An investigation of the role of spatial ability in representing and solving word problems among engineering students

Abstract

Background Spatial ability is significantly related to performance in engineering education. Problem solving, an activity that is highly relevant to engineering education, has been linked to spatial ability. Purpose/Hypothesis To what extent is spatial ability related to problem solving among engineering students and how do approaches to problem representation and solution vary with spatial ability level? Design/Method Three instruments-a spatial ability test, word math problems and accompanying core math competency questions-were administered to two samples of first year engineering students in two different countries. Data were analyzed at the test level to evaluate the relationship of spatial ability to problem representation and solution. A detailed item level analysis was conducted to compare approach to problem solving with spatial ability level. Results Spatial ability was found to be significantly related to problem solving but not to the core competency questions indicating the relationship was limited to the problem representation phase and not the solution phase. Key aspects of representation were identified for each problem to reveal a more pronounced relationship between representation and spatial ability than between problem solving (representation and solution) and spatial ability. Conclusions Problem solving can be considered to consist of two cognitively distinct phases: spatial ability is significantly related to problem representation but not to problem solution. Hence, this study shows that spatial ability plays a key role in engineering education that is not limited to visualization of imagery but extends to thinking during problem solving, a nonroutine activity that requires mental representation.

Bridging the gap: blending spatial skills instruction into a technology teacher preparation programme

“…Other research stemming from the Technology and Engineering Education domain has offered insights into different aspects of spatial cognition. Strong spatial skills are not only important to visualization but they also support 'thinking' when problem-solving (Duffy et al, 2020). Furthermore, strong spatial skills help to increase the capacity of working memory and reduce cognitive load during graphical problem-solving tasks (Buckley et al, 2019;Delahunty et al, 2020).…”

A new structural model for measuring spatial intelligence

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Improving Student Geometry Problem-Solving Skills Through Spatial Training

“…Spatial reasoning helps students understand 3D objects and spaces by mentally engaging themselves in spatial situations to solve problems and contextualize spatial elements [11]. This condition is enabled by a significant relationship between mathematical problem-solving and spatial skills [12]. Spatial skills are referred to as special skills supporting geometric problem-solving.…”