Gilligan-Lee, Katie A; Bradbury, Alice; Bradley, Charlotte; Farran, Emily K; Van Herwegen, Jo; Wyse, Dominic; Outhwaite, Laura; (2023) Spatial Thinking in Practice: A Snapshot of teacher’s Spatial Activity Use in the Early Years’ Classroom. Mind, Brain, and Education 10.1111/mbe.12352. (In press).

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Abstract

Spatial thinking predicts Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics achievement, yet is often absent from educational policy. We provide benchmarks of teachers' usage and perceptions of spatial activities in practice in the reception classroom (first year of primary school). In this questionnaire study of educational professionals working in the reception classroom in England (N = 104), we found that spatial and numeracy activities were perceived as significantly less important, and were reportedly completed significantly less often, than literacy or life skills. Despite the lower perceived importance of spatial skills in curriculum guidance in England, rates of reported spatial activity use were encouragingly high and were broadly comparable to those of numeracy. Teachers had moderate anxiety levels for both spatial and mathematics domains. The findings highlight a need to elevate teachers' understanding of the importance of developing children's early spatial and numeracy skills, which may begin with efforts to reduce spatial and mathematics anxiety.

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