Developing a spatial ability framework to support spatial ability research in engineering education.

The association between high levels of spatial cognition and success
in a number of engineering and technological fields is widely acknowledged
within the pertinent literature. There is a now a need for further investigation to
explicitly identify the causation underpinning this correlation. An extensive
literature review was carried out with the objective of systematically defining
spatial ability and identifying its constituting spatial factors. The literature review
uncovered a number of critical considerations which merit recognition for spatial
ability research. The significance of this paper lies in the presentation of these
considerations as underpinning criteria for a new comprehensive theoretical
framework which would ultimately map out the cognitive domain of spatial ability.
It is anticipated that such a framework could be used to guide future research
that investigates the significance of spatial ability within engineering education.