Cognitive Development of College Students and their Achievement in Geometry: An Evaluation using Piaget’s Theory and Van Hiele’s Levels of Thinking

Abstract

The study evaluated the cognitive development levels of college students and their achievement in Geometry using Piaget’s Test of Logical Operations and Van Hiele’s Levels of Thinking. The researcher employed quantitative approach to research. There were 105 respondents in which 71 of them fit the Van Hiele modified case/criterion (M3) 3 of 5 correct answers. Findings revealed that most of the college students were identified as concrete operational thinkers using Piaget’s theory of concrete and formal operations who possessed the levels of classification, seriation and transitivity. Using Van Hiele’s levels of thinking, most of them were classified as holistic thinkers. Students whose ages ranging from 20 years old and up were performing better in Geometry as compared to the other age brackets. It also revealed that male students were performing better than female students. In the cognitive development levels using Piaget’s theory on concrete and formal operations, there is a significant difference when grouped according to age and year levels but found a non-significant difference when grouped according to sex. Significant positive relationships revealed among Van Hiele’s levels of thinking, Piaget’s theory of concrete and formal operations and Geometry achievement test. Van Hiele’s levels of deductive and rigorous thinking and Piaget’s levels of transitivity, proportionality and correlation are significant predictors in the achievement of students in Geometry. This implies further that to be successful in learning Geometry and mathematics in general, a college student must reach Van Hiele’ level 3 – deductive thinking and Piaget’s level 3 – transitivity.