Journal for Geometry and Graphics 14 (2010), No. 2, 227--244
Copyright Heldermann Verlag 2010
The Effects of High School Geometry Instruction on the Performance in Spatial Tasks
George Kospentaris
Dept. of Mathematics, University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Greece
25aris@math.uoa.gr
Panagiotis Spyrou
Dept. of Mathematics, University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, Greece
The present study explores the effect of school geometry instruction on spatial ability. We tested 282 students of varying mathematical background looking for differences in their performance on a variety of spatial abilities. The spatial tasks were confined to those relevant to basic concepts of formal geometry, in order to investigate whether these differences would be more conspicuous. Moreover, we interviewed 36 students to examine the relationship between the strategies they employed and the geometry instruction they had experienced in school. The results of our analysis suggest that the school geometry experience positively contributes to the students' spatial abilities.
Keywords: High school geometry, spatial abilities.
MSC: 51N05
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