Investigating the effect of orienteering on the development of pre-service primary teachers’ spatial ability self-report and visual literacy skills

This research employed a nested mixed methods design to develop the spatial ability self-report and visual literacy efficiency of pre-service teachers through orienteering. The quantitative dimension used one-group pre-test-post-test design, expanded by qualitative data collection tools. The study group consisted of nine participants studying at the Faculty of Education, determined by criterion sampling and convenience sampling methods. The research employed data collection tools including the Spatial Ability Self-Report Scale (SASRS), and Efficiency of Visual Literacy Scale (EVLS), along with questionnaires, field notes and observations. The quantitative findings indicated a statistically significant increase in the participants’ scores offering concrete evidence that orienteering is effective in developing pre-service teachers’ spatial ability self-report and visual literacy efficiency. The themes derived from the qualitative data support this increase, revealing that orienteering strengthens map reading, environmental engagement, and orienteering skills. This research recommends that interdisciplinary activities based on experiential learning are incorporated into the curriculum in teacher education programmes, to support mathematics and language skills.