A comparative study of the effects of using dynamic geometry software and physical manipulatives on the spatial visualisation skills of pre-service mathematics teachers

The study compared the effects of dynamic geometry software and physical manipulatives on the spatial visualisation skills of first-year pre-service mathematics teachers. A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was used. The Purdue Spatial Visualisation Test (PSVT) was used for the pre- and post-test. There were three treatment groups. The first group (n = 34) used Dynamic Geometry Software (DGS) Cabri 3D as a virtual manipulative and the second group (n = 32) used physical manipulatives. In the control group (n = 30), the students received traditional instruction. The results of the study showed that physical manipulatives and DGS-based types of instruction are more effective in developing the students' spatial visualisation skills than traditional instruction. In addition, students in the DGS-based group performed better than the physical manipulative-based group in the views section of the PSVT.