This study has two major purposes. The first of these is to formulate a theoretical model which 1) provides an ontological and psychological framework for the concept of creativity, and 2) if non-contradictory empirical data are produced, provides a philosophic and psychological guide to effective action relevant to the development of creative skill. The second major purpose is to formulate and test a problem and hypotheses which would provide some empirical evidence of the explanatory adequacy of the model, and outside the scope of theoretical material, to produce data of general interest to any reader regardless of his theoretical orientation.

MEd, Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, 1990

Thesis (M.A.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-107).

The purpose of the study was to determine if a prepared serial or sequential line of teacher questioning, immediately following the reading of a narrative selection, is a more effective method of teaching to increase inferential comprehension skills of gifted learners that a random questioning method of teaching. The setting for the study was a magnet elementary school for gifted children in a midwest metropolitan area. Forty-nine gifted, fifth grade students were randomly selected for inclusion in the study to target differences in inferential comprehension mastery resultant to intervening questioning treatment.A norm referenced pre-test and post-test was utilized to determine the degree of effectiveness in assessing inferential comprehension skills in long term mastery learning. The null hypothesis was tested by using Analysis of Covariance. Weekly tests were used to assess short term mastery of inferential comprehension. The null hypothesis was tested by using Multiple Analysis of Variance. The .05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for the non-acceptance of hypotheses.Findings1. After a six week intervening treatment comparing the effects of a serial and random questioning line with gifted learners measured by pre and post-test instruments of a norm referenced test, non-significant gains were made by the experimental group attributable to the type or line of questioning utilized.2. There existed a difference between the groups over the individual tests measured. Gifted learners were affected in short term mastery of inferential comprehension skills as indicated in scores on three weekly five item tests.Conclusions1. There is no difference in inferential comprehension skill mastery between the control and experimental group after a six week serial questioning treatment as measured on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Form U, Level G, grade 5.2. There is a difference in inferential comprehension skill mastery between the control and experimental group as assessed during the six week treatment for a serial line of questioning of three day per week measurements.

The aim of this study is to develop the ¡§integration of creative thinking into the proposal of teaching reading and composition for grade 4 students¡¨ and discuss the impact of this teaching proposal on students¡¦ creative thinking skill, tendency and writing capability. Through case study, a grade-4 dance class from an elementary school in Tainan City was taken as research sample. Among the target students, 20 of them are female. After conducting the teaching proposal for 17 weeks, the teaching strategy was adjusted according to the program implementation, teacher¡¦s introspection and students¡¦ performance in class. In addition, both quantitative and qualitative analyses were used to analyze the program teaching effect. The pre-test and post-test scores of the ¡§creative thinking activity test¡¨, ¡§creative thinking tendency scale¡¨ and ¡§creative writing evaluation scale¡¨ were taken as the standard for evaluation. Besides, the qualitative data were used to analyze the students¡¦ learning results of creative thinking, students¡¦ written works, learning survey-questionnaires and the overall reaction of teachers¡¦ observation and introspection. The result and discussion of research are as following: (1) The integration of creative thinking into the proposal of teaching composition and reading for grade 4 students can improve the elementary students¡¦ creative thinking skill and writing capability. (2) The integration of creative thinking into the proposal of teaching composition and reading for grade 4 students can improve the elementary students¡¦ creative thinking tendency. (3) The design of the integrative teaching composition and writing can improve the elementary students¡¦ expression and the learning quality of creative thinking. (4) The appropriate team work can improve the elementary students¡¦ learning effect. In conclusion, this study proposed the proposal and implementation for future integration of creative thinking into teaching composition and reading and research direction based on the research results.

The main purposes of the study were to (A) analyze the relationships between teachers¡¦ demongraphic variables, professional growth motivation and their implement of open education, and (b) to investigate the relationships between teachers¡¦ implement of open education and their pupils¡¦ critical- and creative-thinking abilities. The participants included 101 teachers and 556 students in elementary schools from kaosiung city and Tainan city. This is a two-stage study. The instruments employed at the first stage were The Appraisal of Teaching for Elementary School Teachers and The Questionnaire for Teachers¡¦ Professional Growth, and those employed at the second stage were the revised edition of the Test of Critical-thinking Skills for Primary and Secondary school Students and the new edition of the Test of Creative Thinking. The applied analysis methods included descriptive statistics, Hotelling¡¦s T2, multivariate analysis of variance, and multiple stepwise regression. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The teachers¡¦ teaching experience had positive effects on their implement of open education. 2. The teacher who graduated from general universities did not have higher degree of implementing open education than those who graduated from normal universities. 3. The teachers¡¦ professional growth motivation had positive effects on their implement of open education. 4. The teachers¡¦ experiences of participating workshops about open education had positive effects on their implement of open education, while their experiences of general in-service study had not. 5. The teachers¡¦ professional growth motivation, experiences of participating workshops of open education, and experiences of in-service study could effectively predict their degree of implementing open education. 6. The teachers¡¦ degree of implementing open education had positive effects on their students¡¦ critical- and creative-thinking abilities.

Creativity and the creative process are a well-researched topic. The process has been analyzed into models, dissected to determine affecting factors, and modified using varying techniques for the purpose of finding insights into it. The insights found have been used to improve creativity and its process immensely. Although the findings have been significant, there is room for more. This report seeks to extend the knowledge into the creative process so that society’s creativity may improve. To do so, nine in-depth interviews were conducted of professionals in various fields; they discussed a major problem they had encountered and revealed the creative process that led to their successful solution. These timelines of their creative process were then analyzed by comparing them to the existing literature and against each other to find useful ways to aid the creative process. The results reveal reliable techniques into how a person can improve their creativity and inevitably generate better ideas. / text

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of two problem-solving techniques and two personality variables upon the quantity and self-reported quality of solutions people generated to an ill-structured problem. College students completed the Locus of Control and Need for Cognition Scales and, after having been trained in either brainstorming or a hierarchical problem-solving method, they used their new skill to solve a problem. They also rated their solutions on quality. Subjects in the hierarchical condition produced more solutions than those in brainstorming. Moreover, those in the hierarchical group produced solutions of subjectively higher quality than did the brainstormers. Analyses of the personality variables suggested that as need for cognition increased, people generated more solutions before training. No relationship was found between need for cognition and quality ratings. Locus of control was not related to either quantity or quality. Implications for business are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided. / Department of Psychological Science

It was the purpose of this study to determine the effects of creative dramatics on divergent thinking in fifth grade children. The subjects (twenty-six fifth graders) were divided into control and treatment groups such that each group had an equal representation of male and female subjects. Prior to treatment, both groups of subjects were pre-tested using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Verbal Form A. During the treatment period, the control group continued their normal school activities; while the treatment group was exposed to fifteen forty-five minute creative dramatics sessions. Following the treatment period, the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Verbal Form B was administered to both groups.The results of the data analysis indicated that treatment had a statistically significant effect (p<.02) upon the category of originality. Therefore, it is concluded that creative dramatics has a facilitating effect on the originality dimension of divergent thinking.