Improving middle school students' geometry problem solving ability through hands-on experience: An fNIRS study

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology 2023-03, Vol.14, p.1126047-1126047
• Main Authors: Shi, Licheng, Dong, Linwei, Zhao, Weikun, Tan, Dingliang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: educational neuroscience; embodied cognition; fNIRS; geometry learning; hands-on experience; problem-solving; Psychology
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1126047

Hands-on learning is proposed as a prerequisite for mathematics learning in kindergarten and primary school. However, it remains unclear that whether hands-on experience aids understanding of geometry knowledge for middle school students. We also know little about the neural basis underlying the value of hands-on experience in math education. In this study, 40 right-handed Chinese students (20 boys and 20 girls) with different academic levels were selected from 126 seventh-grade students in the same school, who learnt "Axisymmetric of an Isosceles Triangle" in different learning style (hands-on operation vs. video observation). Half of them operated the concrete manipulatives while the other half watched the instructional videos. The learning-test paradigm and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique were used to compare the differences in geometry reasoning involved in solving well-structured problems and ill-structured problems. Behavioral results showed that hands-on experience promoted students' performances of geometry problem-solving. Students with lower academic level were more dependent on hands-on experience than those with higher academic level. The fNIRS results showed that meaningful hands-on experience with concrete manipulatives related to learning contents increased reactivation of the somatosensory association cortex during subsequent reasoning, which helped to improve the problem-solving performance. Hands-on experience also reduced students' cognitive load during the well-structured problem-solving process. These findings contribute to better understand the value of hands-on experience in geometry learning and the implications for future mathematics classroom practices.