PROBLEMATISING AND FRAMING SPATIAL RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Meryn McNea, R. Cole, D. Tanner, D. Lane

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Spatial research has experienced a surge in popularity across the global community in recent years, with an undeniable rise in the favourability of spatial thinking approaches in academic and higher education settings. An engineer's spatial ability is dependent on their capacity to engage a set of cognitive skills to visualise, reason and communicate spatial relations between objects and space. With the recent growth in popularity around spatial research, new spatial terms are frequently introduced resulting in a definitional overlap between terms and ideas. This may sometimes result in a lack of clarity regarding spatial terms and definitions, with the definitions of such terms varying amongst the literature. The eight most researched spatial terms over the last ten years are included in this study: Spatial Ability, Spatial Skills, Spatial Intelligence, Spatial Visualisation, Spatial Literacy, Spatial Reasoning, Spatial Factors and Spatial Thinking. A review of literature supported the unpacking of spatial terms and related research and the subsequent synthesis of the same. Particular focus centred on the various definitions and conceptualizations of these terms, as well as the contexts in which they are used to improve the accuracy, validity, and value of spatial analysis and its potential applications across different fields and disciplines. This paper aims to unpack and synthesise the various interpretations and dimensions of spatial competencies in the body of international research, ensuring that the pertinent research information is more readily accessible to practicing engineering educators.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSEFI 2023 - 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education
Subtitle of host publicationEngineering Education for Sustainability, Proceedings
EditorsGer Reilly, Mike Murphy, Balazs Vince Nagy, Hannu-Matti Jarvinen
PublisherEuropean Society for Engineering Education (SEFI)
Pages913-923
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9782873520267
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023
Event51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI 2023 - Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 11 Sep 202314 Sep 2023

Publication series

NameSEFI 2023 - 51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education: Engineering Education for Sustainability, Proceedings

Conference

Conference51st Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education, SEFI 2023
Country/TerritoryIreland
CityDublin
Period11/09/2314/09/23

Keywords

  • Cognitive Abilities & Skills
  • Spatial Education Research
  • Spatial Terms

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