Bridging the Gap: Blending Spatial Skills Instruction into a Technology Teacher Preparation Programme

Autor/inn/en	Lane, Diarmaid; Sorby, Sheryl
Titel	Bridging the Gap: Blending Spatial Skills Instruction into a Technology Teacher Preparation Programme
Quelle	In: International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 32 (2022) 4, S.2195-2215 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Lane, Diarmaid) ORCID (Sorby, Sheryl)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0957 7572
DOI	10.1007/s10798-021-09691-5
Schlagwörter	Spatial Ability; Skill Development; Preservice Teachers; Technology; Teacher Education; Intervention; College Freshmen + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Räumliches Vorstellungsvermögen; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Technologie; Lehrerausbildung; Lehrerbildung; Studienanfänger
Abstract	In recent years, there has been a surge in research in spatial thinking across the international community. We now know that spatial skills are malleable and that they are linked to success across multiple disciplines, most notably Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While spatial skills have been examined by cognitive scientists in laboratory environments for decades, current research is examining how these skills can be developed in field-based environments. In this paper, we present findings from a study within a Technology Teacher preparation programme where we examined first-year students' spatial skills on entry to university. We explain why it was necessary to embed a spatial skills intervention into Year 1 of the programme and we describe the impact that this had on students' spatial scores and on academic performance. The findings from our study highlight a consistent gender gap in spatial scores at the start of the first-year with female students entering the Technology Teacher preparation programme at a lower base level than male students. We describe how we integrated spatial development activities into an existing course and how an improvement in spatial scores and overall course performance was observed. The paper concludes by discussing the long-term sustainability of integrating spatial interventions within teacher preparation programmes while also highlighting the importance of future research to examine spatial skills as a fundamental component of technological capability. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01