Exploiting the Connection between Spatial Skills and Computer Science

The research is set within the context of spatial skills development and their relationship to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects generally and Computing Science (CS) in particular. Spatial skills consist of a collection of individual abilities such as mental rotations and transformations and the identification of shapes and patterns in plain and obscured fields. In the 1950s, a strong correlation was identified between spatial skills and ability in STEM subjects. Spatial skills can be trained, using fairly straight-forward exercises. In a range of individual STEM subjects, most particularly in Engineering, a causal link has been established between spatial skills training and an improvement in those subjects. Moreover, the effects of spatial skills training and subject training appear to operate in both directions: while spatial skills training improves subject ability, so does subject training improve spatial skills (only to a lesser extent). There appears to be a third, "hidden", ability on which both have an influence.

The aim of this research is to explore spatial skills in relation to CS. There is plenty of evidence that spatial skills are correlated with CS ability, but no definitive causal link has yet been established between spatial skills training and improvements in CS ability. The supervisor and student have, in prior work, shown that a causal link is likely to exist, but a stronger experiment is required. Hence an initial study is underway to determine more definitely whether a causal link exists.

In prior work again, the supervisor and student have proposed a model to explain how the range of individual spatial skills could be related to individual skills within CS. A major objective of the research is to validate the model, and a number of separate studies will be designed to do this. An outcome of this work could be to develop approaches to CS education that directly act on CS skills and the third "hidden" ability outlined above, rather than using spatial skills as the conduit.

The value of this work lies in the importance of developing computational thinking skills necessary in CS and more broadly across modern societies. The subject has become mandatory in schools from an early age and is now clearly deemed to be societally important. Yet in the past, the success rates in CS courses in universities and secondary schools has not been high. The supervisor's past work suggests that the difference between those who succeed in CS courses and those who don't lies in non-school activities - and the particular activities identified have a relationship with spatial skills. Furthermore, it is well-documented that low spatial skills are more prevalent in children from low socio-economic backgrounds. By further exploring the link between spatial skills training and CS, and by devising improved CS educational activities based on our model, we aim ultimately to improve CS education from the early school years, enabling all learners to develop sound computing-related skills.