CORRELATION BETWEEN SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT AMONG GIFTED STUDENTS: A STUDY AT THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA

Spatial intelligence is the ability to think and interpret visually, and it helps students in understanding mathematical concepts well and solving mathematical problems. High spatial intelligence is often associated with good performance in Mathematics. Previous studies focused on the relationship between spatial intelligence and Mathematics achievement in general and were only conducted on specific groups of students. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure the correlation between spatial intelligence and Mathematics achievement, particularly among gifted and talented students (PPB) in Malaysia. This study involves 126 gifted and talented students aged 12 and 13, using a quantitative method with random probability sampling techniques. The study uses the Spatial Reasoning Instrument (SRI) to measure three main constructs of spatial intelligence: rotation ability, spatial orientation ability, and visual space ability. This instrument has 30 objective questions, with 10 questions for each construct. The students' Mathematics achievement was measured using the average scores from two major examinations throughout the year. Descriptive and correlation statistics were used in analyzing and interpreting the collected data using SPSS software. The results showed a positive correlation between spatial intelligence and Mathematics achievement (r = 0.496). This shows the higher the spatial intelligence, the higher the students’ achievement in Mathematics. Through ANOVA test, no significant difference was shown between male and female students for the rotation ability construct, but the significant differences were shown in the spatial orientation and visual space ability constructs. This means that both male and female students have the same rotation ability, but male students perform better than female students in spatial orientation (M = 7.8) and visual space ability (M = 5.7). The study also found that male students demonstrated a higher level of spatial intelligence (M = 22.1) compared to female students (M = 19.8). The meaningful knowledge gained from this study, specifically regarding the positive correlation in spatial intelligence, will help educators design interventions to enhance students' spatial intelligence, thereby improving Mathematics achievement among gifted and talented students.