ERIC Number: EJ1379015
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-May
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1751-2271
EISSN: EISSN-1751-228X
Spatial Thinking in Practice: A Snapshot of Teacher's Spatial Activity Use in the Early Years' Classroom
Gilligan-Lee, Katie A.; Bradbury, Alice; Bradley, Charlotte; Farran, Emily K.; Van Herwegen, Jo; Wyse, Dominic; Outhwaite, Laura A.
Mind, Brain, and Education, v17 n2 p107-116 May 2023
Spatial thinking predicts Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics achievement, yet is often absent from educational "policy." We provide benchmarks of teachers' usage and perceptions of spatial activities "in practice" in the reception classroom (first year of primary school). In this questionnaire study of educational professionals working in the reception classroom in England (N = 104), we found that spatial and numeracy activities were perceived as significantly less important, and were reportedly completed significantly less often, than literacy or life skills. Despite the lower perceived importance of spatial skills in curriculum guidance in England, rates of reported spatial activity use were encouragingly high and were broadly comparable to those of numeracy. Teachers had moderate anxiety levels for both spatial and mathematics domains. The findings highlight a need to elevate teachers' understanding of the importance of developing children's early spatial and numeracy skills, which may begin with efforts to reduce spatial and mathematics anxiety.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Spatial Ability, Learning Activities, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Behavior, Numeracy, Anxiety, Mathematics Anxiety, Elementary School Students, Grade 1
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A