Virtual Blocks: a serious game for spatial ability improvement on mobile devices

This paper presents a novel spatial instruction system for improving spatial abilities of engineering students. A 3D mobile game application called Virtual Blocks has been designed to provide a 3D virtual environment to build models with cubes that help students to perform visualization tasks to promote the development of their spatial ability during a short remedial course. A validation study with 26 freshman engineering students at La Laguna University (Spain) has concluded that the training had a measurable and positive impact on students spatial ability. In addition, the results obtained using a satisfaction questionnaire show that Virtual Blocks is considered an easy to use and stimulating application.This work has been partially supported by the (Spanish) National Program for Studies and Analysis project "Evaluation and development of competencies associated to the spatial ability in the new engineering undergraduate courses" (Ref. EA2009-0025) and the (Spanish) National Science Project "Enhancing Spatial REasoning and VIsual Cognition with advanced technological tools (ESREVIC)" (Ref TIN2010-21296-C02-02)Martín Dorta, NN.; Sanchez Berriel, I.; Bravo, M.; Hernández, J.; Saorin, JL.; Contero, M. (2014). Virtual Blocks: a serious game for spatial ability improvement on mobile devices. Multimedia Tools and Applications. 73(3):1575-1595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-013-1652-0S15751595733Baartmans BG, Sorby SA (1996) Introduction to 3-D spatial visualization. Prentice Hall, Englewood CliffsClements D, Battista M (1992) Geometry and spatial reasoning. In: Grouws DA (ed) Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning. New York, pp 420–464Cohen J (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences, 2nd edn. Erlbaum, HillsdaleDe Lisi R, Cammarano DM (1996) Computer experience and gender differences in undergraduate mental rotation performance. 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Route knowledge and configural knowledge in typical and atypical development: a comparison of sparse and rich environments

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) have poor navigation skills, which impact their potential to become independent. Two aspects of navigation were investigated in these groups, using virtual environments (VE): route knowledge (the ability to learn the way from A to B by following a fixed sequence of turns) and configural knowledge (knowledge of the spatial relationships between places within an environment). Methods: Typically developing (TD) children aged 5 to 11 years (N = 93), individuals with DS (N = 29) and individuals with WS (N = 20) were presented with a sparse and a rich VE grid maze. Within each maze, participants were asked to learn a route from A to B and a route from A to C before being asked to find a novel shortcut from B to C. Results: Performance was broadly similar across sparse and rich mazes. The majority of participants were able to learn novel routes, with poorest performance in the DS group, but the ability to find a shortcut, our measure of configural knowledge, was limited for all three groups. That is, 59 % TD participants successfully found a shortcut, compared to 10 % participants with DS and 35 % participants with WS. Differences in the underlying mechanisms associated with route knowledge and configural knowledge and in the developmental trajectories of performance across groups were observed. Only the TD participants walked a shorter distance in the last shortcut trial compared to the first, indicative of increased configural knowledge across trials. The DS group often used an alternative strategy to get from B to C, summing the two taught routes together. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate impaired configural knowledge in DS and in WS, with the strongest deficit in DS. This suggests that these groups rely on a rigid route knowledge based method for navigating and as a result are likely to get lost easily. Route knowledge was also impaired in both DS and WS groups and was related to different underlying processes across all three groups. These are discussed with reference to limitations in attention and/or visuo-spatial processing in the atypical groups

What motivates females and males to pursue careers in mathematics and science?

Drawing on Eccles’ expectancy-value model of achievement-related choices, we examined the personal aptitudes and motivational beliefs at 12th grade that move individuals toward or away from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations at age 29. In the first set of analyses, occupational and lifestyle values, math ability self-concepts, family demographics, and high school course-taking more strongly predicted both individual and gender differences in the likelihood of entering STEM careers than math scores on the Differential Aptitude Test. In the second set of analyses, individual and gender differences in career decisions within STEM disciplines (health, biological, and medical sciences (HBMS) versus mathematics, physical, engineering, and computer sciences (MPECS)) were best predicted by occupational values (i.e. preferences for work that were people oriented and altruistic predicted entrance into HBMS instead of MPECS careers). Females were less likely to hold the beliefs that predicted selection of STEM in general, but those who did choose STEM were more likely to select HBMS than MPECS. One Sentence Summary: Gender differences in selecting STEM related and health, biological, and medical occupations result primarily from gender differences in occupational and lifestyle values