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Using LEGO to Test Children's Ability to Visualize and Rotate 3D Shapes in Space

posted by chromas on Sunday June 21 2020, @09:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the lego-my…LEGO dept.

upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Using LEGO to test children's ability to visualize and rotate 3D shapes in space:

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a test that uses children’s ability to assemble LEGO pieces to assess their spatial visualization ability. Spatial visualization is the ability to visualize 3D shapes in one’s mind, which is tied to increased GPAs and graduation rates in STEM college students.

At the college level, a widely used assessment is the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotations, or PSVT:R, which is a 20-minute timed test consisting of a series of multiple-choice questions that are geared towards students 13 and older. Van Den Einde and Delson wanted to develop an assessment that would be more suitable and engaging for students at lower grade levels. They turned to LEGO, which was designed with that younger age range in mind and is familiar to many children. To pass the test, students have to assemble a set of LEGO pieces into a specific shape, such as a whale or a small plane, while only being given a picture of the final shape but no step-by-step instructions. The time it takes students to build the correct solution is the metric used for assessment.

[...] In order to validate the test, the researchers had students in two freshman engineering graphics courses take both the LEGO assembly test and the PSVT:R. Students took the tests both at the beginning and end of the quarter. During the course, they were trained with the Spatial Viz app. Test results show a statistically significant correlation between outcomes on the LEGO test and the PSVT:R.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @04:06PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 21 2020, @04:06PM (#1010686)

    Only a couple of years ago? It's been going on for a decade or two now.

    Also remember to get the correctly gendered legos. We can't have the little ones getting the idea that gender should not imply segregation, and especially girls might grow up ignorant of the danger of novel, vaccine-resistant boy cooties lurking in languages like C/C++ instead of eternally waiting for the innovation of "feminist" programming languages.

    Finally, if they git gud at lego, this will help us socially isolate the kids into "gifted" programs. That will make sure they grow up to be incels (MRAs and right-wing pseudo-feminists) who wouldn't ever imagine organizing into a professional association to resist corporate control of the relevant useful arts. Imagine what would happen if all those tech dweebs decided to throw the javascript cowboys and Lennart Poetterings out of software development and took back control of W3C!