This paper reports the findings from an experimental study based on the pretest posttest research design that studied mental rotation (MR) and spatial visualization (SV) training outcomes and their impact on orthographic drawing performance. The sample of the study comprised 98 secondary school students (36 girls, 62 boys, Mage = 15.5 years, age range: 15 -16 years) who were randomly assigned into two experimental groups and a control group. The first experimental group trained in an interaction-enabled condition, the second experimental group trained in an animation-enhanced condition and the control group trained using printed materials. The research instruments used were computerized versions of the Mental Rotation and Spatial Visualization tests. Data were analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Science, SPSS version 14.0. The results reveal a significant performance gain in spatial visualization and mental rotation accuracy, but not in mental rotation speed. The training method seems to be interlinked with SV, as the interaction-enabled group outperformed the other groups. In addition, technology based training methods seem more efficient, as both experimental groups performed better than the control group in MR accuracy. Moreover, gender was a significant variable, with boys attaining differential improvement gains, as opposed to girls. The group gaining higher SV through training performed better in solving an Orthographic Drawing task, indicating that the training method is related to the application of the received mental processes, in solving the task. Additionally, this particular finding implies that the cognitive process invoked in solving an orthographic drawing may share similar process associated with spatial visualization. Implications of the research findings are also discussed in this paper.
['Khairul Anuar Samsudin', 'Ahmad Rafi', 'abd Samad Hanif']
Training in Mental Rotation and Spatial Visualization and Its Impact on Orthographic Drawing Performance