The Development of Spatial Skills in Elementary School Students

Carr, Martha; Alexeev, Natalia; Wang, Lu; Barned, Nicole; Horan, Erin; Reed, Adam V.

doi:10.1111/cdev.12753

Cited by 33 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…For example, early spatial visualisation (a task which requires input from a number of spatial subdomains) at age three was found to be a significant predictor of arithmetic at age 10 (Zhang et al, 2014). Furthermore, a composite measure of spatial performance (assessing performance on a range of spatial sub-domains) at age 7 significantly predicted mathematics achievement levels at approximately 10 years (Carr et al, 2017). Similarly, Casey and colleagues (2015) reported, in a study with girls, that spatial skills (a composite measure generated from block design and mental transformation tasks) at age 7 were significant predictors of mathematics reasoning at age 11.…”

Section: Spatial Ability and Success In Mathematics In Child Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of spatial ability to mathematics achievement in middle childhood

Gilligan

Flouri

Farran

2017

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

116

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Strong spatial skills are associated with success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains. Although there is convincing evidence that spatial skills are a reliable predictor of mathematical achievement in preschool children and in university students, there is a lack of research exploring associations between spatial and mathematics achievement during the primary school years. To address this question, this study explored associations between mathematics and spatial skills in children aged 5 and 7years. The study sample included 12,099 children who participated in both Wave 3 (mean age=5; 02 [years; months]) and Wave 4 (mean age=7; 03) of the Millennium Cohort Study. Measures included a standardised assessment of mathematics and the Pattern Construction subscale of the British Ability Scales II to assess intrinsic-dynamic spatial skills. Spatial skills at 5 and 7years of age explained a significant 8.8% of the variation in mathematics achievement at 7years, above that explained by other predictors of mathematics, including gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and language skills. This percentage increased to 22.6% without adjustment for language skills. This study expands previous findings by using a large-scale longitudinal sample of primary school children, a population that has been largely omitted from previous research exploring associations between spatial ability and mathematics achievement. The finding that early and concurrent spatial skills contribute to mathematics achievement at 7years of age highlights the potential of spatial skills as a novel target in the design of mathematics interventions for children in this age range.

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Section: Spatial Ability and Success In Mathematics In Child Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of spatial ability to mathematics achievement in middle childhood

Gilligan

Flouri

Farran

2017

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, there is evidence from children aged 10 and 11 years, that intrinsic‐static spatial skills (measured using disembedding and matrix reasoning tasks respectively) are significantly correlated with mathematics outcomes (0.37 < r < 0.42) (Markey, ; Tosto et al., ). Similarly, both intrinsic‐static skills (age 3 years) and performance on composite spatial measures (requiring the use of a range of spatial sub‐domains) at age 7 years, are significant longitudinal predictors of mathematics at approximately 10 years (0.31 < r < 0.49) (Carr et al., ; Casey et al., ; Zhang et al., ). These findings suggest that associations between spatial thinking and mathematics in the primary school years may not be limited to the intrinsic‐dynamic spatial domain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The developmental relations between spatial cognition and mathematics in primary school children

Gilligan

Hodgkiss

Thomas

et al. 2019

Developmental Science

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Spatial thinking is an important predictor of mathematics. However, existing data do not determine whether all spatial sub‐domains are equally important for mathematics outcomes nor whether mathematics–spatial associations vary through development. This study addresses these questions by exploring the developmental relations between mathematics and spatial skills in children aged 6–10 years (N = 155). We extend previous findings by assessing and comparing performance across Uttal et al.'s (2013), four spatial sub‐domains. Overall spatial skills explained 5%–14% of the variation across three mathematics performance measures (standardized mathematics skills, approximate number sense and number line estimation skills), beyond other known predictors of mathematics including vocabulary and gender. Spatial scaling (extrinsic‐static sub‐domain) was a significant predictor of all mathematics outcomes, across all ages, highlighting its importance for mathematics in middle childhood. Other spatial sub‐domains were differentially associated with mathematics in a task‐ and age‐dependent manner. Mental rotation (intrinsic‐dynamic skills) was a significant predictor of mathematics at 6 and 7 years only which suggests that at approximately 8 years of age there is a transition period regarding the spatial skills that are important for mathematics. Taken together, the results support the investigation of spatial training, particularly targeting spatial scaling, as a means of improving both spatial and mathematical thinking.

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“…Also, a recent longitudinal study investigated the developmental trajectories of the predictive relationship between spatial ability and early numerical skills in elementary school children as they progressed from the second to fourth grade (Carr et al, 2018). The authors showed that spatial skills development presents two developmental profiles predicted by socioeconomic status, verbal working memory, and gender; in turn the developmental profiles predicted differences in mathematics achievement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover several domain-general factors, such as attentional, perceptive, memory, motor and linguistic processes (and their sub-processes), have also been found to contribute to both learning skills precursors and subsequent scholastic competences (for example, D’Amico and Guarnera, 2005; McCutchen, 2005; Ecalle et al, 2008; Commodari and Di Blasi, 2014; Guarnera and D’Amico, 2014; Carr et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Images and School Learning: A Longitudinal Study on Children

et al. 2019

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Recent literature have underlined the connections between children’s reading skills and capacity to create and use mental representations or mental images; furthermore data highlighted the involvement of visuospatial abilities both during math learning and during subsequent developmental phases in performing math tasks. The present research adopted a longitudinal design to assess whether the processes of mental imagery in preschoolers (ages 4–5 years) are predictive of mathematics skills, writing and reading, in the early years of primary school (ages 6–7 years). The research lasted for two school years; in the first phase, the general group of participants consisted of 100 children, and although all participants agreed to be part of the research, in the second phase, there was a mortality rate of 30%. In order to measure school learning and mental imagery processes four batteries of tests were used. The mental imagery battery evaluated mental generation, inspection and transformation processes. Data underlined that the different aspects in which mental imagery processes are articulated are differently implied in some skills that constitute school learning. These findings emphasize the potential usefulness of a screening for mental imagery ability for schoolchildren to adopt effective measures to increase their mental imagery abilities.

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The Development of Spatial Skills in Elementary School Students

Cited by 33 publications

References 92 publications

The contribution of spatial ability to mathematics achievement in middle childhood

The contribution of spatial ability to mathematics achievement in middle childhood

The developmental relations between spatial cognition and mathematics in primary school children

Mental Images and School Learning: A Longitudinal Study on Children

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