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Effect of Instructions on Spatial Visualisation Ability in Civil Engineering Students

Spatial visualisation ability is a subset of spatial ability - one of the factors of human 
intelligence structure. Spatial visualisation ability has been defined as, " the ability to 
mentally manipulate, rotate, twist, or invert pictorially presented stimulus objects." (McGee, 
1979, p. 893). This multi-faceted ability helps engineers including civil engineers to 
conceptualise links between reality and the abstract model of that reality. For example, in the 
analysis of a loaded beam structure, the deflected shape of the beam is the reality and the 
mathematical equation chosen (often unseen in a computer design package) to represent this 
deflected shape is the abstract model of that reality. A civil engineer needs first to have an 
intuitive understanding of the interactive relationships among structural components before he 
could begin to predict the deflected shape, which leads to the identification of the abstract 
model. This intuitive understanding is also essential to civil engineers in another way. It helps 
them in visualising, predicting, designing and checking for the worst possible combination of 
loads on a given structure. In the design of a reinforced concrete design for example, the 
ability to visualise aids the engineer in the prediction of critical loading conditions, which is 
necessary in reaching an adequate reinforcement design. 
Spatial visualisation ability has also been found to be essential to a student's success in some 
engineering related subjects such as calculus (Winkle, 1997), mathematics, (Battista,Wheatley and Talsma, 1989), engineering drawing (Sorby and Baartmans, 1996a) and 
computer-aided design (Sorby, 1999). Early indication for a positive relationship between this 
ability and structural design has also been found. Alias (2000) carried out a learning task 
analysis on the design of a reinforced concrete column - an area that demands a wide variety 
of structural design skills - and discovered that spatial skills are pre-requisite to the learning of 
column design suggesting that spatial visualisation ability may be essential to the success of 
structural design. 
Overall, spatial visualisation ability may be critical to learning and problem solving in civil 
engineering especially to the learning of subject matter that demands spatial strategies such as 
structural design, engineering mathematics and soil mechanics. There has also been some 
suggestions that spatial ability is relevant to problem solving that is not dependent on spatial 
strategies proposed by Roberts, Gilmore and Wood (1997). Roberts, et al. proposed that in 
cases where non-spatial strategies are required, spatial ability influences the degree to which a 
problem solver is able to develop and evaluate these strategies. 
In summary, spatial visualisation ability appears to be necessary to problem solving in 
engineering related areas that requires spatial as well as non-spatial strategies. Therefore, a 
better understanding of this ability should be potentially beneficial to the engineering 
education and profession.