Abstract:

The understanding of two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects in the environment, the spatial ability is an important concept. Spatial ability have been defined in different ways by many researchers when looking at the field literature. Given the common definitions, spatial ability is defined as the ability to move and visualize three-dimensional space objects and components in their minds. For this reason, the aims of this research is to determine the extent to which the 8th grade students have open-ended questions and multiple choice tests and spatial skill levels. Another goal is to compare two different test methods that measure spatial skills. For this purpose, this research was designed as a case study from qualitative approaches. A purposeful sampling method was used for the purpose of the study. 8th grade students with the highest level of knowledge in geometry at secondary school level were selected. The working group of the study is composed of 77 students studying in a high school of Northern Turkey. The 10 questions selected from the MGMP spatial ability test, which was accepted in the field as a data collection tool in the survey, were used both as open ended and multiple choice. According to research findings, 68% of the answers given by 77 students as multiple choice were correct, only 45% of the answers given as open ended were correctly coded. Accordingly, it can be understood that students are more successful in the multiple-choice test, which is the preferred method for determining the spatial competence of the students. On the other hand, however, it has been seen that students are more successful in multiple-choice questions, especially when it comes to drawing skills (questions 11, 20, 22 and 23).

Keywords: