Assessment and Training of Construction Skills in Students with Mental Retardation

The study investigated the effectiveness of a construction skills training in students with mental retardation. As there was no standardized measure of construction skills available to assess corresponding training gains, a construction skills test was developed and evaluated, as well. Results provided evidence for the reliability and validity of our construction skills measure. At the end of a 10-session intervention program the training group (n = 19) attained significantly higher posttest scores than the control group (n = 26). Results also revealed significant transfer effects to spatial ability as well as to construction materials not used during the training sessions. Thus, training gains did not only indicate an increase of performance but also an increase of competence. Results and weaknesses of the study as well as implications for further research in this area are discussed.