A phenomenographic analysis of teachers' views and classroom applications regarding geometry teaching according to Van Hiele levels

A qualitative study was undertaken to analyze teachers? views regarding first-grade geometry teaching and classroom applications according to the van Hiele theory of geometric thought.The study was carried out with Grade 1 to 5 primary school teachers (n=5) at a private Primary Education School in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. The study employed observation and interview techniques and the data obtained was analyzed in accordance with phenomenographic analysis. The following results were obtained from the study: 1. It was observed that, in the process of teaching geometric shapes, teachers took care to associate the shapes with real life examples. 2. When interviewed, participating teachers stated that they believed in the importance of making associations between the geometric shapes by pointing out similarities and utilizing tools and devices. However, they did not pay sufficient attention to this point when they gave their courses. 3. In interviews, all of the teachers reported that drawing is important for facilitating visualization, reification and permanence, and; That definitions should be taught, based on listing the properties of the geometric shapes and learning the similarities and differences between the shapes. However, apart from the fifth-grade teachers, none of the teachers paid enough attention to this point. 4. The majority of the teachers thought that proceeding ?from line to shape? is appropriate, while two teachers thought that starting geometry teaching with three dimensional shapes was a more appropriate method. While three of the teachers considered developmental characteristics as the principal factor in geometry teaching, two thought that properly-designed teaching activities were more effective. Based on the above results, it can be suggested that teachers structured their geometry courses based on their own experiences.