2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Work in Progress:Longitudinal Insights into the Reliability of the Tactile Mental Cutting Test: A Two-Year Study with Native American Elementary Students

This work-in-progress study examines the reliability of the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT) as an accessible measure of spatial ability among Native American elementary students. Spatial ability is a critical predictor of success in STEM fields, yet many traditional assessments rely on visual formats that may not be developmentally appropriate or equitable for all learners. The TMCT addresses this gap by providing a tactile, multimodal alternative that allows students to engage with three-dimensional objects and demonstrate spatial reasoning through touch.

Building on prior work, this study investigates the internal consistency of TMCT scores across multiple administrations over two academic years (2024 and 2025), including repeated measurements at two time points in 2025. The sample consists of Native American students aged 3 to 12 years from rural communities. Descriptive statistics were used to examine score distributions, and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency for two parallel subtests.

Results indicate moderate to strong internal consistency across administrations, with reliability estimates improving over time (α = 0.60–0.90). While some variability in score distributions and evidence of low-end clustering were observed, these patterns are consistent with expectations for early elementary populations. The findings suggest that the TMCT demonstrates promising reliability as a tactile spatial assessment tool in this context.

This study contributes to ongoing efforts to develop equitable and culturally responsive assessment tools in engineering education. By providing longitudinal evidence of reliability, it supports the continued refinement and use of the TMCT for early identification of spatial ability and for informing instructional interventions. Future work will focus on expanding sample sizes and establishing broader validity evidence, including item-level analyses and relationships with other cognitive measures.

Authors

Sujata Basnet Utah State University [biography]

Sujata Basnet is a PhD student in Department of Engineering education at Utah State University. She received her master degree in Water Engineering from Asian Institute of Technology(AIT),Thailand. Her research interest lie in exploring spatial ability development and assessment, particularly through tools like the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT), and understanding its intersections with gender, socio-economic status, and underrepresented groups such as Native American children in STEM education.
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 often has a focus on what drives us to learn, how we learn and how well we do it, and what can improve that learning. This work is often directed with a spatial thinking emphasis. Dr. Goodridge has investigated different learning modalities (fully online, hybrid, blended courses), cognitive and metacognitive learning processes (self-regulation, engineering problems solving, neural efficiency in engineering problem solving) learning motivators (engineering self-efficacy), and effective and personalized engineering education interventions (tactile engineering curriculum, physical teaching models, XR environments and AI informed systems of delivering and monitoring engineering learning). Dr. Goodridge has created a valid and reliable instrument to assess spatial ability in blind and low vision (BLV) learners thus opening new areas of research centered on tactile spatial ability. He has created tactile and visual learning tools and has offered professional development experiences on how to improve the education of tomorrows engineers.
Mr. Daniel Kane http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-9962 Utah State University [biography]

Daniel Kane is a third-year Ph.D. student in the department of engineering education at Utah State University. His research interests include spatial ability, accessibility for students with disabilities, artificial intelligence in education, and enhancing electric vehicle charging system infrastructure. Daniel has contributed significantly to the development of the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT) which is a significant advancement in assessing spatial ability for blind and low-vision populations. His research has helped inform teaching methods and develop strategies for improving STEM education accessibility. Currently, he is studying how AI tools are utilized by students across USU’s colleges to optimize their educational value. Daniel has also served as president of the ASEE student chapter at USU where he initiated outreach activities at local K-12 schools and promoted student engagement in research.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026