Thesis (M.Ed. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / The purpose of this is to investigate how teachers go about for the development of Creative Thinking Skills (CTS) in a grade 9 technology classroom. The introduction of technology in the South African curriculum by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to develop CTS through the Design Process (DP) as the cornerstone of the learning area. Technology as a learning area should provide learners with opportunities to solve real-life problems, in the process developing their CTS (DBE, 2011). In the 21st century, CTS have been seen as skills that are crucial across the spectrum of day to day activities. However; it appears to be very complex for technology teachers to enhance the teaching and learning of CTS in a technology classroom. The literature suggests that technology teachers tend to suppress the development of learners’ CTS by limiting the process of teaching and learning to low order thinking cognitive levels rather than high order cognitive levels. This study employed a qualitative research enquiry, purposive sampling was used for the selection of the relevant participants. Qualified technology teachers who teach grade 9 technology with at least three years’ experience in teaching technology were considered. Data collection was obtained through interviews, observation and document analysis. The research finding showed that teachers lack the understanding of policies, particularly CAPS hence they continuously compromise its implementation hindering with the development of CTS of learners as it is envisaged in the CAPS document. Furthermore, the research findings reveal that the teacher has a little or no understanding of what is creative thinking (CT) and what it entails, hence they did not unpack what is it exactly that they do to support the development of learners CTS in a technology classroom This study recommends that technology teachers be familiar with the CAPS document and implement it correctly without any compromise. Furthermore; understanding of the design process is of vital importance to teachers as it is the cornerstone of teaching and learning, particularly the development of CTS of learners. Technology teachers need also to have a clear understanding of what CT is and what it entails, that will assist to arouse their CT and help to develop the CTS of learners in a technology classroom.

Los avances tecnológicos permitieron que las empresas busquen nuevos horizontes para ofrecer productos y servicios que cubran las necesidades de los clientes incluso por encima de sus expectativas. Asimismo, la innovación en las organizaciones ha permitido que los líderes puedan fomentar una cultura de desarrollo en los individuos, un pensamiento abierto a la creatividad a la innovación radical para desarrollar nuevos productos y servicios. Esta innovación está asociada a un riesgo económico y operacional si no se gestiona correctamente. Por tal motivo, se busca estudiar los factores y métodos para minimizar estos riesgos para obtener los beneficios de las ventajas competitivas, altos ingresos económicos, personal comprometido y sostenibilidad a largo plazo. Para su desarrollo, se consideró 5 aspectos: 1° La innovación cognitiva almacena el comportamiento de los individuos aprendidos durante su formación,  2° La visión divergente para elaborar soluciones que cubran las necesidades de los clientes, 3° El pensamiento multidireccional que conduce a los individuos a identificar problemas y brindar soluciones creativas, 4° Las políticas de innovación para controlar los procesos en el desarrollo de un producto o servicio y 5° El liderazgo para fomentar el trabajo en equipo y la participación de los individuos en la toma de decisiones. / Technological advances have allowed companies to seek new horizons to offer products and services that meet the needs of customers even above their expectations. Likewise, innovation in organizations has allowed leaders to foster a culture of development in individuals, thinking open to creativity and radical innovation to develop new products and services. This innovation is associated with an economic and operational risk if it is not managed correctly. For this reason, it seeks to study the factors and methods to minimize these risks to obtain the benefits of competitive advantages, high economic income, committed staff and long-term sustainability. For its development, 5 aspects were considered: 1 ° Cognitive innovation stores the behavior of individuals learned during their training, 2 ° The divergent vision to develop solutions that meet the needs of customers, 3 ° The multidirectional thinking that leads to individuals to identify problems and provide creative solutions, 4th Innovation policies to control processes in the development of a product or service and 5th Leadership, to encourage teamwork and the participation of individuals in decision-making . / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

Thèse de doctorat présenté en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche intervention, option neuropsychologie clinique (Ph.D) / Les personnes qui ont un trouble de déficit de l’attention avec/sans hyperactivité (TDAH) seraient particulièrement créatives. Toutefois, dans la littérature scientifique, cette croyance ne fait pas consensus. Bien que les personnes qui ont un TDAH présentent une grande créativité autorapportée, des résultats variables sont trouvés aux épreuves formelles de créativité (de potentiel créatif), même lorsque des variables confondantes, comme la nature hétéroclite de ces épreuves, sont prises en compte. En introduction de cette thèse, un tour d’horizon théorique sur la créativité et le TDAH est effectué et permet d’identifier un facteur de variabilité important qui a été négligé en recherche et qui pourrait masquer un lien entre la créativité et le TDAH : l’hétérogénéité du TDAH. En effet, le TDAH se découpe en différentes présentations caractérisées par des symptômes dominants (l’inattention, l’hyperactivité/l’impulsivité