Validation of the Revised PSVT:R (Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotation): Predicting First-Year Engineering Students’ Academic Performance

• In Event: Topics in Test Validity: Theory and Practice

Abstract

The Purdue Spatial Visualization Tests: Visualization of Rotation (PSVT:R) has been commonly used to predict students’ success in the engineering field for more than three decades. However, little attention had been given to the validity of the PSVT:R in measuring spatial ability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the Revised PSVT:R for incoming first-year engineering (FYE) students. Approximately1,000 freshmen accepted by the FYE Program were participated in the study. The results indicated that the revised PSVT:R measures a unidimentional subcomponent of spatial ability and the scores are reliable (alpha = 0.85). There is evidence for moderate concurrent validity. They also indicated that the test is relatively easy for this population.

Authors

• Yukiko Maeda, Purdue University

• So Yoon (Yoona) Yoon, Purdue University