Spatial Ability in High School Students

Abstract Spatial Ability in High School StudentsSpatial ability is a skill necessary in a number of disciplines; however, the main emphasis ofeducation of this ability is primarily in engineering education. This study reviewed literatureregarding the development of spatial ability and considered implications for not only engineeringeducation but also mathematics education with specific regard to geometry. The purpose of thisstudy was to observe the differences in spatial ability among high school PreAP Geometrystudents and Introduction to Engineering Design students. The hypothesis states that studentswho are enrolled in both high school PreAP Geometry and Introduction to Engineering Designhave better spatial ability skills than those students who are solely enrolled in PreAP Geometry.Of the 207 students enrolled in geometry at the test school, there was a smaller population(n=57) simultaneously enrolled in an engineering graphics course. No direct or specialintervention was given to either group of students; however, the curriculum between the twoclasses differed greatly. Near the end of the academic year all students were administered thePurdue Visualization of Rotations test (ROT). Results showed that students enrolled in theengineering design class performed better than those students not enrolled in the course.Furthermore, the males outperformed the females when all students were considered. However,there was not a significant difference among the males, nor was there a difference between malesand females within engineering. Further research is needed to understand these differences andhow geometry education plays a role in the development of spatial ability.