Paper and Cube Interventions Preceded by a Three Dimensional Computer Graphics Animation To Improve Spatial Ability among Elementary Education Majors.

Previous studies indicate that only 6 percent of the nation's population possess the minimum level of understanding of science and technology needed to function minimally as citizens and consumers. Many educators speculate that scientific illiteracy originates in elementary school classrooms, not from intellectual inferiority, but rather from specific teacher attitudes. Under the assumption that analytical ability and spatial ability are measurements of the same cognitive skills, a pilot study examined those skills as measured by the Learning Style Profile, with pre- and post-test scores for three treatment groups and one control group from a total of 24 undergraduates with an elementary education major. The first treatment group was exposed to an animated video activity; the second treatment group participated in a cube comparison test (flexibility of closure) developed from the Educational Testing Service's Kit of Factor Referenced Cognitive Tests; the third treatment group was involved in both of these activities; and the control group was not exposed to either activity. No significant differences were found across or within the groups on the pre- and post-test scores. It is hypothesized that a larger study population, a longer test of spatial ability, and a longer treatment will detect improvement in spatial ability. (JJK)