Geography Education Research Cluster—Texas A&M University Spatial Thinking Assessment An Invitation to Participate SEAGA 2012 Robert Bednarz Texas A&M

Geography Education Research Cluster—Texas A&M University

Spatial Thinking Assessment An Invitation to Participate

SEAGA 2012

Robert BednarzTexas A&M University

College Station, Texas, USA

Jongwon LeeEwha Womans University

Seoul, South Korea


Outline

• What is spatial thinking?• Importance of Spatial Thinking• Spatial Thinking vs Spatial Ability• Assessing Spatial Thinking (STAT)• Use STAT and Contribute to the Data

Base


Spatial Thinking Defined

National Research Council’s Learning to Think Spatially offers a new conceptualization


Spatial Thinking

• Knowledge, skills, and habits of mind

To useConcepts of spaceTools of representationProcesses of reasoning

To structure problems, find answers, and express solutions to these problems.


Outline


Base


Importance of Spatial Thinking

• Geography–One of two perspectives mentioned by

both the National Geography Standards: Geography for life–One of two enduring themes of academic

geography identified by Turner in “Contested identities: human-environment geography and disciplinary implications in a restructuring academy



• Geo-spatial technology (GST)– Importance of “representations” noted in

Learning to Think Spatially– Recognition of the role GIS can play as a

support system for spatial thinking–Necessity for spatial thinking to exploit the

advantages of GST–Growing opportunities in the workforce



• Science and other disciplines– Crick and Watson’s model of the structure

of DNA as a double-helix– Inferring subsurface structures from

surficial features and interpreting seismic diagrams by geoscientists–Using graphical analysis to handle the ever-

growing volume of data


Outline


Base


Spatial Thinking vs Spatial Ability

• Ability–Visualization• Rotation

– Perspective• Table-top scale• Timed tests


Spatial Ability

• Little correlation between visualization and rotation and geography-relevant tasks– Navigation, performance in geography, GIS or

cartography

• Researchers began to argue for a broadening of spatial abilities


Ability Augmented

• Spatial relations proposed– Patterns, correlation, way finding,

overlaying, distributions, sketch mapping

• Definition remains controversial


Spatial Thinking• An amalgam– Concepts (knowledge)– Tools (spatial representations)– Reasoning (ways of thinking)

• More inclusive (identifying spatial patterns, distributions, and correlation; way finding; and sketch mapping)

• Scale


Outline


Base


Spatial Thinking Assessment

• Measuring skills beyond visualization and perspective

• Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT)


STAT

• Two equivalent forms• Sixteen multiple-choice questions• Both hard-copy and digital versions


Impact of Teacher Training

• Impact of Teachers’ Guide to Modern Geography

• Introduction of spatial thinking skills into classrooms

• Teachers showed significant improvement


Impact of GIS Learning


Components of Spatial Thinking


Components of Spatial Thinking• Students at all levels found the same

questions easy or challenging


Components of Spatial Thinking

• Factor Analysis– Six factors were identified• Little support for the hypothesized components• Three of four questions grouping on the first factor are

related to map visualization and overlay• Four on the second concern point, line, and area

symbols• Discerning patterns and performing boolean operations

characterize the third• The final two are determined by single questions


Outline


Base


Contribute to the Data Base• Free access– Paper or digital

• Internationally administered– Great Britain, South Africa, South Korea,

Turkey, Germany• Share your results– Gender– Culture– Education








Documents

Geography Education Research Cluster—Texas A&M University Spatial Thinking Assessment An Invitation to Participate SEAGA 2012 Robert Bednarz Texas A&M