The role of sensemaking practices in supporting spatial cognition
Open Access
- Author:
- Vaishampayan, Abha Madhav
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 29, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Julia Diane Plummer, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Julia Diane Plummer, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Scott P Mcdonald, Committee Member
Christopher Palma, Committee Member
Lynn S. Liben, Outside Member
Rose Mary Zbiek, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- spatial thinking
sensemaking
perspective taking
cognition
embodied cognition
middle school
astronomy - Abstract:
- Spatial thinking is important in predicting students’ success in STEM fields. However, there is limited knowledge about how students learn spatial skills during classroom instruction by using strategies that support their cognition. This dissertation addresses this gap as I explored spatial sensemaking practices that supported learners in using perspective-taking skill (PT skill) – a skill that enables navigating between frames of references. To achieve this, I analyzed classroom interactions and individual student interviews (N=22) to uncover their use of spatial sensemaking practices when learning lunar phases and seasons. I used embodied cognition to interpret how spatial sensemaking practices may have supported learners’ cognition. Conjecture mapping, a methodology for identifying the most salient features of a learning environment, revealed that physical and virtual models from the classroom environment were important in giving rise to a variety of spatial sensemaking practices that supported students’ PT skill. I also found that teacher’s in-the-moment prompts were key in facilitating students’ perspective taking. Thematic analysis of interviews suggested that use of spatial sensemaking practices during classroom instruction may have become a part of an individual students’ repertoire of practices irrespective of their PT skill. In conclusion, this study demonstrates how developing sensemaking practices during classroom instruction might be important in supporting spatial skills like perspective taking. This research also highlights how embodied ways of learning can be leveraged by promoting use of spatial sensemaking practices in understanding complex spatial phenomena.