A teoria de Van Hiele e o desenvolvimento do pensamento geométrico: uma investigação com estudantes da 3ª série do Ensino Médio

Abstract

This study investigates the level of geometric thinking among 3rd-year high school students at a state public school in Rio Tinto, Paraíba, based on Van Hiele‟s theory. Developed within the scope of the Teacher Training Support Program (Prolicen 2024) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB/CCAE), this qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive case study utilized Van Hiele‟s tests for data collection. Participants included 32 students aged 16 to 18. Findings indicate that students remain predominantly at the first level of geometric thinking, exhibiting specific difficulties in figure recognition, class inclusion, definition recall, and answer justification. Based on these findings, a sequence of pedagogical activities was developed as a proposed resource for Geometry lesson planning and future research. Overall, the study reinforces Van Hiele‟s Theory as an essential framework for understanding geometry learning and designing level-appropriate pedagogical practices.