Enhancing spatial visualisation: the role of mental rotation training and student emotions

This study examines the mediating role of learning emotions in the relationship between instructional intervention and spatial visualization performance within art and design education contexts. Grounded in the Control Value Theory of Achievement Emotions, the study addresses a persistent problem in art and design education, namely that instructional interventions targeting spatial visualization often emphasise cognitive skill development while insufficiently accounting for students’ emotional experiences during complex visual and spatial tasks. It therefore explores how students’ emotional experiences shape learning outcomes during cognitively demanding tasks. A quasi experimental design with control groups was implemented at the Hebei Academy of Fine Arts. Learning emotions were measured using the Achievement Emotion Questionnaire to capture changes in students’ emotional responses before and after the intervention. Results indicated that positive achievement emotions, such as enjoyment and confidence, were positively associated with spatial visualization performance, whereas negative emotions, particularly frustration, showed a negative association. Mediation analysis using structural equation modelling further demonstrated that learning emotions functioned as a significant mediating mechanism between the instructional intervention and spatial visualization performance. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to ensure methodological rigor. Although the study is limited to undergraduate students within a single institutional context, the findings provide empirical evidence for the central role of achievement emotions in spatial learning. The study highlights the importance of emotion oriented instructional strategies in art and design education and contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how emotional and cognitive factors interact to influence spatial visualization development.