Students' Mathematical Spatial Ability Assembled from The Level of Van Hiele Geometry by Acitya Application

Source abstract

Mathematical spatial ability supports geometry problem solving, yet the spatial ability of students at SMPN 5 Purwodadi remains relatively low. One cause is the variation in students' geometric thinking, which requires instruction aligned with van Hiele levels. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model assisted by ACITYA, an augmented reality application integrated with Indonesian culture, and to describe students' mathematical spatial ability based on van Hiele geometry levels. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed. The population was grade VIII students of SMPN 5 Purwodadi, with class VIIIF as the experimental class and class VIIIB as the control class. The qualitative subjects were two students from each van Hiele level. The results show that PBL assisted by ACITYA was effective in improving students' mathematical spatial ability, as indicated by: (1) the mean posttest score of 81 exceeded the minimum mastery criterion (KKTP) of 78; (2) the proportion of students scoring ≥78 exceeded the 75% classical mastery threshold; (3) the mean posttest score of the experimental class was higher than that of the control class; and (4) the mean n-gain of the experimental class was higher than that of the control class. Qualitatively, level 2 (ordering) students fulfilled all indicators, level 1 (analysis) students did not fulfill the spatial relation indicator, and level 0 (visualization) students fulfilled only the spatial visualization indicator. Further research is recommended to develop ACITYA with PBL for other topics, cultural contexts, or abilities.