Investigating the relationship of middle school gifted students' spatial reasoning skills with their conceptual understanding of astronomy subjects and academic achievement

The purpose of this research is to investigate the exploratory relationship between gifted 6th, 7th and 8th grade students' spatial reasoning skills with conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects and their science achievement. With this purpose the research model was designed in multi factor predictive correlational design of quantitative research method. The target population of the research is middle school gifted students studying in Science and Art Centers in Turkey, while accessible population is gifted middle school students studying in Science and Art Center in two cities (one is metropolitan and the other is sub-urban) in each of 7 geographical regions of Turkey. The sample of the research consists of 642 middle school gifted students, selected with convenience sampling, studying in Science and Art Centers in 12 different cities of Turkey (Elazığ, Erzincan, Malatya, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Denizli, İzmir, Ordu and Rize) in 2015-2016 academic year. As data collection instruments "Conceptual Understanding of Basic Astronomy Subjects Test (CUBAST)", "Mental Image Focused Spatial Reasoning Skill Test (SRST)", both developed by the researcher, and personal information form were used. In order to determine gifted students' science achievement, "Science Achievement Test (SAT)" developed by Aşut (2013) was used. Data gathered both in pilot and main study with revised and developed instruments were analyzed with quantitative data analysis methods. For the validity and reliability of the instruments ITEMAN item analysis program and for the inferential statistical analysis SPSS 21 software were used. For the advanced statistical techniques required in the path analysis, AMOS 21 and LISREL 8.7 were used. A path diagram in which the explanatory relations between observed variables was visualized. Accordingly, in the model designed to be tested by the researcher, the class-level was determined as external variable; mental image focused static spatial reasoning skill (SRS-S), mental image focused dynamic spatial reasoning skill (SRS-D), conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects (CUBAS) and science achievement (SA) was determined as internal variable. In order to interpret the direct, indirect and total effects between the examined internal and external variables path coefficients were calculated, and model fit indices were calculated to evaluate the model fit of the obtained data and the tested model. As a result of the analysis, it was observed that the external variable of class-level positively and significantly predicted the internal variables of static and dynamic spatial reasoning skills, conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects and science achievement of gifted students. In addition another finding of the research is that gifted students' both static and dynamic spatial reasoning skills positively and significantly predicted their conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects. Similarly, it was observed that gifted students' science achievement was predicted positively and significantly by their static and dynamic spatial reasoning skills and their conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects. As a result of the research, it was determined that there are positive and significant direct and indirect explanatory relationships between gifted students' class level, static and dynamic spatial reasoning skills, conceptual understanding of basic astronomy subjects and science achievement.