Spatial visualization skills are a function of genetics and life experiences. An individual’s genetic spatial visualization aptitude can be enhanced through proper instruction and practice. Spatial visualization skills are important to engineers as they help with problem formulation and thus enhance problem-solving ability. They are also vital to an engineer’s ability to create and interpret visual representations of design ideas. This study seeks to investigate the experiential factors affecting spatial visualization skills and methods with which these skills can be enhanced. This study also investigates the correlation between spatial visualization ability and pre-college life experiences, as well as spatial visualization ability and academic performance. Participants were selected from an introductory engineering course. Participants in the treatment and control groups were pre- and post-tested using the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test—Rotations to gauge spatial visualization ability. The treatment consisted of students being given a series of technology-generated representations of figures from various perspectives that may aid in visualization of these objects. Scores between the treatment and control groups were compared and checked for statistical significance. Participants were also given a questionnaire to complete. The answers from the questionnaire were coded for levels of pre-college experience in certain key areas that are hypothesized to aid in the development of spatial visualization skills. These quantitative experience levels were correlated to pre-test results to verify the hypothesis of these life experiences’ significance in spatial visualization ability development. The relationship between student academic performance and spatial visualization ability was also investigated.
Instructional tool utilization and access effects on spatial visualization skill gains between pre-tests and post-tests were not significant. This is potentially due to a substitutive rather than additive effect to student experiences through usage of the instructional tool. Developmental experiences with stackable toys such as Legos and building blocks were a significant predictor of initial spatial ability, confirming previous findings. Developmental experiences with home improvement activities significantly affected graded performance in coursework. Initial spatial ability was also a significant predictor of course grades.
Course grade and resource web-based applications can be used successfully in the deployment of open access electronic instructional tools. Institutional web applications can also be used to automate and conduct large studies. Access, utilization logging, grades, and enforcement of experimental design parameters and treatment group segregation can be provisioned via online course grade and resource repositories such as Carmen, by Desire-to-Learn, employed in this study. Improvements in data accessibility must be made in course web applications to facilitate more studies conducted in this manner. Improvements in usability, reporting, and analysis are necessary to allow for streamlined study implementation and data dissemination for educational research in courses employing web applications. Improvements to course web applications can allow educational researchers to effectively capitalize on this technology.