Yating Liu , Pingping Zhang , Patti Brosnan , Diana Erchick
School of Teaching & Learning, College of Education and Human Economy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
*Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2012-2-3 / Accepted: 2012-3-15 / Published: 2012-3-30
Abstract In this work we catalogued the content of multiple-choice geometry items on the Ohio Achievement Tests for Grades 3, 5 and 8 according to the van Hiele model of development of geometric thought. Using statewide data from 1,418 students, responses on each question were analyzed to trace students’ performance at different grade levels. Statistical results indicated that the majority of the items at each grade level focused on Levels 1 and 2, and student performance declined as the question level increased. A closer examination of the participants’ responses in each item suggested that visual evidence and linguistic clues significantly impacted students’ judgment.
Research Areas: Assessment
