Decades of research point to the value and importance of spatial skills and have demonstrated the malleability, durability, and teachability of spatial skills across the lifespan. Teachers and caregivers can apply this research in their classrooms or homes through a wide range of strategies. In this article, we offer specific, engaging activities…

Decades of research point to the value and importance of spatial skills and have demonstrated the malleability, durability, and teachability of spatial skills across the lifespan. Teachers and caregivers can apply this research in their classrooms or homes through a wide range of strategies. In this article, we offer specific, engaging activities…

Three-dimensional (3D) design can improve students' spatial ability, but the research on the differences of spatial ability development after 3D design training for students with different initial spatial ability is not unified. The ability-as-enhancer hypothesis and the ability-as-compensator hypothesis explain the performance differences of…

Dental anatomy education for dental technology students should be developed in alignment with digital dental laboratory practices. We hypothesized that a virtually assisted sketching-based dental anatomy teaching module could improve students' acquisition of skills essential for digital restoration design. The second-year dental technology…

This study explores how pre-service mathematics teachers' spatial visualisation skills evolved during a Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) based education. The study used the qualitative theory-testing case study method, which guided the identification of participants, the design of technology-supported education, and the data collection and analysis…

Studies show that spatial interventions lead to improvements in mathematics. However, outcomes vary based on whether physical manipulatives (embodied action) are used during training. This study compares the effects of embodied and non-embodied spatial interventions on spatial and mathematics outcomes. The study has a randomized, controlled,…

In recent years, there has been a surge in research in spatial thinking across the international community. We now know that spatial skills are malleable and that they are linked to success across multiple disciplines, most notably Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While spatial skills have been examined by cognitive…

One critical objective of high-quality education is to provide citizens literate in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to ensure economic success (as reported by Newcombe (Harnessing spatial thinking to support STEM learning (OECD Education Working Papers, No. 161), OECD Publishing, Paris, 2017). Many studies have found a…

Physical manipulatives enhanced knowledge acquisition by engaging learners in hands-on experiences that supported spatial reasoning. These tools allowed learners to see, touch, and manipulate objects, improving their ability to mentally rotate and visualize structures. This study challenged the assumption that most learners are purely visual by…

Computational thinking and spatial thinking ability play a critical role in enabling students to respond effectively to disasters. However, limited research has examined the impact of digital literacy, disaster education, and cognitive skills in secondary school students. This study aims to assess the impact of digital literacy and disaster…

This study examines the impact of a learning design focussed on providing guided autonomy within a virtual makerspace on the spatial thinking, anxiety and learning creativity of participating students. The learning design deployed within the virtual makerspace was consistent with the learning principles espoused by Self-Determination Theory in…

The study's purpose was to examine the contribution of a programmable robot to an intervention program for promoting spatial ability (spatial relations, visual-memory, mental rotation) of preschool children. Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to three intervention groups: programmable-robot-based intervention, traditional…

Existing research on spatial ability recognizes the critical role played by spatial visualization and mental rotation. Recent evidence suggests that external visualization and manipulation can boost spatial thinking. The virtual environment provides an exciting opportunity so that many spatial ability training tasks based on reading printed…

Although earlier studies have documented the importance of spatial orientation skills in early childhood development, teachers often need more experience and guidance in teaching these skills. This research investigates how two kindergarten teachers, guided by two teacher education researchers, utilized Learning Trajectories (LT) in a Professional…

Objective: Measurement tools for children's foundational skills provide important insights towards the developmental mechanisms of these domains. This study examines the structure of sensorimotor, visuospatial processing (VP), executive function (EF) skills and their interrelationship. The NEPSY is a widely-used neuropsychological instrument, but…