Spatial Orientation Skill Improvement with Geospatial Applications: Report of a Multi-Year Study

Abstract

There are several competences and spatial skills to be acquired by the student related to the treatment of geo-information in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Spatial orientation is the spatial skill related to the use of georeferenced information, and geospatial applications (on-line map interfaces) such as the spatial data infrastructure offer a great opportunity for development of this skill. In this report we present several experiments, carried out over five academic years with 559 university students, to improve the spatial orientation skill of the students. Survey learning and wayfinding activities were conducted. First- and second-year university students performed the experiments on a PC and also used digital tablet support. The statistical analysis showed that the students improved their spatial orientation skill with a range from 12.90 (minimum) to 19.21 (maximum) measured with the Perspective Taking Spatial Orientation Test, regardless of the academic year, the hardware (PC or Tablet-PC), or the orientation strategy (survey learning or wayfinding). The second year students improved more than those in their first year. The methodologies employed could be developed by teachers or researchers, and the results presented could be taken as a reference for comparisons in future research in the field of strategy planning with geospatial applications and location-based tools for spatial orientation skill improvement in education.