Evaluating Spatial Representations and Skills in a Simulator-Based Tutoring System

Almost all human outdoor activities is closely related to geographical position, thus the development of GIS is more rapidly. From the perspective of spatial information visualization, GIS is a digital description of objective geographical world. As abstract models of geographical environment, analog maps and 2D electronic maps have respective limitations in vivid representing spatial information. Simultaneously, the vast majority of HCI is limited to plane display and is difficult to users to integrate into it. Relation between outdoor AR (augmented reality) technology and spatial information visualization representation embodies in the common basic cognition and mobility. Emergence of outdoor AR and mobile GIS provides the combination of outdoor AR technology and spatial information visualization representation with powerful theoretical foundation and technical channel, which offers new ideas and new interface to spatial information visualization representation and is committed to enhance and expand user's spatial cognition by overlaying virtual geographic objects on real scene. The paper firstly analyzes its research status, feasibility of the combination, basic characteristics and structure. Secondly, it discusses existing technologic prototypes from application-driven perspective and puts forward a research framework and discusses four key technologies: display device, tracking and positioning, virtual-real combination and HCI. Furthermore, it propose core algorithms including a hybrid registration method based on GPS and 3D electronic compass, registration methods using affine representation and geographical objects modeling etc. Lastly, it expatiate the applications and significance.

Empirical evidence in literature identified significant association between spatial ability and educational performance particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The purpose of this study was to explore pre-service teachers’ spatial skills in solving mathematics problems, in the context of coordinate geometry. It is envisaged that spatial skills allow for the perception of visual information and, therefore, spatial cognition has been considered as a key skill in teaching mathematics. However, literature asserts that teachers are ill prepared to teach mathematics, hence there is limited use and misuse of spatial skills in teaching the subject. This study, therefore, examines the spatial orientation of pre-service teachers in teaching coordinate geometry. This is a mixed methods study in which pre-service teachers answered a coordinate geometry test to explore their content knowledge and their ability to interpret, analyse and apply visual spatial models to solve mathematical problems in coordinate geometry. The study established that the spatial orientation skills of pre-service teachers determine their performance in mathematics, especially coordinate geometry.

Contributions of executive function and spatial skills to preschool mathematics achievement

When exploring new environments, people regularly alternate among many sources of spatial information including direct visual input, navigation aids such as maps and mobile devices, and verbal route descriptions. These spatial representations typically depict the environment from one of two perspectives: first-person, embedded route perspective or top-down, bird's eye survey perspective. Visual spatial cognition research has explored the nature of learning within each of these perspectives independently, but little work has been done to explore how on-line visual processing of combined perspectives affects cognition, meaning there is little understanding of the cognitive costs of using different navigation tools to learn large-scale environments. This dissertation addresses such questions through two experiments that guide participants through simple paths in large-scale environments, each consisting of a simple path through a small virtual town presented on a desktop computer display. By timing participants' movement through each environment and how they respond to either externally-controlled or participant-controlled perspective switches, the experiments measure the cognitive load of visually processing dynamic perspectives during navigation. These on-line processing measures are complemented by tests of visual recognition and recall memory, which reveal how switching perspectives affects the accuracy of the resulting spatial mental model. The results indicate that the cognitive load associated with changing perspectives is primarily dependent on the quantity of visual information the change introduces -- the transformation itself is not particularly disorienting after the first exposure to the environment. Furthermore, although forced perspective switches do not appear to significantly affect spatial memory accuracy relative to viewing the environment from a consistent perspective, navigator-controlled switching results in significantly more accurate spatial memory, indicating that navigation aids which allow for perspective control might better support spatial learning than fixed-perspective interfaces. The findings also support previous research showing that route perspective navigation generally yields more accurate spatial memory than survey perspective learning, particularly after extensive experience in the environment. Overall, the findings demonstrate many new aspects of how perspective affects spatial cognition, with implications for spatial learning and the design of navigation aids.

Spatial skills are key predictors of achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, despite being acquired through everyday life and not formally taught in schools. Spatial skills include a diverse group of abilities broadly related to reasoning about properties of space such as distance and direction. Recently, more research has investigated the link between spatial skills and spatial anxiety, defined as a fear or apprehension felt when engaged in spatial thinking. There has yet to be a meta-analytic review summarizing these findings. Thus, the goal of this preregistered meta-analytic review is to provide an estimate of the size of the relation between spatial anxiety and spatial skills while considering several moderators (grade/age group, sex, spatial skills measure/subtype, spatial anxiety measure/subtype, geographical region of sample, publication type/year, and risk of bias). Analyzing 283 effect sizes accumulated from research conducted between 1994 and 2020, we found a small, negative, and statistically significant (r = -.14) correlation between spatial anxiety and spatial skills. Results showed that effect sizes including mental manipulation anxiety, scalar comparison anxiety, and navigation skill were often significantly stronger than effect sizes including measures of other subtypes. The magnitude of the relation was not significantly different in children and adults, though effect sizes tended to be weaker for younger samples (r = -.08). Our results are consistent with previous findings of a significant relation between spatial anxiety and skills, and this work bridges a gap in the existing research, lending support to future research efforts investigating spatial cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Having high levels of spatial skills strongly predicts attainment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (Shea, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2001; Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009). The focus of this chapter is on two issues: (a) the effect of training and practice on spatial skills and (b) the cognitive mechanisms that support training-related improvement. We discuss a recently conducted meta-analysis that measures the beneficial effects of practice on spatial ability. On average, training led to an improvement of almost one-half standard deviation. Moreover, in some cases the training-related improvements were durable and transferred to other spatial tasks. Research on the effects of training on one well-known spatial task, mental rotation, has led to specific accounts of the influence of practice and training. Finally, we review the effects of video games on spatial skills and their potential impact on spatial cognition. The ability to improve people’s spatial ability provides an avenue to increase participation in mathematics, science, and engineering.

