Evolution of spatial ability in freshman engineering students: a comparison between 2012 and 2019 cohorts

Abstract

[EN] This study makes a comparison between the level of spatial skills of freshman students enrolled on the Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de Valencia (Spain) between the years 2012 and 2019 measured using the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) and the Differential Aptitude Test: Space Relations subset (DAT:SR). Spatial skills are a determining factor for success in technical studies, so it is important to know how the level of these skills has evolved over time for new students arriving at the University. The article presents an introduction to the field of spatial skills and how they are usually evaluated, and present the results obtained from a sample of 55 students in 2012 and 158 in the 2019 course. Online versions of the MRT and DAT:SR were administered to investigate how the performance of the students evolved throughout the execution of the test. A notable worsening in the success rate was evidenced as the test progressed in both cohorts. Results showed comparable mean scores in the DAT:SR in both cohorts and a slightly better performance in the MRT for the 2019 cohort.