La competencia espacial: Evaluación en alumnos de nuevo ingreso a la universidad

the paper reports the results of an empirical study based on a sample of 854 students admitted to technology courses at the university of buenos aires: 596 enrolled on the architecture, design and urban planning and 258 on the engineering entrance course. the psychometric properties of the imaginative competence test are analysed. course type-, sex- and instruction-related differences in spatial competence are hypothesised. the introduction discusses the state of the art of spatial competence research, focusing on its nature, evaluation and sex-related differences. the reliability and validity of the instrument are verified. significant course type-related differences are found in favour of engineering students, and a significant improvement at the end of the entrance course is detected. previous findings on sex-related differences are partially confirmed.