scholarly journals Mapping our school site

2011 ◽  
pp. 19-33
Author(s):  
Rita A. Hagevik
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
School Site ◽  
School Students ◽  
Group Presentations ◽  
Experience Survey ◽  
Purdue Spatial Visualization Test

Mapping Our School Site (MOSS) is a program in which students practice spatial cognition skills by field mapping and analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Middle school students' spatial ability was evaluated using a Spatial Experience Survey (SES) and the revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R). Other sources of data included interviews, group presentations, individual written conclusions, and mapping analyses. Students' problem solving identification and ability dramatically improved as they collected, evaluated, reported, and synthesized environmental data. The MOSS program combined an out of door experience with an indoor experience on the computer. This was found to be an effective approach to this type of field study.

Measurement of Spatial Ability: Construction and Validation of the Spatial Reasoning Instrument for Middle School Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 709-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Ramful ◽  
Thomas Lowrie ◽  
Tracy Logan
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Spatial Reasoning ◽  
Item Difficulty ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
School Students

This article describes the development and validation of a newly designed instrument for measuring the spatial ability of middle school students (11-13 years old). The design of the Spatial Reasoning Instrument (SRI) is based on three constructs (mental rotation, spatial orientation, and spatial visualization) and is aligned to the type of spatial maneuvers and task representations that middle-school students may encounter in mathematics and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-related subjects. The instrument was administered to 430 students. Initially, a set of 15 items were devised for each of the three spatial constructs and the 45 items were eventually reduced to 30 items on the basis of factor analysis. The three underpinning factors accounted for 43% of variance. An internal reliability value of .845 was obtained. Subsequent Rasch analysis revealed appropriate item difficulty fit across each of the constructs. The three constructs of the SRI correlated significantly with existing well-established psychological instruments: for mental rotation (.71), spatial orientation (.41), and spatial visualization (.66). The psychometric characteristics of SRI substantiate the use of this measurement tool for research and pedagogical purposes.

Spatial Ability Mediates the Gender Difference in Middle School Students' Science Performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1419-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen M. Ganley ◽  
Marina Vasilyeva ◽  
Alana Dulaney
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Gender Difference ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Performance

Game Design as a Complex Problem Solving Process

2017 ◽  
pp. 217-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mete Akcaoglu ◽  
Antonio P. Gutierrez ◽  
Charles B. Hodges ◽  
Philipp Sonnleitner
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Complex Problem Solving ◽  
School Students ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
System Knowledge

Problem solving is one of the most essential skills for individuals to be successful at their daily lives and careers. When problems become complex, solving them involves identifying relationships among a multitude of interrelated variables, to achieve multiple different possible solutions. Teaching Complex Problem Solving (CPS) skills in formal education contexts is challenging. In this research, we examined if through an innovative game-design course middle school students improved in their CPS skills. Our results showed that students showed significant improvements in their CPS skills, especially in terms of system exploration, t(10) = 2.787, p = .019; system knowledge, t(10) = 2.437, p = .35; system application, t(10) = 2.472, p = .033. In addition, there was a statistically significant change in students' interest for CPS after attending the GDL program, t(6) = 3.890, p = .008. We discuss implications regarding use of game-design tasks as contexts to teach CPS skills in formal and informal educational contexts.

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