ASSESSING SPATIAL COMPETENCE THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF MATERIAL SPATIAL REPRESENTATIONS BY PRESERVICE PRIMARY TEACHERS
Maria Eliza DULAMĂ 
Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
Email: maria.dulama@ubbcluj.ro
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5190-5243
ABSTRACT
Spatial competence represents a fundamental component of geography education and an essential competence for future primary and preschool teachers. This study examined the competence of preservice primary teachers in producing material spatial representations that can be used in geography teaching. The study adopted an observational, quantitative, and descriptive research design and involved 84 third-year students enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Pedagogy of Primary and Preschool Education. Three authentic learning products were analysed: a classroom plan, a hypsometric map, and a three-dimensional model of the major landforms of the continents. Students’ performance was assessed using analytic assessment grids with predefined criteria, and competence levels were established on the basis of the total scores obtained. The results showed high completion rates for all three products (89.3-92.9%). Among the students who completed all three products, the mean performance reached 83.0% of the maximum possible score, while 72.8% demonstrated high or very high levels of competence. The analysis of the completed products showed that they provide evidence of students’ understanding of geographical concepts, procedural knowledge, application of geographical conventions, and their ability to mobilize internal and external resources in completing authentic learning tasks. Differences in students’ performance across the three products reflected differences in task complexity and in the specific cognitive processes required to produce each representation. The findings suggest that material spatial representations have a dual educational function: they serve both as authentic evidence of spatial competence and as instructional resources that future teachers can subsequently use in primary education. The study supports the integration of practical tasks involving the production of material spatial representations into initial teacher education as an effective approach to developing and assessing spatial competence.
KEYWORDS:
authentic assessment, assessment grid, geography education, material spatial representations, preservice primary teachers, spatial competence
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Cite this article as:
Dulamă, M.E. (2026). Assessing Spatial Competence Through the Production of Material Spatial Representations by Preservice Primary Teachers. Romanian Review of Geographical Education, 15(2), 42-60. http://doi.org/10.24193/RRGE20268
