How beliefs and metacognitive awareness influence junior high students’ spatial reasoning ability for education 5.0

Abstract Spatial reasoning has emerged as a central construct in mathematics education research, recognised for its foundational role in geometric understanding and mathematical problem-solving. This ability plays an important role in supporting understanding of geometric concepts and mathematical problem-solving. Previous studies have shown that spatial reasoning is influenced not only by cognitive factors but also by affective and metacognitive aspects, such as beliefs and metacognitive awareness. These two factors influence how students plan, monitor, and evaluate their thinking as they solve spatial problems. This study aims to identify students’ spatial reasoning ability by examining the influence of their beliefs and metacognitive awareness. A total of 95 junior high school students participated in this study. Spatial reasoning ability was measured using tests of spatial visualisation, spatial orientation, and mental rotation, while data on beliefs and metacognition were obtained via questionnaires. The analysis was performed using multiple linear regression. The results showed that beliefs and metacognition simultaneously had a significant effect on students’ spatial reasoning, with a significant contribution of 31.5% (R²=0.315). Beliefs had a significant effect ( p = 0.024 < 0.05), and metacognition also had a significant effect ( p = 0.006 < 0.05) on students’ spatial reasoning. These findings underscore the importance of integrating cognitive, affective, and metacognitive dimensions in mathematics instruction to improve spatial reasoning performance. Learning designs should incorporate belief-strengthening strategies and metacognitive reflection activities, including visual and technology-based tools such as Augmented Reality.