A systematized literature review: Students' upbringing influence on their spatial reasoning

Abstract

This systematized review paper discusses the concept of spatial ability and its influence on students' success in STEM fields. My intention from this review is to identify what influences students' spatial ability and to draw connections between scholarly research to provide a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. This study will focus on nature and nurture influences on spatial ability differences. Nature is a term that is used to conditions placed upon children since their birth such as gender, race, and cognitive abilities. Nurture, on the other hand, is a term that summarizes the upbringing experiences that take place as children grow such as socioeconomic status, culture, hobbies, and childhood toys. I have performed this study by reviewing 35 peer-reviewed journal articles selected by a systematized procedure. Effects of activities on childhood and teenage spatial reasoning were explored. Activities such as construction puzzles, 3D sketching, and video games were found to have a positive correlation to spatial thinking and to have a positive association with self-efficacy. Students can improve their spatial abilities through training programs, which have a lasting impact of up to 8 months. The optimal time for students to have a training program is around middle school age to avoid adverse effects on the efficacy of spatial reasoning. However, it should be noted that the impact of training on students' spatial abilities in STEM courses may have a limited threshold in which additional training will provide a minimal effect on students' performance. Thus, it may be necessary to identify alternative intervention approaches and to expand the scope of who receive those interventions by looking beyond currently studied demographics.