Investigation of the Development of van Hiele Levels of Geometric Thinking in a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Environment

Authors : Emre Özkan, Diler Öner

Pages : 473-490

Doi:10.17860/mersinefd.522491

View : 24 | Download : 12

Publication Date : 2019-08-26

Article Type : Research

Abstract :This study investigated the use of a well-designed computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment, namely Virtual Math Teams (VMT), to develop middle school students’ geometric thinking. It also looked into students’ VMT discourse to better understand factors leading to higher van Hiele levels of geometric thinking. The participants of the study were selected from middle school students who were at the visual geometric thinking level. For treatment, students were presented with a set of activities on quadrilaterals, which were developed based on van Hiele’s phases of learning geometry, within the VMT environment. The data were collected using the van Hiele Geometry Test. The VMT chat logs were qualitatively analyzed using the three-core collaborative problem-solving competencies used in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. The results showed that the participants significantly developed their van Hiele Geometry Test scores after the intervention. Qualitative results pointed out that collaborative competencies could be essential in developing students’ geometric thinking levels within the VMT environment. Considering that in international assessments Turkish students score lower than the international average in geometry and the lowest in the collaborative problem-solving area, it becomes even more important to integrate CSCL environments into Turkish curricula.
Keywords : Bilgisayar destekli iş birliğiyle öğrenme, sanal matematik takımları, van Hiele geometrik düşünme seviyesi, geometri öğrenimi, iş birliği yeterlikleri