Scale is one of the thematic threads that runs through nearly all of the sciences and is considered one of the major prevailing ideas of science. This study explored novice and experienced teachers' concepts of spatial scale with a focus on linear sizes from very small (nanoscale) to very large (cosmic scale). Novice teachers included…

Developing a software environment to enhance 3D geometric proficiency demands the consideration of theoretical views of the learning process. Simultaneously, this effort requires taking into account the range of tools that technology offers, as well as their limitations. In this paper, we report on the design of Virtual Spaces 1.0 software, a…

In the summer of 2009, a professional development partnership was established between the Peoria Public School District (PPSD), a local education agency (LEA), and Illinois State University (ISU) to improve geometric and trigonometric knowledge and skill for high school mathematics teachers as part of the Illinois Mathematics and Science…

The present study is designed to cross-validate the findings of an earlier component analysis of orthographic-projection, spatial-ability items. The earlier research identified four design components that contribute to the difficulty of orthographic-projection items. The research found that increasing Rasch item difficulties on component…

A spatial view of technology involves the relationships in space between technologies, placing significance on the actual dispersion of technology and relations of dependence and support between any particular technology and various social, chemical and biological dimensions. This paper seeks to elaborate a view of technology that is primarily…

Junior high school aged academically precocious youths participated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, Ss were required to closely process a spatially organized map or a list map prior to hearing a related prose passage. In Experiment 2, a spatially organized map was presented either before or after Ss listened to prose passages. Results…

The quality of representations of nine spatial arrays varying in transparency and occlusion was observed in order to test the generalization that younger children are concerned about the ambiguity of their representations and to observe the influence of a change in the medium used to create the representations. Children 5, 7, and 9 years old…

The study was designed to evaluate a hypothesis derived from recent trends in cognitive theory. The hypothesis concerned whether spatial environment information stored in memory is primarily analog or propositional. A related question concerned whether differences between analog and propositional processes underlie individual differences in the…

The hypotheses that deaf students would be more field dependent than hearing students and that their competence in communication skills would be related to field dependence were supported for a group of 77 male and 67 female deaf students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Stepwise multiple regression analyses of the data showed…

The study was designed to determine if there exists a significant difference in the right-left labeling ability of 15 learning disabled students as compared to 15 regular classroom students at the fourth grade level. Ss were tested for lateral awareness and directionality. Results supported the hypothesis that there exists a significant difference…

Data from a battery of spatial tests taken by children six to 18 years old indicate that a male advantage in spatial performance appears reliably by age 10, and that the magnitude of the advantage remains constant through age 18. (PCB)

This Study was conducted to determine if women in the sciences were as accurate in spatial abilities as male counterparts. An experiment was also conducted to find if an intervention would improve the visuo-spatial awareness of women as rapidly as men. Data indicated that while women tended to start at a lower level, they were able to learn…

Spatial matching--the ability to distribute search effort in accord with the distribution of hidden resources--was studied in 18- to 54-month-old children. The principal development was the appropriate use of win-shift response. (Author/RWB)

Results suggest that (1) sex differences are found for some types of spatial ability but not others; (2) large sex differences are found only on measures of mental rotation; (3) smaller sex differences are found on measures of spatial perception; and (4) when sex differences are found, they can be detected across the life span. (Author/RH)

Reports that people who are predominantly left-handed apparently are able to withstand moderate brain damage with relatively few of the motor problems observed in right-handed victims of brain damage. Other brain-related differences between left- and right-handed individuals are also noted. (JN)