Desarrollo de la inteligencia espacial a través de la realidad aumentada en áreas de conocimiento STEM

Resum

In this doctoral thesis, the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) in improving spatial skills, cognitive load and learning in students in the STEM area of knowledge were investigated. For this, a series of investigations were carried out in which the use of innovative teaching-learning strategies focused on the use of AR technology was carried out with the aim of improving the spatial ability of students in understanding the so-called areas of knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This study investigates the effects of Augmented Reality (AR) in improving spatial skills, cognitive load and learning in students in the STEM area of knowledge. For this, a series of investigations have been carried out in which the use of innovative teaching-learning strategies focused on the use of AR technology has been used with the aim of improving the spatial ability of students in understanding the so-called areas of knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Spatial intelligence is essential to understand and solve real-world problems, being fundamental visuospatial skills in learning different STEM subjects, such as Technology, Technical Drawing, Mathematics, etc. It is essential to build mental models of objects or graphic representations from algebraic expressions, two-dimensional drawings or oral descriptions. It must be taken into account that spatial intelligence is not an innate ability, but rather a dynamic and malleable ability that can be enhanced through interaction with real and/or virtual objects. This ability can be enhanced by applying new technologies such as AR, capable of illustrating procedures in the areas of STEM knowledge through images and graphics, which considerably help students to visualize, understand and master concepts in which a high visual load predominates. Through each of these case studies of innovative practices, we verify and assess the intrinsic relationship that exists as a hypothesis between the impact of educational applications based on these emerging ICT resources focused on the AR-mobile device binomial and the development of the spatial intelligence in teaching-learning processes. The results show a significant relationship between spatial skills and the level of student learning achievement in STEM knowledge areas. It can be concluded that the incorporation of AR in educational settings had a possitive and compensatory impact, especially in students who started with low spatial intelligence.