Effectiveness of 3D input on Spatial Abilities

Abstract

Carriker, Adam W. Effectiveness of 3D input on Spatial Abilities. (Under the direction of Dr. Ted Branoff).

The study was an attempt to determine if using a 3D input device is a beneficial way to improve the spatial visualization ability of students. The study was run during a single semester at North Carolina State University using two independent sections in a foundations course in engineering graphics. The treatment, a 3D input device, was given to the experimental section, and their results on pretest and post-test examinations were compared to the results of a control section. The results were compared using a Wilcoxon method of ranking sums. The data was found to suggest that there was no observable significant difference between the two groups, and that the null hypothesis was unable to be rejected. The treatment did not seem to create any advantage or disadvantage during a single semester in the area of spatial visualization ability for the students. Students reported on a survey that they did not particularly enjoy the device, and many chose to quit using the device partway through the semester. Unfortunately, this knowledge hinders the data because it is difficult to say the device had any potential effects if many of the students in the experimental group chose not to use it.