AbstractudThis study focused on the relationship between spatial ability and the academicudperformance of first year female engineering students. The study was multimethod,udinvolving psychometric testing of all first year engineering students to compare the twoudand three dimensional spatial perceptual scores of male and female students and theirudrelationship to academic performance in the first year Engineering Graphics course, andudinterviews conducted with a matched sample of 18 male and 18 female students takingudthe course.udThe quantitative analyses indicated that male first year engineering studentsudoutperformed female engineering students academically for the reason that they hadudbetter developed three dimensional spatial perception than female students. In addition,udstudents in the mainstream engineering graphics course outperformed students havingudspecial tuition in the subject, also for the reason that they had better developed threeuddimensional spatial perception. This study thus confirmed the results of previous studiesudwhich had reported that three dimensional spatial perception is a consistent influence onudthe academic performance of all first year engineering students.udThe qualitative analyses of the interview data indicated that the majority of first yearudfemale students were underprepared relative to the tasks they encountered in the first yearudEngineering Graphics course. Many of the female engineering students experienceduddifficulties with the first year course content, and used a variety of strategies to get overudtheir problems. Those female students who had not taken technical drawing at schooludlevel and female students who did not network with other engineering students wereudthose likely to be those at a disadvantage. Personal factors such as low self-efficacy ofudfemale students relative to the tasks they were required to do in their engineering coursesudalso militated against their successful adaptation to university life.udThe qualitative analyses also indicated that social factors such as stereotype threat andudlow career self-efficacy decrease the likelihood that female students will attempt to enterudengineering as a field of study. This acts as an additional barrier to female studentsudchoosing engineering as a career. Overall, the evidence from this study would thusudsuggest that cognitive, personal and social factors negatively influence the academicudperformance of many female engineering students at time of intake to the university,udindicating the need for additional tutorials and academic support directed at enabling theirudsuccessful transition from school to university.
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