This article presents 3 studies that examine how students and experts employ mental rotation and a learned heuristic to solve chemistry tasks that involve spatial information. Results from Study 1 indicate that despite instruction in analytical strategies, students choose to employ mental rotation on canonical assessment tasks. In Study 2, experts…

We developed the three-dimensional visualization software, Tonal Interface to MacroMolecules or TIMMol, for studying atomic coordinates of protein structures. Key features include audio tones indicating x, y, z location, identification of the cursor location in one-dimensional and three-dimensional space, textual output that can be easily linked…

Examined whether variations in performance of (n=396) engineering students on a measure of spatial visualization were related to prior spatial experiences and to the developmental period when the prior experiences occurred. One finding revealed nonacademic activities seemed to have the most positive significant relationship to spatial…

Geometry is the study of shape and space. Without spatial ability, students cannot fully appreciate the natural world. Spatial ability is also very important for work in various fields such as computer graphics, engineering, architecture, and cartography. A number of studies have demonstrated that technology has an important potential to develop…

An experimental study involving 30 undergraduates (mean age = 20.5 years) in mental rotation (MR) training was conducted in an interactive Desktop Mental Rotation Trainer (iDeMRT). Stratified random sampling assigned students into one experimental group and one control group. The former trained in iDeMRT and the latter trained in conventional…

This paper reports the findings from an experimental study involving thirty three secondary school students (mean age = 15.5 years) in spatial visualization (SV) training through an interactive desktop virtual environment spatial trainer (iDVEST). Stratified random sampling was used to assign students into two experimental groups and one control…

The models of standard test theory, having evolved under a trait-oriented psychology, do not reflect the knowledge structures and the problem-solving strategies now seen as central to understanding performance and learning. In some applications, however, key qualitative distinctions among persons as to structures and strategies can be expressed…

Describes an activity for children of any age to develop spatial sense and explore the effects of transforming, combining, subdividing, and changing geometric figures. Students analyze empty cereal boxes opened flat to determine the specific shape, how it opens and closes, to check maps or sketches against the actual geometry of the box, and write…

An experimental group of 20 gifted adolescents received 3 weeks of computer-assisted design (CAD) instruction. Comparison of their scores on Revised Minnesota Paper Form Board test with those of 20 gifted controls showed CAD did not improve spatial visualization ability. Possible causes were differential computer experience, lack of random…

Demonstrates how research-based knowledge of students' incompatible solutions to various representations of the same problem could be used to raise their awareness of inconsistencies in their reasoning. Reports that students' decisions as to whether two given infinite sets have the same number of elements depend on the specific representation of…

Describes three activities of imaging, including constructing an image, representation-presenting the image, and transforming the image. Discusses a link between imaging and number sense, teaching students to image, and assessing imaging. Contains 25 references. (ASK)

Discusses issues related to delivering spatially oriented data to the general public, since communication through computer graphics should be accessible to the masses as well as to specialists. The second half of the paper describes the Purdue University Virtual Visit, a resource being used for visualization and communication at Purdue University…

Values the use of a contextualized poster in which the images are more important than the actual words. Confirms this through an analysis of a questionnaire handed out to a sample of 'English for Specific Purposes' students. Addresses the pedagogical implications that the use of a poster has proved to have with a multidisciplinary group of…

Among the sciences, the practice of geology is especially visual. To assess the role of spatial ability in learning geology, we designed an experiment using: (1) web-based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around QuickTime Virtual Reality movies. Students in control and…

This paper reports an examination on gender differences in lunar phases understanding of 123 students (70 females and 53 males). Middle-level students interacted with the Moon through observations, sketching, journalling, two-dimensional and three-dimensional modelling, and classroom discussions. These lunar lessons were adapted from the Realistic…