ou une combinaison des deux). Chacun des corrélats neurocognitifs qui sous-tendent ces symptômes contribuerait à la créativité de façons bien spécifiques, suggérant que celle-ci pourrait différer entre les présentations du TDAH. Or, bien souvent, dans les études portant sur le TDAH et la créativité, le TDAH est considéré comme un trouble homogène. L’introduction de cette thèse amène également l’idée que la relation entre la créativité et le TDAH ne devrait pas être exclusivement étudiée en recherche. Alors que la science tarde à élucider l’existence d’une telle relation, la créativité dans le TDAH pourrait potentiellement être évaluée en contexte clinique, sur une base individuelle, à l’aide de tests de créativité. Avec l’arrivée de la mouvance de la neurodiversité, il est bien possible que les personnes qui ont un TDAH soient de plus en plus intéressées à être informées au sujet des forces sur lesquelles ils peuvent prendre appui pour se réaliser comme individus. Cependant, les tests de créativité sont souvent longs à administrer ainsi qu’à corriger, faisant en sorte qu’ils s’insèrent difficilement dans un protocole d’évaluation cognitive. Même en recherche, ces tests présentent plusieurs lacunes, surtout en ce qui a trait à la mesure de l’originalité des réponses. Des méthodes de cotation populaires, comme le calcul de la rareté statistique, impliquent la prise de plusieurs décisions subjectives et nécessitent la formation de larges échantillons pour être suffisamment précises. Pour leur part, les systèmes d’accord interjuges nécessitent un grand travail de correction. Ainsi, les principaux objectifs de cette thèse sont de mieux comprendre la relation entre la créativité et le TDAH en considérant les différentes présentations de ce trouble ainsi que d’introduire et de prévalider une mesure de l’originalité qui permettrait de contourner certaines critiques des tests de créativité en recherche. Ce test pourrait aussi rendre la mesure de la créativité plus compatible aux réalités de la clinique et faciliter l’identification de forces chez les personnes qui ont un TDAH. Dans une première étude, nous voulions vérifier si la créativité varie entre les présentations les plus communes du TDAH : la présentation avec prédominance de symptômes d’inattention (TDAH-I) et la présentation combinée (TDAH-C). Nous voulions aussi explorer la relation entre la créativité, les symptômes du TDAH ainsi que l’inhibition. Les participants (n = 83, 20 hommes) étaient âgés de 18 à 51 ans (M = 26.66, É-T = 8.73) et avaient un diagnostic de TDAH-I (n = 21), de TDAH-C (n = 19) ou pas de diagnostic de TDAH (n = 43). La créativité a été évaluée à l’aide d’une mesure de l’autoperception des habilités créatives et d’un test de pensée divergente. Les résultats révèlent que le groupe TDAH-C a produit des réponses plus originales et abstraites au test de pensée divergente que le groupe contrôle. En comparaison aux autres groupes, le groupe TDAH-C a rapporté une plus grande créativité auto perçue dans le domaine de la performance. Ce score était associé aux symptômes d’hyperactivité. Ces résultats suggèrent que la créativité varie entre les présentations du TDAH et que certains symptômes seraient associés à une plus grande créativité dans des domaines spécifiques. Dans une deuxième étude, qui se voulait exploratoire, nous avons développé un nouveau test de créativité : Creo. Les réponses à Creo sont évaluées en fonction de leur niveau de nouveauté personnelle. Ce faisant, la cotation ne repose pas sur la rareté statistique dans un groupe, mais plutôt sur un calcul novateur permettant d’estimer la taille des transformations effectuées dans les réponses. Quarante-sept hommes/femmes de 16-51 ans ont participé à l’étude de prévalidation. La validité de construit a été mesurée à l’aide de tâches de pensée divergente, d’autoperception des habilités créatives, de fonctions exécutives, de fluence graphique et d’intelligence non verbale. Creo présente certaines évidences de validité de construit. Le score de nouveauté personnelle à Creo apparait conceptuellement proche de celui de l’originalité en pensée divergente. Au terme de ce travail, il apparait essentiel de considérer les différentes présentations du TDAH en recherche, car celles-ci ne présentent pas les mêmes forces créatives. Ensuite, la mesure de la nouveauté personnelle pourrait être une alternative viable aux méthodes populaires de cotation de l’originalité dans la pensée divergente. En plus d’être un test intéressant en recherche, Creo pourrait être une tâche qui s’insère facilement dans un protocole d’évaluation cognitive en clinique et comporte des attributs qui pourraient le rendre particulièrement intéressant pour l’évaluation de la créativité dans le TDAH. Les implications théoriques et cliniques de l’ensemble de nos résultats sont discutées. / People who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) would be particularly creative. However, in the scientific literature, there is no consensus on this belief. Although people with ADHD shows high self-reported creativity, variable results are found on formal tests of creativity (tests of creative potential), even when confounding variables, such as the heterogeneous nature of these tests, are considered. In the introduction to this thesis, a theoretical overview of creativity and ADHD is carried out and identifies an important variability factor, which has been neglected in research and could mask a link between creativity and ADHD: the heterogeneity of ADHD itself. Indeed, ADHD is divided into different presentations characterized by dominant symptoms (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, or a combination of both). Each of the neurocognitive correlates that underlie these symptoms may contribute to creativity in very specific ways, suggesting that it may differ between ADHD presentations. However, in studies of ADHD and creativity, ADHD is often considered to be a homogeneous disorder. The introduction of this thesis also brings the idea that