Evaluating Middle School Students’ Spatial-Scientific Performance within Earth/Space Astronomy in Terms of Gender and Race/Ethnicity

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 40 - 51, 30.01.2017

Jennifer Wilhelm Michael Toland Merryn Cole

https://doi.org/10.21891/jeseh.275681

Cited By: 3

Abstract

Differences were examined between groups of sixth grade students’
spatial-scientific development pre/post implementation of an Earth/Space unit. Treatment
teachers employed a spatially-integrated Earth/Space curriculum, while control
teachers implemented their Business as Usual (BAU) Earth/Space units. A
multi-level modeling approach was used in a hierarchical manner to evaluate
student performance on the Purdue Spatial Visualization: Rotation test
(PSVT-Rot) and on the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (which included four
spatial domains), while controlling for two variables (gender and race/ethnicity)
at the student level and one variable (teaching experience) at the teacher
level. Results showed Treatment girls achieved higher LPCI Periodic Patterns
(PP) spatial domain post-scores than girls in the BAU group. A gender gap was also
observed (in favor of boys) within the BAU group for PP domain post-scores,
while no gap was shown within the Treatment group. In addition, results
for PP suggest Students of Color tended to have lower PP scores than White
students (Effect Size = .29), and that higher pretest PP scores tended to lead
to higher posttest PP scores, after adjusting for other student and teacher
characteristics. The only statistically significant predictor of the PSVT-Rot
posttest scores were scores on the respective pretest.

Keywords

Middle school education, Geometrical and spatial thinking, Gender and race/ethnicity, Astronomy education

References

• Wilhelm, J., Toland, M., & Cole, M. (2017). Evaluating middle school students’ spatial-scientific performance within earth/space astronomy in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health (JESEH), 3(1), 40-51.