2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Spatial ability has been identified as a highly beneficial asset to student learning as well as professional performance in STEM fields. Correlational studies link it to success in STEM degrees and STEM professions. Spatial ability is a malleable skill meaning that it can be taught and learned through targeted intervention. Much research has been applied in the area of developing interventions to encourage spatial thinking in engineering students and developing proper instrumentation to measure gains in spatial ability. One such instrument that is widely accepted as a valid way to quantify individuals' spatial thinking is the Mental Cutting Test (MCT) which measures spatial constructs of mental rotation, proportion, and visualization. However, blind and low vision students (BLV) have traditionally been overlooked in the development of spatial interventions and instrumentation. This paper discusses the development of the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT) which was adapted from the existing MCT as a fully accessible spatial ability assessment for BLV populations. Previous publications have reported on the validity and reliability of the TMCT where participants utilized one of two formats intended for their level of sightedness (fully blind or low vision). This publication builds on past work by analyzing the reliability of scores specifically from participants who were fully blind or had their remaining vision blocked while taking the test. These participants were given a format of the TMCT that utilized Braille labels and tactile graphic imagery to represent two-dimensional shape outlines required in possible answers to items on the instrument. Data was acquired from students at blindness training centers, National Federation of the Blind (NFB) conventions across the United States, and NFB sponsored programs for BLV youth. Results indicate that the TMCT demonstrates good reliability among non-sighted individuals. Establishing the validity and reliability of the TMCT authenticates an instrument that has the potential to open new avenues of spatial ability research to enhance BLV learning and BLV representation in STEM education, as well as enhance existing knowledge about tactile aspects of spatial ability in sighted populations.