Educational Intervention Involving Physical Manipulatives for Improving Grade 7 Learners’ Spatial Reasoning Skills

Abstract

Physical manipulatives enhanced knowledge acquisition by engaging learners in hands-on experiences that supported spatial reasoning. These tools allowed learners to see, touch, and manipulate objects, improving their ability to mentally rotate and visualize structures. This study challenged the assumption that most learners are purely visual by demonstrating that multisensory engagement—both sight and touch—improved retention. Specifically, it examined how educational activities using physical manipulatives enhanced the spatial reasoning skills of Grade 7 learners. A Quasi-Experimental Research Design was selected due to the structured selection of participants rather than random assignment. Purposive sampling was used to select Grade 7 learners enrolled in a public junior high school in Manila during the Academic Year 2023-2024. Participants engaged in immersive hands-on activities, such as “Six-Sided Puzzles,” “How Many Cubes Are There?” and “Double-Sided Puzzles,” over a one-week intervention period. An adapted Spatial Reasoning Instrument measured their spatial reasoning skills. Results showed a significant improvement in spatial reasoning among learners exposed to physical manipulatives, who outperformed the control group. Additionally, the experimental group's mental rotation ability scores were significantly higher than those of the control group. These findings suggested that integrating physical manipulatives into instruction enhanced spatial reasoning and cognitive development. This study highlighted the importance of incorporating hands-on learning tools into spatial reasoning instruction for long-term academic benefits.