Educating Spatial Intelligence with Augmented Reality

In this project we are researching new approaches of spatial ability training by geometry education in Augmented Reality. The main aim is to evaluate effects of trainings with Construct3D on spatial ability in high school students.

This research is an interdisciplinary cooperation between the Interactive Media Systems Group (Vienna University of Technology) and the Faculty of Psychology (University of Vienna) and is funded by the Austrian research fund (FWF).

Introduction

Spatial abilities present an important component of human intelligence. Spatial ability is a heterogeneous construct that comprises a number of subfactors, such as mental rotation, visualization, and environmental orientation. Many studies have shown that spatial abilities can be improved by well-designed trainings. Geometry education has proven as one powerful means of improving these skills; recently, a number of training studies have shown the usefulness of virtual reality (VR) in training spatial ability. However, little to no work has been done towards systematic development of VR applications for practical education purposes in this field.

This project aims to introduce Augmented Reality (AR), to mathematics and geometry education. The simultaneous sharing of real and virtual space possible in AR is an ideal match for computer-assisted collaborative education settings. However, there are a number of requirements for an augmented reality tool with the aim of effectively improving spatial skills. These have never been addressed by existing systems, nor studied in an educational context. No VR/AR application for actual use in high school or higher education has ever been developed with the main purpose of improving (small scale) spatial skills. The project is intended to address these key issues, thereby building a bridge between human psychology research and AR research in Austria.

The three-dimensional geometric construction tool Construct3D will be used as a platform for the research work. The ability to see and interact with threedimensional constructions directly and to observe and perform dynamic changes on them provides new and very innovative possibilities for geometry education and spatial ability training.

Study

300 high school students will take part in the evaluation study (March 2005 – June 2005). In this study we intend to address the following research questions:

Can spatial ability be improved by a training with Construct3D and which aspects of spatial ability are trained especially?
How does this training influence the use of strategies individuals use in solving spatial ability tasks? Will visualization skills be improved by a training with Construct 3D?
Are there gender specific differences observable in training achievement? E. g. do women use holistic strategies more often after the training?
Aptitude-treatment interactions: Dependence of individual training effects on pretest spatial ability, and reasoning ability.
Has geometry training using Augmented Reality positive effects on student’s motivation?
How can these new technologies be used in future education. Which are the advantages in using Construct3D for geometry education?

Study Design

We will conduct a pre-/posttest experiment with four different training groups and one untrained control group. At the pretest, all participants will be presented with a battery of spatial tests (including strategy assessments) and a test of reasoning ability. Then, each participant will be randomly assigned to one of five groups (each approx. 50 students):

Construct3D Group: 2 students and a teacher work with the Construct3D tutorial; 6 training sessions, one week interval;
Computer training / tutoring: 2 students and a teacher work with a standard computer geometry application (CAD3D); 6 training sessions, one week interval;
Standard Instruction/School Group – traditional geometry (participates in the pre- and posttest, but is taught the subject matter of the tutorial in their normal school classes between pre- and posttest using traditional paper-/pencil methods);
Standard Instruction/School Group – computer geometry (participates in the pre- and posttest, but is taught the subject matter of the tutorial in their normal school classes between pre- and posttest using computer-based geometry applications);
Untrained Control Group (participates in the pre- and posttest but do not receive any training);
The reason we use an individual tutoring group is because this condition is probably „harder to beat“ than standard class-wise Descriptive Geometry (DG) instruction. However, we expect the Construct3D tutorial to lead to broader transfer of training gains than the tutoring. After the training-phase, all students will again be presented with the tests and additional questionnaires.

Participants

300 students in their 11th year of schooling, attending secondary schools in Vienna, will participate in the study. Austria has several different secondary-education curricula, some of which have a focus on the natural sciences, including Descriptive Geometry (DG) (DG classes start in the 11th form). Participants in the training groups will be paid € 50,- for participation in the six training sessions. We will make sure to include approximately equal numbers of male and female participants in each experimental group.

Instruments: Overview

The following instruments will be presented to participants at pre- and posttest.

Spatial ability tests:
o Mental Rotations Test (MRT)
o Mental Cutting Test (MCT)
o Differential Aptitude Test: Space Relations (DAT:SR)
o Spatial Orientation Test (SOT)
Reasoning ability:
o Letter sequence: subtest “Wilde Intelligenz Test” (WIT)
Additional questionnaires:
o Personal data
o Spatial activities questionnaire
o Computer experience questionnaire
o Self assessment of spatial abilities
o Usability questionnaire
o Cybersickness questionnaire

Further information about Construct3D can be found on the Construct3D Webpage.

Contact: Hannes Kaufmann (Construct3D), Judith Glück (Head of psychological team), Andreas Dünser (Psychologist), Karin Steinbügl (Psychologist)

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