Exploring Links between STEM Success and Spatial Skills: Undergraduate GIS Courses and a Spatial Turn of Mind

具有较强空间技能的人更有可能在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）方面表现出兴趣和成功。幸运的是，空间技能是可塑性的，它们的改进是持久和普遍的。在教育培训期间提高空间技能可能是增加STEM劳动力的一条途径。然而，目前的知识有两个缺口。首先，现有的研究几乎完全集中在小规模的空间技能，如心理旋转的对象。大规模的空间技能，如导航和STEM之间的关系还没有被调查。科学学科，特别是“地理”学科，以及任何使用地图式分布的学科，都可以从大规模空间技能的培训中受益。本项目验证了这一假设。其次，需要一个长期的空间训练计划，可以融入K-12和大学课堂。其中一个战略可能是教授地理信息系统（GIS）技能。例如，GIS技能有助于更快地访问数据，数据建模和数据可视化。GIS工具被许多STEM领域的专业人士使用，包括医疗保健，地理和城市规划，环境研究和金融。有效利用地理信息系统取决于对该技术、其优点和缺点及其与具体空间技能的关系的了解。该项目将评价地理信息系统培训的效果并确定其积极组成部分。调查结果可用于通知GIS指令和GIS界面定制。该项目由EHR核心研究（ECR）计划资助，该计划资助基础研究，旨在了解，建立理论解释，并提出干预措施（和创新），以解决在干的兴趣，教育，学习和参与的持续挑战。该项目评估了大规模的空间技能在地理，地球科学，以及对信息的空间分布作出答复的其他科学学科（例如，流行病学）。与导航相关的空间技能可能是这些学科成功的预测因素，相反，参与这些学科可能有利于大规模的空间技能。该项目集中在GIS作为在坦普尔大学和怀俄明州大学的基础和高级GIS课程的招生和成功的预测。与此同时，它探讨了地理信息系统技术作为一种潜在的干预措施，以提高大规模的空间技能，并创造所谓的“空间转向的心态。“GIS的有效使用取决于我们对人类空间表达及其局限性的理解。将对地理信息系统基础和高级课程的学生与非地理信息系统低空间课程的学生进行比较。根据导航熟练程度和相关的认知机制（例如，（1）在本学期的基础上，根据他们的成长情况。一个虚拟环境导航范式将被用来客观地评估大规模的导航技能。GIS课程的成功学习将以多种方式进行评估，包括动手GIS实验室练习，测验，考试和个人/小组项目。地理信息系统提供了一个机会，可以将空间培训尽早纳入正规教育，从而通过创造性的实践活动提高空间水平低和空间水平高的学生对空间概念的兴趣。研究结果可以为空间干预提供信息，这些干预旨在激励更多的学生在涉及空间分布的STEM领域从事职业。研究结果也可以用来直接注意空间技能依赖的可用性功能，在地理可视化工具和定制的重要性，学习者的能力水平。

People with strong spatial skills are more likely to show interest and success in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Fortunately, spatial skills are malleable, and improvements in them are durable and generalizable. Increasing spatial skills during educational training may be one route towards increasing the STEM workforce. However, there are two gaps in current knowledge. First, existing research concentrates almost exclusively on small-scale spatial skills such as mentally rotating objects. The relation between large-scale spatial skills such as navigation and STEM has not been investigated. Scientific disciplines, especially the "geo" disciplines, and any disciplines using map-like distributions, may benefit from training in large-scale spatial skills. This project tests this hypothesis. Second, there is a need for a long-term spatial training plan that can be integrated into K-12 and university classrooms. One such strategy may be teaching Geographic Information Systems (GIS) skills. For example, GIS skills facilitate faster access to data, data modeling, and data visualization. GIS tools are used by professionals in many STEM fields including healthcare, geography and urban planning, environmental studies, and finance. Effective use of GIS depends on understanding the technology, its benefits and shortcomings, and its relation to specific spatial skills. This project will evaluate the efficacy of GIS training and identify its active components. Findings can be used to inform GIS instruction and GIS interface customization. The project is funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program which funds basic research that seeks to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest interventions (and innovations) to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning, and participation.This project evaluates the importance of large-scale spatial skills in the geography, geoscience, and other scientific disciplines that reply on spatial distributions of information (e.g., epidemiology). Spatial skills relevant to navigation may be predictors of success in these disciplines, and conversely, participation in these disciplines may benefit large-scale spatial skills. This project concentrates on GIS as a predictor of enrollment and success in fundamental and advanced GIS courses at Temple University and University of Wyoming. Simultaneously, it examines GIS technologies as a potential intervention to improve large-scale spatial skills and to create what has been called 'as a spatial turn of mind.'The effective use of GIS depends on our understanding of human spatial representations and its limits. Students enrolled in fundamental and advanced GIS courses will be compared to students enrolled in non-GIS low-spatial courses. Groups are compared in terms of their navigation proficiency and associated cognitive mechanisms (e.g., perspective-taking) at baseline and in terms of their growth over the semester. A virtual environment navigation paradigm will be used to objectively assess large-scale navigation skills. Successful learning in GIS courses will be assessed in multiple ways including hands-on GIS lab exercises, quizzes, exams and individual/group projects. GIS presents an opportunity to integrate spatial training early in formal education and thus increase low- and high- spatial students' interest in spatial concepts through creative and hands-on activities. Findings can inform spatial interventions designed to motivate more students to pursue careers in STEM fields involving spatial distributions. Findings can also be used to direct attention to spatial skill-dependent usability features in geovisualization tools and the importance of customization to learners' level of competence.