{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86652"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86652","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Effects of GIS Integration in Secondary School Classrooms: A Mixed-Method Study on Student Spatial Thinking Ability","abstract":"Ph.D.","abstract_html":"Ph.D.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Li, Siqi; 0000-0002-3687-4944"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Liu, Xiufeng","Learning and Instruction"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-21T21:36:03Z","date_published":"2025-02-21T21:36:03Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z","subjects":["science education"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86652","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Liu, Xiufeng","Learning and Instruction"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Li, Siqi; 0000-0002-3687-4944"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-21T21:36:03Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["science education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86652"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Ph.D.","To respond to the National Research Council's (2006) call on fostering a new generation of students who are equipped to think spatially, this study had the following four purposes: 1) to explore students' current spatial thinking ability, 2) to examine whether taking GIS integration lessons facilitates students' development of spatial thinking ability, 3) to investigate GIS related factors influencing students' spatial thinking ability, and 4) to investigate factors influencing teachers' GIS integration decision. This study applied quasi-experimental research design and a mixed-method. Spatial Thinking Ability Test and survey questions were conducted to 2149 middle and high school students, and 26 teachers were interviewed from two urban public school districts during years from 2017 to 2020. Rasch measurement, descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, one-way ANCOVA, structural equation modeling, and qualitative approaches were the analysis methods of the study. The results indicated that 1) secondary school students' spatial thinking ability were still very low, and it varied by gender, grade level, and associated with science course and science attitude, 2) Taking GIS integrated science and technology classes was effective in improving students' spatial thinking ability, and higher frequency of taking GIS integration lessons associated with a higher gain in spatial thinking ability, 3) students with higher GIS perceived ease of use and higher GIS perceived usefulness tended to have better ability in GIS use, and in turn, tended to have better spatial thinking ability, 4) teachers' GIS technology knowledge, content knowledge, time for practice, attitude toward GIS, and GIS perceived competence, curriculum alignment, students' engagement, and students' development were factors influencing teachers' GIS integration decision. The above findings make contributions to education research in several ways: 1) they allow educators and future researchers to have an in-depth understanding on secondary school students' current spatial thinking ability, providing a direction in improving spatial thinking ability, 2) they respond to the calls on incorporating GIS into students' learning, and add to the understanding of GIS's role in middle and high school students' spatial thinking ability development, and 3) they demonstrate the effectiveness of a holistic process from teacher GIS training to students' use of GIS, eventually leads to students' improvement of spatial thinking ability. The study builds a foundation for a long-term GIS use and spatial thinking ability research program.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effects of GIS Integration in Secondary School Classrooms: A Mixed-Method Study on Student Spatial Thinking Ability"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Liu, Xiufeng","Learning and Instruction"],"dc:creator":["Li, Siqi; 0000-0002-3687-4944"],"dc:date":["2025-02-21T21:36:03Z","2020"],"dc:description":["Ph.D.","To respond to the National Research Council's (2006) call on fostering a new generation of students who are equipped to think spatially, this study had the following four purposes: 1) to explore students' current spatial thinking ability, 2) to examine whether taking GIS integration lessons facilitates students' development of spatial thinking ability, 3) to investigate GIS related factors influencing students' spatial thinking ability, and 4) to investigate factors influencing teachers' GIS integration decision. This study applied quasi-experimental research design and a mixed-method. Spatial Thinking Ability Test and survey questions were conducted to 2149 middle and high school students, and 26 teachers were interviewed from two urban public school districts during years from 2017 to 2020. Rasch measurement, descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, one-way ANCOVA, structural equation modeling, and qualitative approaches were the analysis methods of the study. The results indicated that 1) secondary school students' spatial thinking ability were still very low, and it varied by gender, grade level, and associated with science course and science attitude, 2) Taking GIS integrated science and technology classes was effective in improving students' spatial thinking ability, and higher frequency of taking GIS integration lessons associated with a higher gain in spatial thinking ability, 3) students with higher GIS perceived ease of use and higher GIS perceived usefulness tended to have better ability in GIS use, and in turn, tended to have better spatial thinking ability, 4) teachers' GIS technology knowledge, content knowledge, time for practice, attitude toward GIS, and GIS perceived competence, curriculum alignment, students' engagement, and students' development were factors influencing teachers' GIS integration decision. The above findings make contributions to education research in several ways: 1) they allow educators and future researchers to have an in-depth understanding on secondary school students' current spatial thinking ability, providing a direction in improving spatial thinking ability, 2) they respond to the calls on incorporating GIS into students' learning, and add to the understanding of GIS's role in middle and high school students' spatial thinking ability development, and 3) they demonstrate the effectiveness of a holistic process from teacher GIS training to students' use of GIS, eventually leads to students' improvement of spatial thinking ability. The study builds a foundation for a long-term GIS use and spatial thinking ability research program.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86652"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["science education"],"dc:title":["Effects of GIS Integration in Secondary School Classrooms: A Mixed-Method Study on Student Spatial Thinking Ability"],"dc:type":["Text","Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z"}