Parallel Form Reliability Analysis of a Tactile Mental Cutting Test for Assessing Spatial Ability in Blind and Low-vision Populations

Candice Hamilton; Emily Stratman; Daniel Kane; Jenny Lee Blonquist; Natalie L. Shaheen; Wade H. Goodridge

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Supporting Students with Disabilities and Understanding Spatial Ability and Accessibility
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43855
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43855
Download Count: 137

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Paper Authors

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Candice Hamilton Stephen F. Austin State University

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Candice Hamilton is a senior undergraduate student at Stephen F. Austin State University studying Mathematics with a concentration in STEM secondary education. Pursuing her passion for STEM education and to expand her experience and knowledge-base, she joined Utah State University's Engineering Education Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) the summer of 2022. Through her research into spatial-ability measurement tools for blind & low-vision students completed with her research team at Utah State University, Candice's interest in STEM education research grew. Beginning the fall of 2023, Candice will be pursuing a Ph.D in Mathematic Education at Texas State University.

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Emily Stratman

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

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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.

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Jenny Lee Blonquist

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Natalie L. Shaheen Illinois State University

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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.

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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

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Abstract

There is ever-growing research indicating that high spatial ability correlates with student and professional success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses and career fields. A few valid and reliable testing instruments have been developed to measure specific constructs of spatial thinking in sighted populations. However, due to a lack of accessibility, most of these testing instruments are unable to be utilized by blind or low-vision (BLV) populations.

As part of the Spatial Aptitude Test developed by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) in 1939, the Mental Cutting Test (MCT) measures both spatial visualization and spatial relational reasoning. In 2018, the MCT was converted into a tactile test, called the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT), designed to allow for tactile interpretation, instead of visual interpretation, of 3-D objects and their planar cuts. The TMCT allows all persons, including BLV populations, access to a tool that can quantify spatial ability. To increase the TMCT’s utility, the original format of the 25-question TMCT was split into two subtests (A & B), each containing 12 questions. In 2021, the TMCT’s reliability in measuring spatial constructs of rotation, cutting plane, and proportion in BLV populations was found to be good [1]. However, to increase the precision of the results found in our pilot analysis, the research team desired a larger sample size.

This paper presents a continued reliability analysis of the parallel TMCT subtests A & B with the BLV population. Data was collected from BLV participants attending National Federation of the Blind (NFB) conventions, learning centers for the blind, and STEM-oriented NFB summer camps for high school students. For our continued reliability analysis, we calculated the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each parallel TMCT subtest with a larger sample size. The parallel TMCT subtests continued to show a high reliability as was previously calculated during the pilot analysis in 2021 [1]. These results indicate that the parallel version of the TMCT is a reliable instrument to measure spatial visualization and spatial relational reasoning in the BLV population.

Citation
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Hamilton, C., & Stratman, E., & Kane, D., & Blonquist, J. L., & Shaheen, N. L., & Goodridge, W. H. (2023, June), Parallel Form Reliability Analysis of a Tactile Mental Cutting Test for Assessing Spatial Ability in Blind and Low-vision Populations Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43855

TY - CPAPER
AB - There is ever-growing research indicating that high spatial ability correlates with student and professional success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses and career fields. A few valid and reliable testing instruments have been developed to measure specific constructs of spatial thinking in sighted populations. However, due to a lack of accessibility, most of these testing instruments are unable to be utilized by blind or low-vision (BLV) populations.

As part of the Spatial Aptitude Test developed by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) in 1939, the Mental Cutting Test (MCT) measures both spatial visualization and spatial relational reasoning. In 2018, the MCT was converted into a tactile test, called the Tactile Mental Cutting Test (TMCT), designed to allow for tactile interpretation, instead of visual interpretation, of 3-D objects and their planar cuts. The TMCT allows all persons, including BLV populations, access to a tool that can quantify spatial ability. To increase the TMCT’s utility, the original format of the 25-question TMCT was split into two subtests (A &amp;amp; B), each containing 12 questions. In 2021, the TMCT’s reliability in measuring spatial constructs of rotation, cutting plane, and proportion in BLV populations was found to be good [1]. However, to increase the precision of the results found in our pilot analysis, the research team desired a larger sample size.

This paper presents a continued reliability analysis of the parallel TMCT subtests A &amp;amp; B with the BLV population. Data was collected from BLV participants attending National Federation of the Blind (NFB) conventions, learning centers for the blind, and STEM-oriented NFB summer camps for high school students. For our continued reliability analysis, we calculated the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for each parallel TMCT subtest with a larger sample size. The parallel TMCT subtests continued to show a high reliability as was previously calculated during the pilot analysis in 2021 [1]. These results indicate that the parallel version of the TMCT is a reliable instrument to measure spatial visualization and spatial relational reasoning in the BLV population.
AU - Candice Hamilton
AU - Emily Stratman
AU - Daniel Kane
AU - Jenny Lee Blonquist
AU - Natalie L. Shaheen
AU - Wade H. Goodridge
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Parallel Form Reliability Analysis of a Tactile Mental Cutting Test for Assessing Spatial Ability in Blind and Low-vision Populations
UR - https://peer.asee.org/43855
DO - 10.18260/1-2--43855
ER -