Abstract
The project aims to develop a test to assess a new dimension of Spatial Thinking, an important part of reasoning about space and time. ST requires understanding pertaining to space, dimensions, and objects in and around us and the ability to use this optimally across tasks. ST has been shown to be a promising identifier to gauge the progress of students, particularly in STEM. Existing spatial ability tests primarily focus on Rigid Spatial Thinking (R-ST), where the distance between two points on the object under spatial transformation remains unchanged, like rotation, scaling, and translation. However, recent studies show that in practice numerous transformations exist that requires Non-Rigid Spatial Thinking (NR-ST), e.g., surface deformations such as twisting, turning, and bending. When an object undergoes a non-rigid transformation, the distances between the points on the object changes. The ability to imagine and use these kinds of transformations is different from those needed for R-ST and is crucial for professions that deal with space and time, such as engineering, design, geology, biology, architecture, clinical application, and material science. We aim to develop a deeper understanding of NR-ST, and to develop a test for NR-ST spatial thinking abilities in students and professionals, as a prerequisite for the development of an NR-ST training tool. Our hypothesis is that Rigid thinking ability does not automatically lead to non-rigid thinking ability, i.e., students who perform better in R-ST does not necessarily performs better in NR-ST. In this study, we developed an assessment test using anamorphosis (a distorted projection or drawing which appears normal when viewed from a particular point or with a suitable mirror or lens) and found that students (n=479) performed far worse on NR-ST than on R-ST questions. Our study at 4 different universities found that the performance in NR-ST is significantly lower than in R-ST, that students' performance in later semesters is not better than in the early semesters, that the sketching experience has a positive relationship with ST abilities. These results highlight the need for further research into NR-ST. Key Words: Spatial Thinking, Non-Rigid, STEM Education, Spatial Ability, Anamorphosis