2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

An Analysis of Pre and Post-COVID-19 Lockdown Spatial Ability Performance in Blind and Low-Vision Individuals

Presented at Supporting Students with Disabilities and Understanding Spatial Ability and Accessibility

Historically, spatial ability assessments have been used to measure spatial thinking on specific constructs in students participating in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. High spatial ability is linked to greater performance in STEM courses and professional STEM career fields. A spatial ability test used commonly for this measurement is the Mental Cutting Test (MCT) developed in 1939 by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). Unfortunately, the MCT is unable to measure the spatial thinking of blind or low-vision (BLV) populations due to the test being only accessible by sight.
In 2018, a research lab from Utah State University (USU) adapted the MCT into a fully accessible tactile version, called the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT). The test was later split into two parallel forms, each containing 12 different questions from the MCT. The TMCT allows for researchers to better measure and understand the spatial abilities of BLV populations. The majority of BLV population samples that have taken the TMCT previously have been participants in training centers for the blind, which serve as training centers for helping BLV populations to build blindness skills and encourage independence. Additional data has been collected from youth camps sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and national and state NFB conventions.
During the pandemic of COVID-19, many training centers across the country were closed for safety reasons, and many of the BLV population were confined to their homes to avoid infection risk. In this paper we compare pre-COVID-19 and post-2021 TMCT assessment data from BLV participants including scores and test duration between 2019 and 2022. Results show a statistically significant difference in how long it took participants to complete the TMCT between the two timeframes.

Authors

David Searle Utah State University [biography]

David Searle is an undergraduate student at Utah State University pursuing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology with hopes to go into the human factors industry in the future. He is expected to graduate in May 2023. He has worked with the Engineering Education Research Lab focusing on spatial ability in blind, low-vision, and sighted individuals for close to a year. His work with the lab has included gathering data from participants on the tactile mental edge cutting test (TMCT) and authoring an ASEE paper on potential impacts on spatial ability performance from COVID-19 among blind and low-vision individuals. His focus in coursework during his time at the university has been on engineering, kinesiology, and psychology. He also has been involved over the last year in an Instructional Technologies and Learning lab where he has helped code, analyze, organize, and prepare data on cognitive load in college students.
Daniel Kane http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-9962 Utah State University [biography]

Daniel Kane is a graduate student at Utah State University pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education with a concurrent master’s degree in Civil Engineering. His research interests focus around the study of spatial ability with an emphasis on identifying patterns of spatial strategies and measuring spatial ability in blind and low vision populations.
Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen [biography]

Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen is an assistant professor of blind education at Illinois State University. Dr. Shaheen’s research focuses on equity and access for disabled students in technology-mediated K-12 learning environments.
Dr. Wade H. Goodridge http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5811-7629 Utah State University [biography]

Wade Goodridge is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University. His research lies in spatial thinking and ability, curriculum development, and professional development in K-16 engineering teaching.

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