PPubMed22 Jan 2018Cited 113×

Spatial cognition and science achievement: The contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic spatial skills from 7 to 11 years Alex Hodgkiss et al.

Alex Hodgkiss, Katie A. Gilligan, Andrew K. Tolmie, Michael S. C. Thomas, Emily K. Farran

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to examine the contribution of spatial skills to primary-school children's performance in a curriculum-based science assessment. The study revealed overall that spatial ability is a predictor of 7- to 11-year-olds’ science achievement. After controlling for receptive vocabulary, which provided an estimate of general intelligence, spatial ability accounted for an additional 8% of the variance in total science scores. This builds upon longitudinal research linking spatial ability to STEM outcomes in adults (Lubinski & Benbow, [bjep12211-bib-0028]; Wai et al., [bj

§ The Valyu brief

The paper, in five minutes

Read from the full text via Valyu Contents

Intrinsic‑dynamic and extrinsic‑static spatial skills uniquely predict primary‑school children’s science scores, explaining about 8% of the variance.

What’s new

i.Showed mental folding and spatial scaling uniquely predict overall science achievement in primary‑school children
ii.Quantified that these spatial skills together account for 8% of the variance in science scores
iii.Demonstrated the relationship holds across ages 7‑11 and across science domains (physics, biology, chemistry)
iv.Developed a novel spatial scaling task for children
v.Extended the limited literature on spatial ability and science achievement to primary‑aged learners

How they did it

A sample of 123 children aged 7‑11 completed five spatial tasks representing intrinsic‑dynamic, intrinsic‑static, extrinsic‑static, and extrinsic‑dynamic abilities, along with a curriculum‑based science assessment. Verbal ability (BPVS) and age were controlled in hierarchical regression analyses.

What they found

Mental folding (intrinsic‑dynamic) uniquely predicted overall science scores and was a stronger predictor than spatial scaling
Spatial scaling (extrinsic‑static) also uniquely predicted overall science scores, together accounting for 8% of variance
Mental folding predicted physics and biology scores; spatial scaling added variance to biology and chemistry; embedded figures predicted chemistry scores only
Spatial abilities added an additional 6% (ΔR²) to overall science prediction after controlling for age and verbal ability (final model R² = 0.66)

Caveats

✕Correlational design prevents causal conclusions
✕Sample limited to UK Key Stage 2 schools, restricting generalizability
✕Only one curriculum‑based science assessment was used, limiting breadth of measurement

§ The Valyu brief

Reading the full paper and taking notes. This takes a few seconds…

§ Ask this paper

Ask a question about this paper

Valyu reads the full text and answers from what the paper actually says.

§ Related work in other archives

Spatial cognition and science achievement: The contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic spatial skills from 7 to 11 years Alex Hodgkiss et al.

The paper, in five minutes

Ask a question about this paper

Similar papers in all four archives

Similar papers in all four archives

The paper, in five minutes