2021 Volume 61 Issue 3 Pages 429-442
Spatial perspective-taking is a particularly necessary aspect of spatial cognition that is essential for a complete understanding of the lunar phases. First, this study assessed lower secondary school students’ spatial perspective-taking abilities in the context of the lunar phases. Consequently, it was determined that the “ability to visualize an imaginary body movement” was necessary to foster understanding among the students. Additionally, the following abilities, to infer information about the moon by analyzing specific positions of the imaginary body, were also deemed imperative: the “ability to infer the shape of the unlit part of the spherical moon”; the “ability to infer which side of the moon will appear unlit” at 45° and 135°; the “ability to infer whether a part of the moon will appear unlit or not” at 90°; and the “ability to infer which side of the moon will appear unlit” at 180°. It was found that the cognitive load—for each ability—increases in the following order: the “ability to infer whether a part of the moon will appear unlit or not”; < the “ability to infer which side of the moon will appear unlit”, << the “ability to infer the shape of the unlit part of the spherical moon.” Second, we assessed the students’ changes in the extent of spatial perspective-taking by considering the movement of the imaginary body. Movement of the avatar, presentation of its field of view, and the re-experience of its movement all facilitated the superposition of the avatar and the imaginary body. This clearly improved the students’ “ability to visualize an imaginary body movement,” assisting them in making inferences that cause high cognitive load (e.g., the “ability to infer the shape of the unlit part of the spherical moon”).
