UNCOVERING SPATIAL VISUAL LEARNING IN THE GEOSCIENCES

Much research has been conducted looking at introductory science learners and the growth of their spatial visualization skills as a result of their experiences in the geosciences.  Very little research has been done that takes a cross-sectional look as students progress through their undergraduate/graduate geocurriculum.   We know that cognitive development in students becomes more complex and sophisticated as they move through more difficult coursework, but how their skills grow is not well understood.   A study at Kansas State University attempts to map this transition from novice to expert that occurs from the freshmen year through the undergraduate degree and into the first year of graduate school. The study examines the growth of three populations:  those enrolled in the physical geology labs (predominately non-majors), geology majors that have completed or are enrolled in the departmental capstone class (juniors/seniors), and geoscience graduate students. These populations include approximately 288 students in the introductory lab sections, 15 majors in the capstone undergraduate course, and 10 graduate students.   Each population will complete three labs that focus on the following cognitive skills:  envisioning 3-D objects from various viewpoints, recognizing patterns and shapes, understand relationships between objects and frames of references, engagement in field based learning, and the assimilation of facts and processes.   The labs include concept sketches of an outcrop, the contour map memory test, and a spatial visual block test.  Students from each population will participate in think out loud interviews where they verbally explain how they problem solved through the lab.  Overarching research questions include how does geologic vocabulary evolve, how do novice and an experts interpret differently in the field, which population relies more on observable data to make interpretations and conclusions, and how does the understanding of complex problem solving in geology evolve throughout the geo-curriculum? How students progress cognitively through the undergraduate/graduate geoscience curriculum can be revealing will implications on how programs should be structured.  It also reveals how a potential unrecognized gap can occur between our instruction as experts to our novice students.