The perception and manipulation of spatial information are essential for mathematical learning, and research highlights gender differences in spatial abilities. The present study contributes to the question of whether these differences are evident at earlier ages and how they interact with task complexity in mental rotation. We developed the…

Whilst spatial reasoning skills have been found to predict mathematical achievement, little is known about how primary (elementary) students' conceptual understanding of three-dimensional objects develops. In this article, we report a qualitative study and the impact of rich learning experiences on 48 Years 3-6 students' geometric reasoning…

This study aims to develop a new spatial visualization test (SVT) for second grade primary school students. The study employed the survey design, and the test was developed in accordance with the test development steps. According to the findings obtained as a result of the pilot study, the items were generally high difficulty levels, and they were…

Evidence for associations between spatial skills and mathematics has led to the argument that spatial visualization plays a role in mathematical calculation. However, there is no single accepted definition of what spatial visualization encompasses. Here, we investigated spatial visualization in the context of a mental imagery framework. We applied…

Mental rotation is positively related to arithmetic ability; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unclear. The possible roles of working memory, place-value concept, and number line estimation in the correlation between mental rotation and whole-number computation were investigated. One hundred and fifty-five first-grade…

Mental rotation has emerged as an important predictor of success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). By the age of 4.5 years, boys outperform girls in these abilities. Because parents use less spatial language with girls at this age (Pruden and Levine, 2017), the amount of spatial language that children are exposed to at home is…

Recently, there has been increasing evidence showing that males estimate whole numbers more accurately than females on the number line. However, relatively little is known about what factors contribute to this gender gap. The current study explored potential mediators of the gender difference in number line estimation, including spatial skills and…

Young children are capable of engaging with ratio, measurement and operator meanings of fractions earlier than many national curriculum standards indicate, yet current trends in children's understanding of fractions in Australia, remain weak. Research suggests that spatial reasoning can positively influence mathematical knowledge; however, the…

In this article Kay Owens explains how a real-world context can be used to encourage student noticing and deeper analysis of geometric structures when students are asked to draw what they saw. Kay presents examples of students' drawings made during a school trip to the zoo which followed a series of inquiry learning experiences in geometry.

We report the results of three tasks of two-dimensional pictures, letters and symbols mental rotation (MR) among 9-11 years aged Arabic readers with dyslexia, in order to examine a potential stimulus type effect on MR ability in terms of accuracy and speed. Results showed that readers with dyslexia (n = 32) performed significantly lower and were…

Spatial visualization and mental rotations skills are considered a strong predictor of success in STEM fields (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). This study analyzed the malleability and amount of change in fourth through sixth grade students using the Revised PSVT:R. Participants engaged in a STEM camp driven by maker pedagogy and focused on the…

The relationships between visuo-spatial abilities and geometry performances in school-aged children were examined. A battery of tests assessing non-verbal reasoning, visuo-spatial mental imagery, and academic achievement in geometry (i.e., geometric knowledge and geometric problem-solving competencies) was presented to 162 8-9.5-year-old pupils…

Scientific modeling (SM) is a core practice of science and an important component of scientific literacy. Supporting students in developing the competence to construct, use, evaluate, and revise models is hence of particular relevance. While research has shown that spatial visualization (SV), a core component of spatial ability, is correlated with…

The use of planar and volumetric geometric figures in the form of didactic games and exercises, the participants in the experiment showed a significant improvement in the results of the level of spatial representation compared with the control group. The methodology of the use of didactic games and exercises with geometric figures showed the…

In this article, Rebecca Seah and Andrew Beencke explore the importance of developing critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills. They explore a series of activities designed to develop the visualisation and critical thinking skills with Year 4 students.