TESTING OF SPATIAL ABILITY: CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION OF A NEW INSTRUMENT

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of the paper is to describe the process of development and evaluation of a newly designed spatial ability test. It consists of two consecutive studies. In Study I (N = 267) we proposed 35 items equally divided into five subsets. The items were designed with respect to theoretically described spatial ability dimensions (spatial perception, orientation, visualization, relations, and mental rotation). Even though a five factor structural model fitted the data reasonably well, on the principle of parsimony we agreed on a unidimensional model. Items with the best parameters (n = 25) were considered as the final version of the test. In Study II (N = 124) we verified that there is no significant impact of the administration media (paper/pencil vs. computer-based). The test-retest stability with a six-week interval was acceptable (r = 0.796), and so was the internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.752). We have found a modest correlation (r = 0.470) with the Spatial Reasoning subtest of the Intelligence Structure Test.Key words: spatial ability, testing, psychometricsTESTOVANI PROSTOROVÝCH SCHOPNOSTI: STAVBA A HODNOCENI NOVE METODIKYSouhrn: Predlozena studie popisuje vývoj a psychometricke zhodnoceni nove navrzeneho testu prostorove predstavivosti. Studie je rozdelena do dvou navazujicich casti. V casti I (N = 267) je predstaveno 35 polozek rovnomerne rozdelených do peti subsetu. Polozky byly navrzeny s ohledem na petifaktorovou teorii prostorove predstavivosti, ktera zahrnuje dimenze prostorove percepce, prostorove orientace, prostorove vizualizace, mentalni rotace a chapani prostorových vztahu. Ackoli petifaktorový model prokazoval prijatelnou shodu s daty, na principu parsimonie jsme uprednostnili model obecneho faktoru. Polozky s nejlepsimi charakteristikami (n = 25) byly vybrany do finalni verze testu, jejiz psychometricke charakteristiky byly overeny v ramci casti II (N=124). Výsledky v tomto testu vykazuji uspokojivou miru test-retest stability (r = 0,796) pri sestitýdennim intervalu mezi merenimi a vnitrni konzistence (Cronbachova α = 0.752). Nebyl prokazan vliv media administrace (pocitac vs. papir/tuzka) a byl nalezen stredne tesný vztah (r = 0,470) se subtestem Inteligencniho strukturniho testu zamereneho na prostorovou predstavivost.INTRODUCTIONThe concept of spatial ability is hard to define. In general, spatial ability enables the individual to deal with problems and tasks, which require estimation, prediction, or assessment of spatial relations between individual objects or figures (Eliot, Smith, 1983). At the turn of the 20th century, researchers started to acknowledge spatial ability as an independent factor separate from general intelligence (Mohler, 2008). The efforts to identify specific factors within the construct of spatial ability can be traced back to the middle of the 20th century, the era of outstanding theoreticians of intelligence such as Thurstone, Guilford, or Zimmerman (Hegarty, Waller, 2005). Since those days, researchers have developed many definitions of spatial ability together with various measures attempting to capture this phenomenon. These authors reached relatively diverse conclusions about the number and the nature of spatial ability components.McGee (1979) significantly contributed to the clarification of the topic by providing a comprehensive review. Based on the results of available factor analytic studies, he concluded that all of the different factors found by various authors reflected two fundamental dimensions, which he called spatial visualization and spatial orientation. Visualization incorporates the ability to mentally manipulate (rotate, twist and invert) visual stimuli. Orientation involves comprehension of the way elements are arranged within a visual stimulus pattern and dealing with changes in orientation of variably depicted spatial configurations. Despite McGee's thorough analysis, however, the controversies about the structure of spatial ability still remain. …