A Qualitative Study of Spatial Strategies in Blind and Low Vision Individuals

Daniel E Kane; Theresa Green; Natalie L Shaheen; Wade H Goodridge

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Zone IV Conference
Location: Vancouver
Publication Date: May 12, 2022
Start Date: May 12, 2022
End Date: May 14, 2022
Conference Session: Innovation In Teaching - I
Tagged Topics: Diversity and Conference Submission
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44712
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44712
Download Count: 65

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Paper Authors

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Daniel E Kane Utah State University orcid.org/0000-0002-0220-9962

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Daniel Kane is an undergraduate student at Utah State University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and is expected to graduate in May 2022. 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.

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Theresa Green Utah State University - Engineering Education

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Dr. Theresa Green is a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University with a Ph.D. in Engineering Education. Her research interests include K-12 STEM integration, curriculum development, and improving diversity and inclusion in engineering.

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Natalie L Shaheen Illinois State University

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Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen is an assistant professor of low vision and blindness at Illinois State University. Dr. Shaheen’s research and teaching focus on equity and access for disabled students in technology-mediated K-12 learning environments.

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Wade H Goodridge Utah State University orcid.org/0000-0002-5811-7629

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Wade Goodridge is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University. He holds dual B.S. degrees in Industrial Technology Education and also in Civil and Environmental Engineering. His M.S. and Ph.D. are in Civil Engineering with a focus on fluid mechanics. Wade has over 21 years of teaching experience, primarily focused at the University level, but also including 3 years of teaching in high schools. Dr. Goodridge’s current research interests include spatial thinking/cognition, effective pedagogy/andragogy in engineering education, and professional development. His research revolves around developing and validating curricular methods and instruments to improve engineering education in the informal, traditional, distance, and professional environments. Some of his latest work involves teaching Blind and Low Vision youth engineering mechanics and utilizing spatial techniques to enhance their understanding of engineering content. Dr. Goodridge is an engineering councilor for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) and has been active in consulting for international companies/entities such as SIEMENS and USAID.

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Abstract

This abstract will be followed by a full paper. Significant work has been done to demonstrate the correlation between spatial ability and student success in STEM fields. Research has also shown that spatial ability not only predicts success in academic settings, but is also a valuable skill in STEM related professional settings. Further studies have indicated that spatial ability can develop and improve over time. It has also been shown that spatial ability is a malleable skill and can be learned through targeted interventions. For this reason, spatial ability and the implementation of spatial interventions in engineering curricula is an important aspect of engineering education research. One group that has largely been excluded from spatial ability research is blind and low vision (BLV) populations. There has been little, if any, work done to identify spatial strategies employed by BLV students in solving spatial problems. This case study explores qualitatively investigated spatial strategies that were employed by four participants at an engineering program administered by (omitted for blind review) that was designed for BLV youth interested in STEM fields. During sessions of the program, the research team administered the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT), a fully accessible tactile adaptation of the commonly used Mental Cutting Test (MCT) to all students participating in the research. Immediately after taking the TMCT, participants at the program participated in a focused interview in which they solved a TMCT problem and discussed strategies they employed. Transcriptions of these interviews were analyzed using qualitative coding procedures. An analysis of the data from these interviews showed that BLV students employed a wide variety of strategies as they solved spatial problems. These strategies included using geometric methods (e.g., identifying basic shapes and using symmetry) and analytical methods (e.g., ignoring non-defining features and taking measurements). Data from four of the participants was explored for further analysis. These four cases represent two high spatial performers and two low performers who provided specific details in their interview about how they solved TMCT problems. Coding results show that the two high performing participants demonstrated an ability to piece geometric shapes together and focus solely on defining features. Across all four cases, participants who had a clear strategy while solving the TMCT problems were more likely to have high spatial performance. The results of this study demonstrate how high and low-performers use spatial strategies when solving the TMCT. Findings from this study have the potential to improve STEM-related curricula and teaching methods for BLV populations. Understanding commonly used spatial strategies in BLV populations can help teachers more effectively cater to students’ needs. Findings from this study can also point to the non-visual aspects of spatial ability in sighted populations. In a broader sense, a deeper understanding of spatial strategies has the potential to encourage more BLV youth to pursue an education in STEM fields.

Citation
Format

Kane, D. E., & Green, T., & Shaheen, N. L., & Goodridge, W. H. (2022, May), A Qualitative Study of Spatial Strategies in Blind and Low Vision Individuals Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Zone IV Conference, Vancouver. 10.18260/1-2--44712

TY - CPAPER
AB - This abstract will be followed by a full paper.
Significant work has been done to demonstrate the correlation between spatial ability and student success in STEM fields. Research has also shown that spatial ability not only predicts success in academic settings, but is also a valuable skill in STEM related professional settings. Further studies have indicated that spatial ability can develop and improve over time. It has also been shown that spatial ability is a malleable skill and can be learned through targeted interventions. For this reason, spatial ability and the implementation of spatial interventions in engineering curricula is an important aspect of engineering education research. One group that has largely been excluded from spatial ability research is blind and low vision (BLV) populations. There has been little, if any, work done to identify spatial strategies employed by BLV students in solving spatial problems.
This case study explores qualitatively investigated spatial strategies that were employed by four participants at an engineering program administered by (omitted for blind review) that was designed for BLV youth interested in STEM fields. During sessions of the program, the research team administered the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT), a fully accessible tactile adaptation of the commonly used Mental Cutting Test (MCT) to all students participating in the research. Immediately after taking the TMCT, participants at the program participated in a focused interview in which they solved a TMCT problem and discussed strategies they employed. Transcriptions of these interviews were analyzed using qualitative coding procedures.
An analysis of the data from these interviews showed that BLV students employed a wide variety of strategies as they solved spatial problems. These strategies included using geometric methods (e.g., identifying basic shapes and using symmetry) and analytical methods (e.g., ignoring non-defining features and taking measurements). Data from four of the participants was explored for further analysis. These four cases represent two high spatial performers and two low performers who provided specific details in their interview about how they solved TMCT problems. Coding results show that the two high performing participants demonstrated an ability to piece geometric shapes together and focus solely on defining features. Across all four cases, participants who had a clear strategy while solving the TMCT problems were more likely to have high spatial performance.
The results of this study demonstrate how high and low-performers use spatial strategies when solving the TMCT. Findings from this study have the potential to improve STEM-related curricula and teaching methods for BLV populations. Understanding commonly used spatial strategies in BLV populations can help teachers more effectively cater to students’ needs. Findings from this study can also point to the non-visual aspects of spatial ability in sighted populations. In a broader sense, a deeper understanding of spatial strategies has the potential to encourage more BLV youth to pursue an education in STEM fields.

AU - Daniel E Kane
AU - Theresa Green
AU - Natalie L Shaheen
AU - Wade H Goodridge
CY - Vancouver
DA - 2022/05/12
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - A Qualitative Study of Spatial Strategies in Blind and Low Vision Individuals
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44712
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44712
ER -