• Open Access

Spatial thinking in astronomy education research

Merryn Cole, Cheryl Cohen, Jennifer Wilhelm, and Rebecca Lindell
Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 14, 010139 – Published 15 June 2018
An article within the collection: Astronomy Education Research

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] Multiple studies show that spatial thinking skills contribute to students’ performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. The study of astronomy is no different with the understanding of many astronomical phenomena requiring spatial thinking skills. This paper describes traditional and contemporary approaches to characterizing and measuring spatial thinking skills and suggests how they inform research in astronomy education. It summarizes previous literature in astronomy education research and categorizes the research approaches of astronomy education peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings that explicitly consider the role of spatial thinking. Additionally, it recommends directions and curricular approaches for astronomy education research informed by current research in spatial thinking.

  • Received 15 May 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010139

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
Physics Education Research

Collections

This article appears in the following collection:

Astronomy Education Research

A special collection highlighting the current state of the field of physics education research as it relates to astronomy education research.

Authors & Affiliations

Merryn Cole

  • Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, USA

Cheryl Cohen

  • Department of Psychology, Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois 60484, USA

Jennifer Wilhelm

  • Department of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, USA

Rebecca Lindell

  • Tiliadal STEM Education Solutions, 5 N 10th St Suite A-1, Lafayette, Indiana 47901, USA

Article Text

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Issue

Vol. 14, Iss. 1 — January - June 2018

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