After reviewing the postwar development of British policy on technical education, this essay cites research implying that technical students' abilities differ from university students' chiefly in verbal skills, and contends that the abilities actually needed for technical occupations may be largely unrecognized and undervalued by teachers and…

This study investigated differential group performance on a spatial rotation test. A 19-item multiple-choice test was administered to a random sample of 107 students in grades 5 to 8 in an elementary school and a gymnasium (secondary school) in Cyprus. No gender differences were found on the overall score or on item-level performance. Items…

This paper investigates one high school student's use of gestures in an interview context in which he worked on the problem of understanding graphical representations of motion. The goal of the investigation was to contribute a detailed analysis of the process of learning as it occurred over a short time period in order to contribute to the…

This study reports on cultural and gender differences in the spatial abilities of children based on the Water Level Task. The Piagetian theory of age-related developmental differences in performance on the Water Level Task was explored with Chinese and Malay children living in Singapore. Results indicate that children in this study did not perform…

This paper explores the role of one cognitive style, spatial visualization, which research suggests correlates highly with student achievement. The study focuses on: whether students with high, average, and low spatial visualization ability differ in their preferred learning modes (concrete experience, abstract conceptualization, reflective…

A report on some pilot research which explores ways of investigating the mathematics used in two professional crafts: upholstery and gardening. The paper considers observations and conversations in the light of J. Lave and E. Wenger's theory of situated cognition. It describes a situation in which cognition had to be transferred because of a…

The performance of 114 New Zealand children of European and Polynesian descent on spatial relations tasks was examined, following their interaction with another child of either the same or different cognitive level. Nonconservers were found to benefit from interaction relative to no interaction more than were partial conservers. (AOS)

Two experiments were conducted to investigate how children remember distance and location of landmarks in a large-scale environment. The effects of cueing and suggesting a step-counting strategy on four- and nine-year-old children's ability to recall events on a jogging course were explored. (Author/PP)

Briefly reviews research studies focusing on sex differences in the human brain. One study suggests that the presence of androgens either during fetal development or at puberty (rather than their continued presence) determines spatial ability. Cautions against accepting this hypothesis of hormonal influence of spatial ability are discussed.…

Twenty preschoolers and 10 student teachers were asked to reconstruct the complete layout of their classroom by using a small-scale model as well as by using life-size furniture in the classroom itself. Children's performances were significantly better in the classroom than they were on the model. (Author/MP)

Forty five-year-olds compared two arms of an L-shaped figure on-axis or perpendicular to axis inside circles of different diameters. In making perceptual judgments about the relative length, the children tended to describe the on-axis line as longer. The context model of visual anomalies was supported. (Author/CM)

The effect of direction of motion on the difficulty of slides, flips, and turns for first, third, and fifth graders was examined. The study considered only students with no training in transformation tasks. The investigation found that the sex main effect was not significant. (Author/MP)

Language arts (oral and written communication), physical education (communication with motor skills), and mathematics (communication with words and symbols), are seen to present the most natural environment for instruction on spatial relations. Activities are suggested which can combine these areas and provide pupils with an enjoyable learning…

Infants 8.5 and 9.5 months of age were tested for ability to determine the location of an object hidden in one of two covered containers before their left-right positions were reversed. Only the older infants provided with different colored covers to their containers were able to do this task. (Author/DB)

A review of work related to the topological primacy thesis and a critique of some aspects of it are presented. On the basis of the psychological research, it is concluded that topological concepts ought to be taught. (MP)