Integration of Van Hiele’s Phase-Based Learning for Student’s Critical and Creative Thinking Skills Improvement in Algebra

Abstract

Cultivating 21^st-century skills is imperative in this rapidly changing environment. To keep pace with these impending shifts, incessant and heightened revision in the educational system must be done to meet future challenges. Thus, the main goal of the study was to determine the effectiveness of Van Hiele’s phase-based learning in improving the critical and creative thinking skills of Grade 9 students. This study utilized a quasi-experimental research design using two groups which consisted of a total of 84 respondents. The control group learned through traditional instruction, while Van Hiele’s phase-based learning was used to teach those from the experimental group. A significant change was found in the results of the critical thinking skills of the students as to analysis, judgment, and decision-making and creative thinking skills as to fluency, flexibility, and elaboration. Hence, integrating Van Hiele’s phase-based learning into mathematics instruction efficiently improves the student’s critical and creative thinking skills. However, no significant change was found in the critical thinking skills as to reasoning and creative thinking skills as to originality. The present study recommends to future researchers that they conduct similar studies using different grade levels in other branches of mathematics.