Spatial skills in education: a national study.

Abstract

It is widely accepted that spatial skills play an inherent role in educational success, especially in STEM disciples such as Engineering, Mathematics and Graphics. This paper presents an initial investigation into spatial skills in postprimary education where the aim is to generate a national spatial profile to assist in developing meaningful educational interventions. Psychometric tests of spatial ability were administered to a cohort of 1st year pupils (n = 451) in a variety of educational contexts. Findings suggest that this early stage in postprimary education may be an auspicious time to integrate spatial skill development into formal education and that the relationship between subject choice and impact with spatial skills merits further investigation.