Bibliography : pages 209-222. / This investigation sought answers to three main questions 1. Irrespective of level of performance in undergraduate anatomy, descriptive astronomy or engineering drawing, do students with poor spatial visualization ability significantly under-achieve in university class examinations in these subjects relative to their spatially competent peers? If this is the case: 2. Can a battery of spatial exercises be employed to diagnose severe three-dimensional impairment amongst students failing in anatomy, descriptive astronomy and engineering drawing and, if so, what is the optimum composition of such a battery? 3. For the purposes of counselling and possible remedial teaching, at which stage during a course of university study should failing students be tested for suspected spatial ineptitude? The investigation from 1980 to 1983 involved four populations of anatomy students, three populations of astronomy students, one year of engineering students and one group of clinical remedial mathematics students. The academic performances of 1126 students were monitored during this period, and 621 of these students were singled out for special measurement of spatial achievement in their academic subjects.

This research was undertaken to investigate the effects of solid modeling and visualization on technical problem solving. The participants were 47 students enrolled in solid modeling classes at Southeast Missouri State University. The control and experimental groups consisted of 23 and 24 randomly assigned students respectively. This study was a posttest only design that used logistic regression to analyze the results. Both groups were required to take the Purdue Spatial-Visualization Test/Visualization of Rotations (PSVT/TR). Participants in the control group used only sketching to design their solutions while participants in the experimental group used parametric solid modeling software to design their solutions. All participants then constructed prototypes of their designs. The prototype was evaluated to determine if it successfully met the design specifications. The findings revealed that visualization was a significant predictor of technical problem solving as defined by successful prototype construction (p=.021). There was no significant difference between the sketching and solid modeling design methods used for technical problem solving (p=.752). The interaction between the method of design, solid modeling or sketching, was analyzed to determine if using solid modeling would offset low visualization scores It was found that the interaction was not significant (p=.393). / Ph. D.

The purpose of this project is to design a computer program to help children understand a strategy for changing vantage points within an imagined space and gain knowledge of how spatial transformations work. The developed software, called Viewpoints, presents a virtual three-dimensional environment to be explored and modified by the user. Object and camera manipulations are illustrated through animation. Furthermore, the program was designed to have an intuitive interface and be easy to access. This should allow the software’s target audience of children to focus on the spatial orientation and spatial visualization aspects. A small study evaluated the software in terms of content, instructional design, technical quality, student use, and instructor use. The study provided valuable feedback on how to improve Viewpoints in the future. Information gathered suggests the issue of speed should be addressed and supplemental materials should be added.

