Abstract—This research is a descriptive qualitative study that aims to describe students' critical thinking abilities in solving cube and cuboid problems based on Van Hiele's level of thinking. This research instrument consists of a Van Hiele geometry test, a Cube and Cuboid problem-solving test, and an interview guide. The research subjects consisted of three students of class VIII at junior high schools in Pamekasan, East Java. The subjects selected were based on Van Hiele's level of thinking categories: subject level 0 (visualization), subject level 1 (analysis), and subject level 2 (abstraction). The results showed that subject level 0 solved problems according to the critical thinking indicator stage but was only able to categorize and explain the meaning of the problems (interpretation). Subject level 1 corresponded to the critical thinking indicator stage but was unable to conduct a thorough evaluation (evaluation indicator), resulting in an inappropriate solution. Subject level 2 corresponds to the indicators of the critical thinking stage but is not perfect because the subject made mistakes when solving problems (evaluation indicators), resulting in incorrect final answers and influencing the conclusions obtained (inference indicators). Based on the research findings, it is suggested that teachers can develop teaching strategies to support the development of students' critical thinking at various Van Hiele levels, such as emphasizing the use of interactive visual media that can help students identify visual features of geometric shapes, strengthening evaluation skills by using the Problem-Based Learning model, and providing explicit exercises that connect geometric properties. 
 

Keywords—critical thinking, solve cube and cuboid problem, Van Hiele levels 

Cite: Siti Nafiah, Yaya S. Kusumah, and Monica Priska Aprilia Winardi, "The Critical Thinking Abilities in Solving Cubes and Cuboid Problems Based on Van Hiele's Level of Thinking," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 391-396, 2025.

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