TVET
S. Hejazi; M. Shafaei
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Spatial ability is an important notion because of its application in everyday life and its place in science and engineering. In recent decades, there have been many studies on spatial ability in the field of mathematics education. Parts of these studies have been conducted ...
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Background and Objectives: Spatial ability is an important notion because of its application in everyday life and its place in science and engineering. In recent decades, there have been many studies on spatial ability in the field of mathematics education. Parts of these studies have been conducted in the field of school mathematics, emphasizing the importance of the spatial ability in the process of teaching school mathematics. Of course, it should be noted that the number of research studies related to mathematics education in Iran is not very large and most of them have been conducted in the field of psychology. It is also stated in the educational documents such as the principles and standards of school Mathematics (NCTM) that students should use a variety of visual representations to analyze mathematical problems and issues. Numerous definitions of spatial ability have been proposed and various terms, such as visual thinking, intuitive thinking, and visual ability have been used to describe it and various factors and components have also been identified to explain its nature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the spatial ability of students with regard to their gender, grade, and field of study and also according to factors including spatial visualization, mental rotation, and spatial orientation. Methods: The method of this study was the survey method and its participants were 901 students from secondary schools in Shahriyar studying in the 10th and 11th grade in the academic year 2017-2018. The measurement instrument was a researcher-made test whose formal and content validity was confirmed by a number professors and teachers of mathematics and its reliability was also confirmed by the approximate amount of Cronbach's alpha which was 0.83. In addition, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent t-test) were used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings of the study showed a significant difference between male and female students in the field of spatial ability. In addition, the performance of math students was significantly better than the students in the field of experimental sciences. Also, the performance of the 11th grade students was significantly better than that of the 10th grade students. This difference can be justified by the implicit teaching that takes place in the 10th and 11th grades, as well as the courses which are taken by the 11th grade students in geometry until the exam. These findings show that the growth of spatial ability depends on education, and because of its place in everyday and professional life, needs more attention in school mathematics. The qualitative findings of this study showed that tasks related to spatial ability are a good platform for developing mathematical thinking and mathematical processes, such as problem solving, reasoning, and proof. Moreover, teaching and increasing the level of education seem to have an undeniable effect on the growth of spatial ability and the improvement of students' problem-solving performance. Conclusion: Although the problem-solving approach has clearly established its presence in Iranian mathematics textbooks in recent decades, little research has been done on the place and role of spatial ability in teaching the process of solving mathematical problems. Moreover, the field of school mathematics needs more research on spatial ability in different areas, such as curricula, teacher training, and methods of math teaching and learning. The findings of this study can be useful in modifying and strengthening the strategies, educational processes, curricula and appropriate educational instruments to improve students' spatial visualization.
Game-based Education
M. Shafaei
Abstract
Background and Objective:Currently, different teaching techniques and methods are used in teaching architectural design. Holding architecture education conferences at the national level shows the attention of experts and researchers to the importance of this issue. In recent years, critical, participatory ...
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Background and Objective:Currently, different teaching techniques and methods are used in teaching architectural design. Holding architecture education conferences at the national level shows the attention of experts and researchers to the importance of this issue. In recent years, critical, participatory teaching methods or techniques such as questions and answers to increase student motivation have been considered by researchers and architecture teachers. But holding architectural design courses in a workshop (practical) for many hours, repetition and uniformity of techniques such as one-day sketches, individual and collective corrections, and architectural design training become a tedious task for teachers and students. This becomes a serious challenge for young teachers who do not have enough teaching experience. It seems that game-based teaching method can increase students' motivation and increase their learning rate. In this regard, the purpose of this article is to investigate the effect of game-based education on game learning, participation and students' feelings about the benefits of one (bachelor) architecture design course. Extensive research on architecture education shows the importance of this subject. The main approach of these research studies is student-centered education. Many researchers have emphasized the collaboration between student and teacher. The main goal of these studies is enhancing architecture students’ motivation and learning. Nowadays, there is a support for digital game-based education. Therefore, the goal of this study is investigating the role of game-based education (not only digital games) in enhancing learning, collaboration and the students’ feeling about the usefulness of the subject matter. Methods: Here, the experimental method has been used. Statistical population includes students of architecture design 1-B.A. The sample size is 51 students organized in 3 groups. The game-based method was used in the experimental group. The second group (control group 1) was trained through “project correction with other students as reviewers”. The third group (control group 2) was trained through “individually project correction”. All students were assessed by MBI-SS questionnaire at the beginning and the end of the semester. Findings: The results obtained through comparing the frequency of answers. It was concluded that game-based education through pantomime, verbal games and figural games could have a positive role on enhancing “learning”, “collaboration” and “students’ positive feelings about the architecture education”. Conclusion: The present study, in line with participatory education and teacher-student interaction, showed the effect of game-based education on promoting student motivation. Although in today's world, teaching architecture through computer games is discussed, this research does not limit learning by games to just computer games. Demonstration, speech, writing and drawing games can be included in architectural design education according to the teacher's creativity and the fit of the game with the subject and stimulate students' interest in architectural design and according to the research literature, cause long-term (long-term) learning.
