Geometric Thinking of Prospective Mathematics Teachers: Assessing the Foundation Built by University Undergraduate Education in Ghana

Abstract

This study investigates the geometric thinking levels of final year prospective mathematics teachers in Ghana, utilizing the van Hiele model to evaluate their proficiency. The main purpose was to assess whether university undergraduate mathematics education provides a sufficiently strong foundation for teaching senior high school geometry. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving 1,255 prospective mathematics teachers from three universities: University of Education Winneba (UEW), University of Cape Coast (UCC), and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED). The van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT) was administered to measure participants’ levels of geometric thinking. The results revealed that 8.8% of participants attained van Hiele Level 1 (visualization), 30.0% reached Level 2 (analysis), and 32.4% achieved Level 3 (abstraction). However, only 15.9% and 12.9% of prospective teachers reached Levels 4 (deduction) and 5 (rigor), respectively. These findings indicate a significant gap between the current geometric thinking skills of prospective teachers and the expectations of the Ghanaian mathematics curriculum, which anticipates higher-order thinking skills. The study concludes that the current undergraduate mathematics education programs in Ghanaian universities may not be adequately preparing future teachers to teach senior high school geometry effectively. It is recommended that these programs be revised to include more focus on developing higher-order geometric thinking skills, with an emphasis on deductive reasoning, formal proof-based learning and rigor in geometry thinking. Enhancing the curriculum and teaching methods could narrow this gap and improve the overall quality of geometry education in Ghana.