ABSTRACT
A study on the framing of spatial thinking in a plant anatomy course was conducted to investigate spatial thinking in frame-based learning of plant anatomy and its relation to logical thinking. This research used a pre-experimental research design. A number of biology education students (n = 42) were involved as participants. Data were collected using instruments of observation, a spatial thinking test, and a Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT). The data were analyzed quantitatively. Research results show that the spatial thinking of students in the frame-based learning of plant anatomy involved: (i) generating a representation in 2D and 3D; (ii) maintaining the characteristics of tissue in working memory to construct 3D structures; (iii) scanning the 2D and 3D representations; and (iv) transforming the representations. These were factors that improved students’ logical thinking on each indicator. The students’ logical thinking before and after the frame-based learning instruction resulted in the following pretest and posttest scores: (1) proportional reasoning (42.9 and 64.3); (2) controlling variables (3.6 and 11.1); (3) probabilistic reasoning (9.5 and 15.5); (4) correlational reasoning (11.9 and 27.4); and (5) combinatorial reasoning (17.9 and 45.2). Analysis of the relationship between spatial thinking and logical thinking showed significant correlation. It is concluded that frame-based plant anatomy learning improves students’ spatial thinking and logical thinking.
