Comparison of first graders’ spatial abilities in solving mathematical and fine arts tasks

Developing spatial abilities is one of the fundamental aims of education, as it contributes to pupils’ capacity for orientation and understanding spatial relations, as well as their ability to imagine, predict and/or visualise even hidden parts of objects. The theme in this paper is presented from mathematical and artistic perspectives. Two types of spatial abilities – orientation and visualisation – were examined in 55 pupils in the first grade of primary school, focusing on the interrelationship between the manifestation of these spatial abilities. We investigated whether parallels could be drawn between mathematical and drawing tasks with regard to the children’s level of visualisation and orientation. The methods were based on a two-part measuring instrument: an inverted perspective drawing test and a mathematical test, both examining orientation and visualisation. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The results showed that pupils express their spatial abilities to a significantly greater extent through tasks with the explicit instructions of mathematical tasks than through tasks where the requirements to consider spatial ability are hidden in the task instructions. The drawing task therefore proved to be quite challenging, even for pupils who demonstrated relatively good spatial ability in mathematics.