IMPROVED ARITHMETIC PERFORMANCE WHEN DIGITALLY TRAINING SPATIAL ABILITIES DURING THE MATHEMATICS CLASS

This dataset includes sixth-grade students' mathematical and spatial reasoning scores and originates from a preliminary study exploring how digital spatial thinking training can enhance students' performance in various areas of the mathematics curriculum. This study was accepted and presented at the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME 15) in Sydney on the 8th of July 2024.

Abstract:

Previous studies on digital spatial training exhibited mixed results in enhancing students’ mathematics performance. However, these studies trained one specific spatial skill. In this study, we investigated the effects of a broader digital spatial training on students’ performance across curriculum-based mathematical topics. Following a pre-post quasi-experimental design, 2nd grade students of a middle school in Austria participated in the study. Students in the experimental classes received spatial training during their mathematics class through the online platform RIF3.0 (Raum Intelligenz Förderung - Promotion of Spatial Intelligence); while students in the control group attended their regular mathematics classes. We assessed students’ mathematics skills through arithmetical, place value, geometry, and word problemsolving tasks. We found that the intervention group significantly improved their performance in arithmetical tasks. These preliminary findings suggest that broad digital spatial training via the RIF3.0 platform might be an effective spatial training tool for educators seeking to support their students' arithmetic performance.