Diagnostic Assessment of Spatial Intelligence in Iranian English-major University Students: A Psychometric Study

Spatial intelligence is critical for comprehending STEM‑related English for Academic Purposes (EAP) materials, yet few diagnostic tools assess fine‑grained spatial abilities among English-major students, and gender differences remain underexplored. This study developed and validated a spatial intelligence test based on cognitive diagnostic models (CDM) and examined gender differences in five components: mental rotation, spatial visualization, understanding of ۳D relationships, spatial perceptual speed, and visual memory. Using an exploratory mixed‑methods design, the test was initially piloted on a general high school sample (N = ۲۵۰) to establish basic psychometric properties, then re‑administered to a separate validation sample of ۹۸ Iranian English‑major university students (۵۲ male and ۴۶ female). Content validity (CVR = ۰.۸۰–۱.۰۰; CVI = ۰.۸۰–۱.۰۰), exploratory factor analysis (five factors explaining ۵۹.۱۸% of variance), confirmatory factor analysis (χ²/df = ۱.۶۶, RMSEA = ۰.۰۴۷, CFI = ۰.۹۵, TLI = ۰.۹۵), and internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = ۰.۸۵–۰.۹۰) confirmed strong psychometric properties. The G‑DINA model was fitted. Gender differences significantly favored males in mental rotation (۷۷% vs. ۶۳%), spatial visualization (۷۴% vs. ۶۳%), and understanding of ۳D relationships (۶۴% vs. ۵۱%), but not in spatial perceptual speed or visual memory. The test provides a valid, reliable, culturally adapted diagnostic tool for EAP contexts. Implications include targeted visual interventions (e.g., flowchart tasks, annotated ۳D diagrams) and visual feedback reports for personalized instruction.

کلیدواژه ها:

cognitive diagnostic models ، English for Academic Purposes (EAP) ، English-major Students ، gender differences ، spatial intelligence