Adolescents' ability to communicate spatial information: Analyzing and effecting students' performance

This study presents evidence which suggests that even though students in grades 6 through 8 are familiar with a variety of types of representation modes, they have great difficulty in successfully communicating spatial information. A Building Description Task, which consists ofa building made up of ten small cubes taped together and a set of instructions, was presented to a sample of middle school children. They were asked to “help your friend to know what your building looks like.” Students' attempts were classified by representation mode (verbal, mixed, graphic) and analyzed by grade and by sex. In addition, the effect of instruction in spatial visualization activities on students' preference for representation mode and rate of success on the task was assessed. The findings were examined relative to the practical teaching implications, to individual differences in spatial visualization ability and to design of spatial tests.