U.S. and Taiwanese Pre-Service Teachers' Geometry Knowledge and Thinking

This study investigated and compared the geometry knowledge and levels of pre-service elementary teachers from the United States and Taiwan. Forty pre-service teachers in Taiwan and 48 pre-service teachers in the United States at the beginning of their teacher education programs completed the Entering Geometry Test (EGT) and the van Hiele Geometry Test (VHGT) developed by Usiskin (1982). The data gathered through these two tests was analysed to determine if there were any significant differences in the geometric knowledge and van Hiele levels between the American and Taiwanese pre-service elementary teachers. The findings indicated that Taiwanese pre-service elementary teachers had significantly higher mean scores on the EGT and achieved higher van Hiele levels than their U.S. counterparts. Possible factors that contribute to these differences as well as the implications are discussed in the paper. (Contains 7 tables.)