Virtual reality (VR) applications are developing rapidly, becoming more and more affordable, and offer various advantages for learning contexts. Dynamic visualizations are generally suitable for depicting continuous processes (e.g., different movement patterns), and particularly dynamic virtual 3D-objects can provide different perspectives on the…

This study examined how embodied learning experiences support students to grasp abstract CT concepts in early primary education. Forty-seven students were recruited from first- and second-grade classrooms. They had five embodied activities that simulated robot programming tasks requiring students to (1) figure out a route from a starting point to…

Previous studies have identified patterns of coordinated control when adults combine gait and grasping. What remains unclear is whether the coordination of these two tasks differs between adolescent and adult groups. Groups of adults and adolescents were asked to walk across an instrumented gait mat in three conditions: walk forward, walk and…

A robust finding in cognitive psychology is that training children's spatial abilities is an effective route to improving mathematics performance. Despite this finding, there is limited representation of spatial reasoning in school curricula. To bridge this gap between research and practice, we created the Spatial Reasoning Toolkit (SRT; Gifford…

This study explores the relationship between collaborative dynamics, expressed through observed leadership behaviour, and skills. It is based on the mechanical design activity of six dyads of students (post-secondary vocational training), composed of 11 boys and one girl, who are improving an existing mechanical system. Actions are studied using…

Learning cardiac morphology largely involves spatial abilities and studies indicate benefits from innovative 3D visualization technologies that speed up and increase the learning output. Studies comparing these teaching tools and their educational output are rare and few studies include complex congenital heart defects. This study compared the…

Background: Despite the numerous positive effects of augmented reality (AR) on learning, previous research has shown ambiguous results regarding the cognitive demand on the learner arising from, for example, the overlay of virtual elements or novel interaction techniques. At the same time, the number of evidence-based guidelines on designing AR is…

Geometry learning has a long history with the connection to human cognitive development. The ability to mentally or physically orient 2D shapes or 3D objects in space is believed to support achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Thus, geometry by its description is characterised by space; hence its…

Spatial ability has long been regarded as important in STEM, and mental rotation, a subcategory of spatial ability, is widely accepted as the cognitive ability with the largest gender difference in favor of men. Multiple meta-analyses of various tests of spatial ability have found large gender differences in outcomes of the mental rotation test…

Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and printing technology has allowed for the production of anatomical replicas at virtually any size. But what size optimizes the educational potential of 3D printing models? This study systematically investigates the effect of model size on nominal anatomy learning. The study population of 380 undergraduate…

This research investigates how the kinesthetic body forms knowledge of an environment and how that knowledge transforms with the involvement of participants. A Practice as Research (PAR) methodology employs the body as primary agent in cognition. Choreographic and improvisational movement devices assist the task of tracing cognition in…

Development dyslexia (DD) is a common language disorder, that significantly affects children. Despite having ordinary intelligence, dyslexic people struggle with reading, writing, and comprehension in their native tongue. It is still unclear whether dyslexic kids have difficulties with visuo-spatial working memory. Using meta-analysis, this gap…

How do the limits of high-level visual processing affect human performance in naturalistic, dynamic settings of (multimodal) interaction where observers can draw on experience to strategically adapt attention to familiar forms of complexity? In this backdrop, we investigate change detection in a driving context to study attentional allocation…

Immersive Virtual Environments can provide users with a sense of spatial presence and experience. But learners with Color Vision Deficiency cannot receive information entirely in the environments because they are difficult to distinguish some or all colors. This study selects learners with red-green color blindness as the sample, and designs three…

We examine the long-standing claim that understanding relational correspondence is a general component of representational understanding. Two experiments with 175 preschool children located in Norwich, United Kingdom, examined the use of a scale model comparing performances on a "copy" task, measuring abstract spatial arrangement…