This research was undertaken to investigate the assessment of the spatial visualization skills of first-year engineering students. This research was conducted through three approaches: (1) a review of cogent research framed by a spatial visualization matrix, (2) the development and validation of an Engineering Graphics Concept Inventory, and (3) an investigation into the relationship into the correlations between 3D modeling skills and performance on the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations (PSVT:R) and the Mental Cutting Test (MCT). The literature reviewed spans the field of published research from the early 1930's to the present. This review expands and provides a new direction on published research as it is viewed through the lenses of the four common pedagogical approaches to teaching spatial visualization: the standard approach, the remedial approach, computer-aided design, and the theory-informed approach. A spatial visualization matrix of criteria was developed to evaluate each of the methods. The four principle criteria included: learning outcomes, active and engaged learning, stage of knowledge, and explanatory power. Key findings from the literature review indicate the standard method is not the most effective method to teaching spatial visualization while the theory-informed method as evaluated by the matrix is the most effective pedagogical approach of the four methods evaluated. The next phase of this research focused on the two-year development, validation, and reliability of an Engineering Graphics Concept Inventory given to over 1300 participants from three universities. A Delphi method was used to determine the key concepts identified by the expert panel to be included in the inventory. A student panel of 20 participants participated in the pilot study of "think aloud" protocols to refine inventory test items and to generate the appropriate distractors. Multiple pilot studies coupled with a detailed psychometric analysis provided the feedback and direction needed for the adjustment of test items. The reported Cronbach's α for the final instrument is .73, which is within the acceptable range. The inventory is ready to be implemented and the predictability of the instrument, in reference to students' spatial visualization skills, to be researched. The final chapter of this research was a correlational study of the relationship between first-year engineering student's 3D modeling frameworks and their performance on the PSVT:R and the MCT. 3D modeling presence in graphical communications has steadily increased over the last 15 years; however there has been little research on the correlations between the standard visualization tests and 3D modeling. 220 first-year engineering students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated in the study in the fall of 2011. The main findings from this research indicate there is no significant correlational relationship between the PSVT:R and a student's 3D modeling ability, but there is one for the MCT. The significant correlational factors reported for the MCT and modeling aptitude for the three assignments are: r = .32 (p < 0.05), .36 (p< 0.01), and .47 (p< 0.01). These findings may be used by undergraduate educators and course administrators to more effectively organize engineering graphics education to yield students with deeper, more meaningful knowledge about engineering graphics and its inherent connection throughout the engineering curriculum. Together these three studies represent a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach that intertwines qualitative interviews and observations to frame the quantitative instrument and data collection. Results of this study can be used to guide the assessment of incoming freshmen engineering students, and the modification and development of engineering graphics courses. / Ph. D.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate preservice teachers&rsquo / spatial visualization ability, geometry self-efficacy, and spatial anxiety regarding undergraduate program and gender. The other purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship among preservice teachers&rsquo / spatial visualization ability, geometry self-efficacy, and spatial anxiety. The data were collected from 1007 third and fourth grade preservice teachers who were enrolled in Elementary Mathematics Education (EME), Elementary Science Education (ESE), and Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs of four universities in Ankara. The measuring instruments were Spatial Visualization Test (SVT), Geometry Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale, and Spatial Anxiety (ANX) Scale. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between undergraduate programs regarding spatial visualization ability levels. The EME students had significantly higher SVT scores than the ESE and the ECE students. Moreover, it was concluded that males had significantly higher spatial visualization scores than females. In addition, ECE students&rsquo / geometry self-efficacy was significantly lower than that of both EME and ESE students. The geometry self-efficacy scores of female preservice teachers were found significantly lower than of male preservice teachers. Furthermore, the significant difference in spatial anxiety levels was found only between EME and ESE students where EME students&rsquo / spatial anxiety levels were higher than ESE students. Moreover, ECE students had the lowest spatial anxiety among other programs. The spatial anxiety levels of males were less than females in all three undergraduate programs. Finally, Pearson product-moment correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between GSE and SVT scores. Moreover, the negative correlation was found between ANX and SVT scores, and between ANX and GSE scores.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the spatial strategies of adults and the difficulties they experience while solving spatial visualization problems. To achieve this purpose, a case study is conducted and the case of this study is the group of five adults studying secondary or elementary mathematics education in a public university in Ankara. Spatial Ability Test (SAT) and task based interviews are utilized to determine the participants&rsquo / spatial abilities / and to interpret their strategies, and their difficulties in solving spatial visualization problems. The present study reveals that, the participants&rsquo / spatial strategies are mainly categorized as: holistic, analytic and intermediate strategies. Moreover, substrategies are defined / for holistic strategies / mental rotation and mental manipulation strategies / for analytic strategies, key feature and counting strategies / and for intermediate strategies, partial rotation, partial manipulation and pattern-based strategies. Additionally, for each sub-strategy different ways of using that strategy are defined. As an example when using mental manipulation strategy, participants use two different ways / imagining the folding and imagining the sequence. It is also concluded that when the strategies are selected, characteristics of the problems are important. This study shows that the difficulties of the participants in solving spatial visualization problems can be mainly categorized as: limited flexibility and inadequate proficiency. The results of this study provides detailed descriptions of strategies and difficulties of adults in solving spatial visualization problems to be used in designing tools for assessment or development of spatial visualization ability.

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Forskning och internationella mätningar visar att förmågan att hantera två- och tredimensionella objekt är en utmaning för elever. Motivet till denna kvalitativa observationsstudie är att undersöka hur digital teknik kan bemöta elevernas utmaning i geometri. Vi ämnar undersöka hur ett digitalt visualiseringsprogram stöttar elevens spatiala resonemangsförmåga, studien utgår därför från forskningsfrågan: Hur stöttar TinkerCad elevens spatiala visualisering av tredimensionella kroppar? Studien tar utgångspunkt i Trouche (2004) teoretiska ramverk instrumentell genes som beskriver hur elever på olika sätt finner en artefakts funktioner som användbara. Genom en sekventiell analys kan vi utifrån olika processer identifiera hur TinkerCad kan få en stöttande roll. Resultatet visar att det är beroende på hur eleven väljer att använda TinkerCads funktioner som påverkar i vilken utsträckning det får en stöttande roll. När eleven tillåts att se tredimensionella kroppar från olika håll och perspektiv, stöttas den spatiala visualiseringen. Även om resultatet visar att TinkerCad kan få en stöttande roll för den spatiala visualiseringen så är det inte garanterat. En konsekvens av detta är att verksamma lärare behöver skapa sig en medvetenhet om att elever finner olika typer av artefakter som användbara i arbetet med två- och tredimensionella objekt. / Research and international assessments indicate that the ability to manipulate two and threedimensional objects poses a challenge for students. The motive behind this qualitative observational study is to investigate what potential that digital technology offers in addressing students' challenges in geometry. We intend to examine how a digital visualization program supports students' spatial reasoning ability; therefore, the study is based on the research question: How does TinkerCad support students' spatial visualization of three-dimensional shapes? The study is grounded in Trouche's (2004) theoretical framework of instrumental genesis, which describes how students find an artifact's functions useful in various ways. Through sequential analysis, we can identify how TinkerCad can play a supportive role based on different processes. The results show that it depends on how the student chooses to use TinkerCad's functions, which affects the extent to which it provides support. When the student is allowed to view three-dimensional shapes from different angles and perspectives, spatial visualization is supported. Although the results indicate that TinkerCad can play a supportive role in spatial visualization, this is not guaranteed. Consequently, practicing teachers need to develop an awareness that students find different types of artifacts useful in working with two and threedimensional objects.