The Importance of Spatial Skills Supported by Research

Researchers from the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University have found that students who have strong spatial skills as young teens grow up to be particularly successful adults, to an extent not predicted by just looking at scores on SAT exams.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, looked at 563 students who, as 13 year olds in the 1970's,  had taken SAT exams earlier than is typical and had scored within the top one-half of one percent of test takers. These students had also taken a separate test that measures spatial skills. The researchers found, not surprisingly, that the extremely high scores on the SAT exams of these young teens were good predictors of their future academic success (measured by patents and scholarly publications). However, a much greater correlation could be seen when the results of the test measuring their spatial skills were factored into the equation.

The researchers note that their findings demonstrate the unique role of spatial ability in developing creativity, a role that goes beyond skills and aptitudes traditionally measured by standardized tests. They urge that the role of spatial ability should be examined further and such abilities should be included in standardized tests, such as the SATs and ACTs.

Here at The Yellin Center we have always looked at what we call "spatial ordering" as a distinct and important skill that includes such sub-tasks as spatial perception, spatial memory, and spatial output, and we have recognized the role of such spatial abilities, particularly in math, science, engineering, and the arts. We hope that this further validation of earlier research noting the importance of spatial ordering will bring renewed focus to this important area of strength for many students.

Visual Literacy in Science - Spatial Ordering at Work

Today’s students are more visually-oriented than perhaps any generation that has come before them. They spend more time watching screens than reading words, and they can access images and videos on the internet with lightning speed. Here at The Yellin Center, we describe these skills as part of spatial ordering, the ability to both create and interpret visual or spatial material.

A small, but interesting new study of students’ ability to interpret scientific diagrams by researchers Erin McTigue and Amanda Flowers suggests, however, that all this experience with visual information does not necessarily translate across tasks to help students understand the diagrams they encounter in their academic lives, especially in science texts. Diagrams, explain the authors, are important textual features for three reasons:

• Diagrams represent certain kinds of information more readily than sentences can. Lengthy textual explanations are often replaced with a diagram; a picture, after all, is worth a thousand words.
• Diagrams serve as an organizational tool, which helps even proficient readers make sense of dense or challenging text. Information presented in multiple ways is more likely to be remembered and understood.
• Diagrams can contain information that goes beyond the text. Supplemental images can deepen a student’s knowledge and understanding of a concept.

The authors examined the use and interpretation of diagrams by students ranging from 2nd to 8th grade. They found that students frequently ignore diagrams or, if they read them, bring virtually no strategies to the task. This haphazard consideration of diagrams compromises the quantity and quality of information students can glean from a text.

Instructional Implications

McTigue and Flowers suggest that educators offer explicit instruction in reading diagrams. A simple measure like modeling the interpretation of a diagram through a think-aloud can go a long way in teaching students what to look for. To correctly interpret a diagram, students should be able to identify its purpose and have some strategies in place for reading it. Also, teachers should be mindful of the diagrams they present; students in the study indicated that complex graphics were often distracting rather than helpful.

The authors conclude that if students are to fully understand the value and organization of diagrams, it is essential that they create diagrams themselves. Just as literature teachers often teach a genre by asking students to write a piece in a certain style, science, math, and history teachers can help their students develop graphics to illustrate the life cycle of a butterfly, the structure of a Roman road, or the difference between geometrical shapes. In deciding how best to convey information, students will learn important lessons about diagram features that can guide their reading. As the fields of science and technology grow ever more prevalent, it becomes increasingly critical that students are equipped with the skills to interpret scientific and other visuals effectively.