The Effects of Computer Algebra System on Undergraduate Students’ Spatial Visualization Skills in a Calculus Course

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of using a computer algebra system (CAS) on undergraduate students’ spatial visualization skills in a calculus course. This study was designed on experimental method. The “one group pretest-posttest design” of method was taken as the research model. The participants were 41 sophomore students and 26 of which were female and 15 of which were male studying at an undergraduate program in the department of mathematics in the west Anatolia region of Turkey. In order to determine students’ spatial ability, The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotation (PSVT-R) was used as the pre-test and post-test. This test was developed so as to consist of 30 multiple choice items and include the skills of mental rotation of object. The results of the study showed that using CAS in a calculus course had a positive effect on developing students’ spatial visualization abilities. Additionally, the result of the study showed that spatial visualization skills can be a predictor for success in a calculus course.