Technical drawing course, video games, gender, and type of school on spatial ability

Abstract

The authors investigated the effects of a technical drawing course, video games, gender, and type of school on the spatial ability (spatial visualization and orientation) of secondary school students in Barbados. A total of 420 students (269 boys; 151 girls) from nine government schools within Category 3 and Category 4 were sampled. A four-way between-subjects analysis of covariance revealed significant main effects for technical drawing on spatial visualization and orientation and video games on spatial orientation. Significant two- and three-way interactions occurred, but four-way interactions failed to reach significance. Implications are discussed for secondary school teachers and educational stakeholders on improving practice and context through the innovative delivery of spatial content, with consideration of biological and social factors that affect spatial abilities.

Keywords:

• Gender
• secondary school
• spatial ability
• spatial orientation
• spatial visualization
• technical drawing
• video games

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Acknowledgments

We want to thank the students and teachers who participated in this research.