Examination of 9th Graders' Levels of Geometric Thinking

Robust understanding of geometry is important for students’ future studies in mathematical sciences, many careers, and for understanding the world around them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the geometric thinking levels of 9th graders in Ghana before they enter the Senior High School. This study used the van Hiele theory (Van Hiele-Geldof, 1957) to understand geometric thinking levels of 400 9th graders in western Ghana. These students were given the van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT) developed by Usiskin (1982). The results showed that 56.2% of 9th graders demonstrated thinking at the pre-visualization level, 30.75%of the graders attained level 1(visualization), 12.5% reached level 2 and only 0.5% demonstrated level 3 thinking. These findings indicate that students are struggling to meet the Ministry of Education’s curriculum standards. Additional analysis points to reasoning about properties of geometric figures using definitions and informal deductive reasoning, instead of relying on visual characteristics of diagrams as a specific obstacle for students. Recommendations are made for improving the teaching and learning geometry based on our findings.