Improving Spatial Thinking Skills of Gifted Students Through Social Studies Course: An Instructional Module

Abstract

This research aims to examine the extent of success the students enrolled in the 5th Grade Individual Talent Recognition (ITR) program of the Science and Arts Center (BILSEM) would achieve in terms of spatial concepts and spatial thinking through an instructional module on spatial thinking skills embedded in the social studies course. The research process has been completed in accordance with embedded experimental design, which is one of the mixed method designs. The research sample consists of 30 students in the 5th Grade ITR program of Muğla Science and Arts Center. An Instructional Module on Spatial Thinking Skills (IMSTS) was developed to facilitate and improve the students’ spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills. The research data have been gathered via spatial thinking skills test, spatial concepts test, student journals, expert opinion forms, and focus group discussion forms for both students and teachers. Quantitative data obtained after the administration of IMSTS to the gifted students were subjected to parametric analyses while qualitative data were analyzed through content and descriptive analyses. The findings indicate a significant difference between the pre and post-test scores of the gifted students in favor of the post-test results. In the same vein, the findings distilled from the focus group discussions and student journals reflect students’ opinions underlying the necessity of training on spatial thinking skills within the social studies course. The instructional module developed within the scope of the present study has been found effective on improving spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills of the gifted students. In line with the research findings, it is suggested that the IMSTS developed by the researcher can be employed by the social studies teachers to better the spatial concepts and spatial thinking skills of the 5th graders in the ITR program of BILSEM.