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EXAMINING the SPATIAL ABILITY PHENOMENON from the STUDENT's PERSPECTIVE a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue EXAMINING THE SPATIAL ABILITY PHENOMENON FROM THE STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by James L. Mohler In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2006 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii Copyright 2006 by Mohler, James L. iii DEDICATION To my wife, Lisa—for her steadfast love and support of all that I do. To my parents—for starting me down this academic road. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many who have supported the creation of this work, making it difficult to choose the words that truly express the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation I feel. Words at times do not seem to carry the full import. Nevertheless, I would like to begin by thanking the members of my committee for their guidance, suggestions, criticisms, and support. As my chair, Dr. Timothy Newby has been quite patient with me as I have traversed a somewhat "non- traditional" path in the pursuit of this degree and the completion of this work. His continued encouragement and advice have been invaluable. To Drs. James Lehman and Ala Samarapungavan I extend gratitude for their timely reviews and thoughtful insights during the creation of this document and the execution of this project. To Dr. Craig Miller, for his continued "encouragement" to make the time to get this done (which at times made me love and hate him like a brother), I am grateful. And, to Dr. Donna Enersen, who late in this project was willing to jump on-board and provide critical expertise in qualitative research, I am equally thankful. Two notable faculty in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology I also owe a note of thanks. To Dr. Marvin Sarapin, I am grateful for the encouragement and support in helping to create time for me to complete this project. And, to Dr. Gary Bertoline, for continuing to be a role model, friend, and an invisible committee member. Finally, to my greatest supporter, my greatest advocate, and my best friend, I thank my wife Lisa for listening to countless hours of frustration, belabored discussions about "phenomenology" and explanations thereof, and for cheering. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................xiii LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................xv ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ............................................................................................... 1 1.2. Significance ............................................................................................... 3 1.3. Statement of Purpose ................................................................................ 3 1.4. Research Questions .................................................................................. 3 1.5. Assumptions .............................................................................................. 4 1.6. Limitations ................................................................................................. 5 1.7. Delimitations .............................................................................................. 5 1.8. Definition of Key Terms ............................................................................. 6 1.9. Overview of Study ..................................................................................... 7 1.10. Organization ............................................................................................ 8 1.11. Summary ................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF RELEVENT LITERATURE ..................................... 10 2.1. Approach to This Review ......................................................................... 10 2.2. The History of Spatial Ability Research .................................................... 11 2.3. Psychometric Research ........................................................................... 13 2.4. The Acknowledgement of a Spatial Factor .............................................. 15 2.4.1. Multiple Space Factors ...................................................................... 16 2.4.2. Spatial Perception and Spatial Ability ................................................ 27 2.4.3. Modern Factor Research ................................................................... 27 2.5. Developmental Research ........................................................................ 28 2.5.1. Spatial Ability and Age ....................................................................... 28 2.5.2. Spatial Ability and Hemispheric Specialization .................................. 30 2.6. Differential Research ............................................................................... 30 2.6.1. Sex Differences in Spatial Perception ............................................... 31 vi Page 2.6.2. Sex Differences in Spatial Ability ....................................................... 32 2.6.3. Reasons for Sex Differences ............................................................. 32 2.6.3.1. Biological Explanations ....................................................... 33 2.6.3.2. Environmental Explanations ............................................... 33 2.6.3.3. Current Perspectices on Sex Difference Origins ................. 34 2.7. Information Processing Research ............................................................ 35 2.8. Summary of Research Perspectives ....................................................... 36 2.9. The Importance of Spatial Ability ............................................................. 36 2.10. Measuring Spatial Ability ....................................................................... 37 2.10.1. Classification Based on Information Processing .............................. 41 2.10.2. Vandenberg's Mental Rotations Test ............................................... 42 2.11. Methods for Improving Spatial Ability .................................................... 44 2.12. The Future of Spatial Ability Research .................................................. 46 2.12.1. Refocusing on Intelligence ............................................................... 46 2.12.2. Utilizing Technology ......................................................................... 48 2.13. Summary ............................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 3. FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ....................................... 52 3.1. Theoretical Framework ............................................................................ 52 3.1.1. Approach to Research ....................................................................... 53 3.1.2. Approach to Spatial Ability ................................................................. 54 3.2. Methodology ............................................................................................ 55 3.3. Study Environment .................................................................................. 56 3.3.1. Study Site .......................................................................................... 56 3.3.2. Participant Population ........................................................................ 57 3.4. Permissions ............................................................................................. 58 3.4.1. Course Instructor and Access ............................................................ 58 3.4.2. MRT Use and Modification ................................................................ 59 3.4.3. Human Subjects Approval ................................................................. 59 3.5. Unit of Analysis ........................................................................................ 59 3.5.1. Determination of Spatial Ability .......................................................... 61 3.5.2. Use of the MRT ................................................................................. 62 3.5.3. Recruitment and Selection of Participants ......................................... 63 3.6. Data Collection ........................................................................................ 66 3.6.1. Observation Procedures and Personal Journal ................................. 67 3.6.2. Interview Procedures ......................................................................... 68 3.6.2.1. The First Interview .............................................................. 68 3.6.2.2. The Second Interview ......................................................... 70 3.6.2.3. The Third Interview ............................................................. 73 3.6.3. Focus Group Procedures ................................................................... 73 3.6.4. Additional Data Sources .................................................................... 74 3.6.5. Researcher Epoché Sessions ........................................................... 74 3.7. Data Analysis ........................................................................................... 75 vii Page 3.7.1. Bracketing .......................................................................................... 75 3.7.2. Intuiting .............................................................................................
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