BackgroundCardiovascular surgery demands deep knowledge of the heart’s intricate three-dimensional (3D) anatomy, but current teaching methods do not adequately develop students’ spatial skills. Advances in precise imaging and 3D printing offer transformative potential for clinical education. In this study, taking the teaching of cardiovascular surgery as an example, we aimed to integrate precision imaging and 3D printing technologies with case-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and team-based learning (TBL). Our objective was to explore digital teaching approaches in clinical surgery and address the limitations of current learning models in spatial visualization training.MethodsThis study employed a parallel design randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology. A total of 80 clinical medicine students from the 2020 cohort, currently undertaking their practicum in the Department of Cardiac Great Vascular Surgery at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, were randomly assigned into two groups: a digital teaching group and a case-, problem-, and team-based learning (C-P-TBL) teaching group, each comprising 40 students. The digital teaching group utilized an innovative digital teaching approach, enhanced by precision imaging and 3D printing technology. In contrast, the C-P-TBL teaching group employed an integrated teaching model combining CBL, PBL, and TBL. The two groups were compared via theoretical and skills assessment, along with the analysis of teaching quality questionnaires and teaching satisfaction metrics, so as to evaluate the incremental benefits conferred by digital tools within the existing teaching framework.ResultsThe digital teaching group demonstrated superior performance compared to the C-P-TBL teaching group, as evidenced by higher scores in theoretical knowledge (86.28±10.756 vs. 80.25±9.440), clinical skills (87.90±7.530 vs. 83.05±7.473), and overall assessment (86.93±8.131 vs. 81.37±7.716). Based on the results of the teaching quality questionnaires, the digital teaching group demonstrated a statistically significant superiority over the C-P-TBL teaching group in several areas: self-learning ability, comprehension and application of theoretical knowledge, problem discovery and analysis skills, spatial imagination capability, and overall self-comprehensive ability.ConclusionsThe integration of digital technologies, exemplified by precision imaging and 3D printing, with CBL, PBL, and TBL methodologies, has been shown to significantly enhance the spatial visualization skills of medical students. This approach not only improves their theoretical understanding and technical proficiency, but also leads to higher self-assessment of abilities and increased satisfaction with the teaching process. Consequently, this pedagogical strategy merits consideration for widespread implementation in the clinical education of cardiovascular surgery.

Given the developmental inter-relationship between motor ability and spatial skills, we investigated the impact of physical disability (PD) on spatial cognition. Fifty-three children with special educational needs including PD were divided into those who were wheelchair users (n = 34) and those with independent locomotion ability (n = 19). This division additionally enabled us to determine the impact of limited independent physical exploration (i.e., required wheelchair use) on spatial competence. We compared the spatial performance of children in these two PD groups to that of typically developing (TD) children who spanned the range of non-verbal ability of the PD groups. Participants completed three spatial tasks; a mental rotation task, a spatial programming task and a desktop virtual reality (VR) navigation task. Levels of impairment of the PD groups were broadly commensurate with their overall level of non-verbal ability. The exception to this was the performance of the PD wheelchair group on the mental rotation task, which was below that expected for their level of non-verbal ability. Group differences in approach to the spatial programming task were evident in that both PD groups showed a different error pattern from the TD group. These findings suggested that for children with both learning difficulties and PD, the unique developmental impact on spatial ability of having physical disabilities, over and above the impact of any learning difficulties, is minimal.

Locative media utilize actual physical location as an important interaction parameter. Consequently, factors such as the users' spatial abilities and spatial knowledge, usually related to their cognitive maps come into play and may be manifested in the form of map-like representations. This paper extends previous work on the implications of locative media use for spatial perception and cognition by presenting results from a field research that utilized a location-based multi-user communication system in the city of Athens, Greece in order to study the perception of the urban environment and the formulation of spatial cognitive structures as a result of the system's use. The users' spatial representations were assessed by a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods which primarily consisted of questionnaires, focus groups, and sketch mapping, i.e. map-like sketches of the activity area, made by the users themselves after taking part in the activity.

