Using Van Hieles’ model to investigate students’ difficulties in rotation a study at Ngleshie-Amanfro Senior High School in the Ga-south municipality

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate and describe various difficulties which students demonstrate in the learning of rotation using the van Hieles‟ model of geometric thinking. The study made use of mixed-method approach in which qualitative data were used to assist in explaining and assigning reasons for quantitative findings. An achievement test on rotation was administered to 240 students who were randomly selected from Ngleshie Amanfro Senior High school for the study. Eight participants were then interviewed to examine the difficulties they encountered in answering questions on rotation at each level of van Hiele. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively using percentages, means and standard deviations, and inferentially with independent sample . The qualitative data were transcribed into descriptive words according to van Heiles‟ levels to portray various difficulties of rotation encountered by students. The results showed that, students had more difficulties in deduction and abstraction than in analysis and visualisation. Also, majority of the students reached the van Hiele levels of visualization and analysis but only a few reached the abstraction and deduction levels. Also, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of male and female students in the visualization, analysis and abstraction levels. However, there was statistically significant difference between the mean scores of males and females at the deduction level of van Hiele. The researcher recommends that teachers should examine or analyse students‟ difficulties in rotation using the van Hieles‟ levels. The study also recommends that teachers should encourage students to talk about geometric concepts relating to rotation so as to develop expressive language. Students should also be made to work with geometric models to enable them discover the properties themselves.