EFFECTIVENESS OF TANGIBLE TEACHING AIDS IN ENHANCING LEARNERS’ VISUALIZATION SKILLS: A STRUCTURED LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1164008Keywords:
Instructional Materials, Spatial Visualisation, Tangible Teaching Aid (TTA), Visualisation SkillsAbstract
This systematic literature review (SLR) investigates the effectiveness of Tangible Teaching Aids (TTA) in developing students’ visualisation skills across different educational settings. Visualisation skills play an important role in the conceptual understanding, spatial reasoning, and abstract thinking. However, many students struggle to develop these abilities because they have limited access to concrete, interactive, and technology-supported learning materials. This challenge creates a need to synthesise existing research on how tangible and technology-enhanced instructional tools influence visualisation-related learning outcomes. The review followed the PRISMA framework to maintain a transparent and systematic study selection process. A structured search was conducted in the Scopus and ERIC databases using terms such as “visualisation skills,” “teaching aids,” and “tangible,”. The search covered studies published between 2016 and 2026. After the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 27 primary studies were retained for the final analysis. The findings were organised into three major themes. The first theme, Tangible and Physical Learning Tools for Conceptual and Spatial Understanding, covers hands-on manipulatives and physical models that support cognitive mapping and spatial comprehension. The second theme, Digital Visualisation, Simulation, and Immersive Educational Technologies, includes augmented reality, virtual reality, simulations and interactive visualisation platforms that strengthen engagement and conceptual understanding. The third theme Multisensory, Inclusive, and Accessibility-Oriented Educational Aids, focuses on adaptive and assistive resources designed to support learners with different needs, including students with disabilities. The findings show that tangible teaching aids and related technologies consistently enhance students’ visualisation performance, conceptual retention, and engagement across different academic disciplines. The review concludes that combining tangible, digital and multisensory approaches provide a more inclusive and effective framework for strengthening visualisation skills in contemporary education. It also identifies a need for further empirical research involving varied educational contexts and learners’ populations.
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