Effects of divergent production instructions on creative thinking and learning of mathematics

Chan, Kun Ling (2010) Effects of divergent production instructions on creative thinking and learning of mathematics. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS).

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Abstract

This study looks at an instructional approach in assisting learning mathematics in primary school. Specifically, the divergent production instruction was delivered as an activity using the single subject experimental research design at S.J.K. Chung Hua Sg. Jernang, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak. This study involved five Primary Four students. In particular, this study is interested in the students' mathematics performance on the three dependent variables of think aloud, mathematics inquiry and problem solving as a result of the divergent production instruction, the students' creativity based on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TICT), and the students' mathematics achievement. In this research, five students sat for a pretest of TICT Figural A. After the pretest, they underwent a baseline phase which provided information about the students' current level of the behaviour (strategies in solving problems) measured by Divergent Production Scales. Thereafter, the students participated in the intervention phase comprising of three types of instructions namely think aloud, mathematics inquiry and problem solving. Follow-up phase and posttest of TICT Figural B were carried out for these students. Findings of this study show that students' mathematics perfoonance on the three dependent variables have shown an improvement as a result of the divergent production instructions. For the creative thinking test, there was a significant difference for "title" dimension of creativity but there were no statistical significant differences for the "fluency", "originality", "elaboration" and "closure" dimensions. Students tended to be more creative in giving a title for their drawings in TfCT Figural B compared to TTCT Figural A. This is an indication that they had improved in this aspect of creativity after the divergent production instructions. Furthennore, there are increments in mathematics achievements for these five students after the divergent production instructions. The results indicated that divergent production instruction can be an effective approach in assisting learning in primary school mathematics especially strategies such as think aloud, mathematics inquiry and problem solving. It also implicated that students tended to be more creative after the divergent production instruction.

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