A Geospatial Thinking Multiyear Study

The mediating effect of geospatial thinking on the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography

Purpose

Family environment has the major impact on children's academic development. The aim of this study was to research the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography. Further, geospatial thinking, as a form of spatial thinking focusing on the scale of the geographical environment, is closely related to family environment and academic achievement in geography. Thus, the study was more specifically to apply a mediation model to explore the potential mediating role of geospatial thinking.

Methods

A total of 1,037 upper-secondary-school students in Western China were surveyed using t the Family Capital Questionnaire and the Geospatial Thinking Test Questionnaire. SPSS (version 26.0) was used for descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis. The PROCESS plug-in (version 4.0) was used to test the mediating effect of geospatial thinking.

Results

(1) The correlation analysis showed that family capital has a positive effect on academic achievement in geography and is related to geospatial thinking. Moreover, geospatial thinking exerts a positive effect on academic achievement in geography. (2) The results of mediation analysis indicated that geospatial thinking plays mediating and buffering roles in the relationship between family capital and academic achievement in geography after controlling for family residence and gender. The direct and indirect effects accounted for 75.32% and 24.68% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion

The results indicated that family capital not only affected academic achievement in geography directly but also indirectly through geospatial thinking. This finding provides some ideas for the development of geography education, which suggests that geography educators need to pay more attention to the influence of the family environment on students' geography learning in curriculum design and teaching processes. Also, the mediating role of geospatial thinking further uncovers the mechanisms underlying the academic achievement in geography. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on both students' family capital and geospatial thinking in the process of geography learning, and carry out more geospatial thinking training to improve academic achievement in geography.

Evaluation of Spatial Thinking Ability Based on Exposure to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Concepts in the Context of Higher Education

(1) Background: spatial thinking is indirectly applied in numerous daily activities (e.g., when defining the route when going to school/work) or in scientific areas (e.g., predicting the spatial–temporal spread of contagious diseases), and its ability might be improved using geographical information systems (GIS). The main objective of this study was to perform an analysis of the spatial thinking of students in two curricular units (CUs) that had come from different background areas; (2) Methods: to that end, the Spatial Thinking Ability Test (STAT), composed of 15 multiple choice questions to measure spatial thinking, was given to 83 students before and after exposure to GIS concepts and software. Students’ answers were analyzed question-by-question and as total scores. The statistical analysis was performed using the paired samples t-test, the independent samples t-test or the Mann–Whitney statistical test and the nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test; (3) Results: an overall significant improvement was observed from the pre- to the post-test. Additionally, total scores were not significantly different between students of different CUs, courses, or genders; (4) Conclusions: this exploratory study can be considered as a support methodology for pedagogical didactics that have been implemented in the CUs and may be readily applied in other academic environments, namely with students from different backgrounds, countries, and teaching strategies, thus promoting the discussion of all such experiences and consequent improvement in geographical education.

Manufacture and Characterization of Polypropylene (PP) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Blocks for Potential Use as Masonry Component in Civil Construction

The lack of suitable destinations for plastics materials can be a global environmental problem. The alternative use of materials for sustainable construction encourages the standardization of waste and promotes effective social, environmental and economic gains at the local level and ensures savings and income for communities. The aim of this paper is the development, manufacture, and characterization of PP and HDPE recycled polyolefin blocks as masonry components in civil construction. These blocks were manufactured by the rotational molding process. Besides this, the mechanical, physical, impact and flammability properties of the blocks were studied. In conclusion, HDPE showed better behavior than PP in tests realized.

A Case Study of Educational Games in Virtual Reality as a Teaching Method of Lean Management

(1) At present, it is important to bring the latest technologies from industrial practice into the teaching process of educational institutions, including universities. The presented case study addresses the application of educational games in virtual reality to the teaching process in a university environment. (2) The study took place at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Žilina in Žilina and consisted of two phases. In the first phase, students’ satisfaction with current teaching methods was examined. The second phase focused on an educational game in virtual reality, which introduced a non-traditional approach for teaching lean management, namely the tool 5S. (3) This game was designed by the study authors and created in the Godot game engine. The educational game was provided to students during class. After completing the game, participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The aim was to enable students to express their opinion on the educational game and to identify the main benefits of this approach in the teaching process. (4) In the study’s final phase, based on the acquired knowledge, the authors examined the benefits and disadvantages of virtual reality educational games for the teaching process of industrial engineering tools.