differences between the means by which traditional science is taught in the two sub-sectors, e.g. science labs (Nachmias et al 2009).…”

Analysis of Content and Digital Media Infusion Quality in Integrative STEM Education

“…Dynamic media application and instructional infusion in elementary and secondary settings has broad utility for a range of learners, furthering educational intensity while propelling learners within science, technolog, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education disciplines (Ernst & Clark, 2009). Documented benefits of digital media incorporation range from content comprehension and retention (Lippincott, 2002) to emergent literacies (Hisrich & Blanchard, 2009) to impact on overall school culture (Rose & Meyer, 1994).…”