A Meta-Synthesis About the Studies on Spatial Skills in Turkey

Author : Özlem Özçakır Sümen
Number of pages : 23-41

Abstract

Spatial abilities encompass the abilities like to imagine different positions of two- and three-dimensional objects by way of turning and rotating them in mind. They are key to success in a lot of areas, especially mathematics, geometry. Various fields including engineering, architecture, and even medicine require spatial abilities. Thus, they are significant abilities that need to be improved in mathematics education. In this study, studies carried out in Turkey on spatial abilities were examined. Especially the studies performed in the last decade (between 2008-2018) were reviewed. The method of the study is meta-synthesis. Total of 48 studies, including articles, theses and dissertations were reviewed but only 43 of them were included in the study. They were examined through content analysis in terms of publication year, objective, method, sampling level, data collection tool, data analysis method, implementation duration, results and recommendations. Data analysis revealed that studies were mostly carried out in order to examine the effect of computer-aided education on the development of students' spatial abilities. In addition, studies were found to be quantitative to a great extent and carried out experimentally. At the end of the study, recommendations were provided for spatial abilities and future studies in this field.

Keywords

Spatial Skills, Spatial Visualization, Spatial Orientation, Meta-Synthesis

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