Publikationen

Spatial skill assessment and training are promising fields of application for tablets, as touch-based interaction can prime and support mental transformations of spatial knowledge. We report on a study with 49 secondary school students who used our iPad app to solve mental and physical rotation tasks. During physical rotation, students were able to rotate 3D stimuli using touch interaction. Results show specific similarities (e.g., regarding angular disparity effects) as well as differences between mental and physical conditions, such as for task success, mental effort, efficiency; all to the advantage of the physical condition. 12–13-year olds can benefit from these advantages without previous task training, whereas previous research showed this to be different for younger students. In a second step, our analysis compares low and high achievers regarding physical rotation behaviour and motivational variables, including expected success. The results lay grounds for constructing individualized, tablet-based training apps for spatial skills.

Mobile devices are seen to incorporate characteristics which can support learning and problem solving in general and specific abilities, such as spatial ones (e.g. mental rotation). Central relevant characteristics of these devices are the availability of multiple representations (e.g. dynamic and static) and the direct interaction via touch, pointing and tracing with displayed information. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of direct interactive, dynamic interactions with spatial tasks on mobile devices as compared to purely static, non-interactive versions of the same tasks. We expected that dynamic, interactive tasks support mental processes while solving spatial tasks would be especially helpful for learners with difficulties in mental rotation and low expectancies regarding their spatial abilities. Therefore, the second focus of the study was to examine whether the expected beneficial effects of dynamic interactions were equally beneficial for both genders. This was motivated by previous studies that revealed gender differences in performance and motivational beliefs regarding spatial tasks to the disadvantage of females. We used a mixed within-between subject design with presentation format (static vs. dynamic) and gender (female vs. male) as factors and success rate, mental effort, intrinsic motivation, and frustration as dependent variables. The study was conducted in four classes (7th grade, N = 46) in two secondary schools. To test gender related pre-assumptions, spatial abilities and motivation were assessed before solving the actual rotation tasks. A MANOVA with single-comparison follow-up tests revealed increased success rates and decreased mental effort for both genders in the dynamic condition, whereas beneficial effects for intrinsic motivation and frustration were restricted to female students. Process data for rotation behavior was registered for dynamic tasks: an analysis hinted at more exploratory ways of solving spatial tasks for females and at more goal-oriented approaches for male students.

Recent studies have shown a number of procedural similarities between solving problems in mental and in physical rotation. Such similarities open up the interesting option to study mental rotation indirectly through physical rotation, with the advantage that physical rotation processes can be much more easily observed than mental ones. To better assess where solution processes in mental and physical rotation differ, though, it is important to know what influence any specific interaction method in physical rotation will have. We present results from a comparison of two such interaction methods: a one-handed, touch-based and a two-handed, ball-based method. Our analysis focuses on fixation durations and saccade amplitudes as proxies for mental load. Results show, importantly, that the choice of interaction method seems to matter but little. We therefore suggest that the existing findings of past studies that have compared mental to physical rotation are likely highly comparable, despite the fact that different interaction techniques were used.

Good spatial skills are of particular importance in STEM domains. For the training of spatial skills, smartphones provide a promising platform because of their high dissemination. Additionally, new frameworks make it easy to develop and use augmented reality (AR) contents. To examine the potential of AR for the training of spatial skills, we developed a prototype of a smartphone app for the solving of cross section tasks.The prototype was tested in a user study with 32 university students. It was compared against a second prototype with a classical Arcball interaction. For both prototypes, success rates were equally high. However, 3D-objects could be rotated faster using the AR-app. For the AR-app, participants reported higher scores regarding innovation and motivation but also for physical demands. This is especially interesting because motor activity and spatial skills are highly connected. Therefore, the physical approach might be promising for the development of spatial skill training apps which might lead to good long-term training results.

Over the past few years, a number of studies have reported on procedural similarities and differences between mental rotation and physical (i.e., manual) rotation of Shepard and Metzler-type stimuli. These similarities include comparable angular disparity effects and comparable final angular offsets in problem solving. This paper presents results from further comparisons based on gazed-derived measures obtained across the course of trials. In a within-subject design, participants solved the same tasks as mental and as physical rotation problems. We compare time courses of mean fixation duration and of saccade amplitude, and interpret these with respect to underlying mental processes and loads. The results point to additional specific procedural similarities and differences, which nicely complement the previous findings. The results are of additional, practical use for establishing how and when physical rotation can provide a useful proxy for mental rotation for purposes of process analysis, of ability assessment, and of training.