The role of spatial experience in mental rotation

Abstract

Mental rotation is one of spatial reasoning ability. It is the ability of a person to imagine how objects of a two- or three-dimensions look like when rotated in a specific degree. Not only due to curriculum demand, mental rotation is also essential for Mathematics itself, such as in geometry. In addition, it also helps students for their future career, such as architects, computer programmers, and graphic designers. This study aims to describe the mental rotation of female and male students who have spatial experiences with those who do not have spatial experience. The data were collected using Mental Rotation test and interview and were analysed qualitatively. A total of 10 post-graduate students were interviewed in a semi-structural way. The results showed that spatial experience has an important role in improving one's mental rotation.