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Spatial Skills As Predictors Of Success In First-Year Engineering, Sheryl Sorby, Edmund Nevin, Avril Behan, Eileen Mageean, Sarah Sheridan
Spatial Skills As Predictors Of Success In First-Year Engineering, Sheryl Sorby, Edmund Nevin, Avril Behan, Eileen Mageean, Sarah Sheridan
Conference papers
Numerous research studies have highlighted the importance of well-developed 3-D spatial skills for success in STEM related programs. Poor spatial skills, particularly among first-year students, can place them at a distinct disadvantage when completing introductory courses in mathematics, CAD, descriptive geometry, and graphic communications - first-year requirements in many STEM related programs. This in turn can lead to poor grades and retention issues. Women are disproportionally among the group of students with weak or poorly developed 3-D spatial skills meaning that they are at a greater risk of leaving engineering when compared to their male counterparts. In this study, the …