The independent campus curriculum is an effort to increase competition in the 21st century, which requires competent human resources in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). STEM learning responds to the need to increase students' interest and skills in these areas. This study aims to determine the effect of using the STEM approach on spatial thinking skills in cartography learning. This research uses a quasi-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest Design, conducted in a single experimental class without a control class. Subjects were selected by random sampling through drawing lots, focusing on 5th-semester B students. Data were analysed using a t-test with paired samples T-Test. The results showed a sig value. (2-tailed) of 0.000, which is smaller than the significance value of 0.05. Therefore, H0 is rejected, and Hₐ is accepted. To conclude, there is an increase in the average pretest and posttest after learning using the STEM approach, indicating that the STEM approach positively affects spatial thinking skills. Each stage of the STEM approach affects the students' spatial abilities. The science stages develop spatial abilities in the form of spatial interaction. The technology stages enhance the ability to apply applications and scale on maps. The engineering stage fosters analytical, representative and comprehensive skills. The math stage improves the ability to calculate scale and its application in everyday life.Keywords: spatial skills, STEM, cartography

Supporting mathematics learning: a review of spatial abilities from research to practice

Spatial cognition facilitates the successful completion of specific cognitive tasks through lateral processing and neuroplasticity. Long-term training in table tennis induces neural processing efficiency in the visuospatial cognitive processing cortex of athletes. However, the lateralization characteristics and neural mechanisms of visual–spatial cognitive processing in table tennis players in non-sport domains are unclear. This study utilized event-related potentials to investigate differences in the spatial cognition abilities of regular college students (controls) and table tennis players. A total of 48 participants (28 controls; 20 s-level national table tennis players) completed spatial cognitive tasks while electroencephalography data were recorded. Task performance was better in the table tennis group than in the control group (reaction time: P < 0.001; correct number/sec: P = 0.043), P3 amplitude was greater in the table tennis group (P = 0.040), spatial cognition showed obvious lateralization characteristics (P < 0.001), table tennis players showed a more obvious right-hemisphere advantage, and the P3 amplitude in the right hemisphere was significantly greater in table tennis athletes than in the control group. (P = 0.044). Our findings demonstrate a right-hemisphere advantage in spatial cognition. Long-term training strengthened the visual–spatial processing ability of table tennis players, and this advantage effect was reflected in the neuroplasticity of the right hemisphere (the dominant hemisphere for spatial processing).

Spatial and mathematics skills: Similarities and differences related to age, SES, and gender

ABSTRACTSpatial cognitive performance is impaired in later adulthood but it is unclear whether the metacognitive processes involved in monitoring spatial cognitive performance are also compromised. Inaccurate monitoring could affect whether people choose to engage in tasks that require spatial thinking and also the strategies they use in spatial domains such as navigation. The current experiment examined potential age differences in monitoring spatial cognitive performance in a variety of spatial domains including visual–spatial working memory, spatial orientation, spatial visualization, navigation, and place learning. Younger and older adults completed a 2D mental rotation test, 3D mental rotation test, paper folding test, spatial memory span test, two virtual navigation tasks, and a cognitive mapping test. Participants also made metacognitive judgments of performance (confidence judgments, judgments of learning, or navigation time estimates) on each trial for all spatial tasks. Preference for allocentric or egocentric navigation strategies was also measured. Overall, performance was poorer and confidence in performance was lower for older adults than younger adults. In most spatial domains, the absolute and relative accuracy of metacognitive judgments was equivalent for both age groups. However, age differences in monitoring accuracy (specifically relative accuracy) emerged in spatial tasks involving navigation. Confidence in navigating for a target location also mediated age differences in allocentric navigation strategy use. These findings suggest that with the possible exception of navigation monitoring, spatial cognition may be spared from age-related decline even though spatial cognition itself is impaired in older age.

The correlation between the three-dimensional spatial representation (3DSR) abilities, specifically involving spatial orientation, spatial visualisation and spatial relationship, and the performance in exercises related to preclinical practical exams in fixed prosthodontics and removable partial denture is not studied. Assess the correlation between the 3DSR abilities and the performance in exercises related to preclinical practical exams in fixed prosthodontics and removable partial denture carried out by second and third year dental students. The 3DSR abilities (spatial orientation, spatial visualisation and spatial relationship) and the scores of preclinical practical exams in prosthetics were tested on 187 students. All tests were carried out during 2 weeks. The association was tested by Spearman's correlation or Wilcoxon's signed ranks test and adjusted using Holm's method. The comparison of the 3DSR scores between second and third year students was performed by Student's test (α = 0.05). For second year students, there is no correlation between the 3DSR score and the removable partial denture score, whereas a correlation (p = 0.048) was found with the fixed prosthodontic score. For third year students, there is a positive correlation (Rho = 0.23) with the removable partial denture score (p = 0.024), but no correlation was found with the fixed prosthodontic score. There was no significant difference between the second year and the third year students (p = 0.360). The 3DSR tests permitted to improve the performance of dental students during preclinical practical exams in fixed prosthodontics or removable partial denture.