the relationship between creativity and ADHD should not be exclusively studied in research. While science is slow to elucidate the existence of such a relationship, creativity in ADHD could potentially be assessed in a clinical context, on an individual basis, using creativity tests. With the arrival of the neurodiversity movement, it is quite possible that people with ADHD will be more and more interested in being informed about the strengths on which they can rely to achieve their individual fulfillment. However, creativity tests are often long to administer and correct, making them difficult to fit into a cognitive assessment protocol. Even in research, these tests have several shortcomings, especially in terms of measuring the originality of responses. Popular scoring methods, such as the calculation of statistical rarity, involve making several subjective decisions and require large samples to be sufficiently accurate. For their part, inter-rater agreement systems require a great deal of correction work. Thus, the main objectives of this thesis are to better understand the relationship between creativity and ADHD by considering the different presentations of this disorder as well as to introduce and prevalidate a measure of originality that would alleviate certain criticisms of creativity testing in research. This test could also make the measurement of creativity more compatible with clinical work and facilitate the identification of strengths in individuals with ADHD. In a first study, we wanted to verify whether creativity varies between the most common presentations of ADHD: the presentation with predominant symptoms of inattention (ADHD-I) and the combined presentation (ADHD-C). We also wanted to explore the relationship between creativity, ADHD symptoms and inhibition. Participants (n = 83, 20 men) were 18-51 years old (M = 26.66, SD = 8.73) and diagnosed with ADHD-I (n = 21), ADHD-C (n = 19) or no diagnosis of ADHD (n = 43). Creativity was assessed using a measure of self-perception of creative abilities and a divergent thinking test. The results reveal that the ADHD-C group produced more original and abstract responses to the divergent thinking test than the control group. Compared to the other groups, the ADHD-C group reported greater self-perceived creativity in the domain of performance. This score was associated with symptoms of hyperactivity. These results suggest that creativity varies between ADHD presentations and that certain symptoms may be associated with greater creativity in specific domains. In a second study, which was exploratory, we developed a new creativity test: Creo. Responses to Creo are evaluated based on their level of personal novelty. In doing so, the scoring is not based on statistical rarity in a group, but rather on an innovative calculation to estimate the size of the transformations performed in the responses produced by the participants. Forty-seven men/women aged 16-51 participated in the prevalidation study. Construct validity was measured using tasks of divergent thinking, self-perception of creative abilities, executive functions, graphic fluency, and nonverbal intelligence. Creo presents some evidence of construct validity. The personal novelty score in Creo appears conceptually close to that of originality in divergent thinking. At the end of this work, it appears essential to consider the different presentations of ADHD in research, because they do not present the same creative strengths. Second, measuring personal novelty could be a viable alternative to popular originality scoring methods in divergent thinking. In addition to being an interesting test in research, Creo could be a task that fits easily into a clinical cognitive assessment protocol and has attributes that could make it particularly interesting for the assessment of creativity in ADHD. The theoretical and clinical implications of all our results are discussed.

This study was conducted in order to assess the effects of creative stimulation in early childhood. The quantitative quasi-experimental study was set out to test a target group of 8 children in grade R, ranging in age from five to six years, to determine the importance of stimulation and intervention of creativity from a young age. A pre-test, evaluated the initial level of each child’s creative skills in fluency, flexibility and originality. This was followed by selecting one class as the experimental group and another class, from the same demographical location, as the control group. The experimental group underwent a six-week intervention programme which focused on the primary concepts in each area of fluency, flexibility and originality. Both groups continued with their normal school learning programmes. The results indicate that the impact of stimulation on young children was significant and that there was a great difference in the abilities and understanding of concepts in those children whohad been stimulated. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Social learning has given us insight into how children learn actions from others across different domains (e.g., actions on objects, pretend play, and tool use). However, little research exists to confirm whether young children can generate their own novel actions. Three different settings were chosen to offer a varied investigation of children’s ability to generate novel actions: generating multiple actions with novel objects; generating iconic gestures in order to communicate; and generating pretend actions using object substitution. Generating multiple actions with novel objects: The Unusual Box test was developed to investigate children’s ability to generate multiple actions with novel objects (Chapter 2). The Unusual Box test involves children playing with a wooden box that contains many different features (e.g., rings, stairs, strings), and five novel objects. The number of different actions performed on the box and with the objects (i.e., fluency) was used as a measure of their individual learning. Positive correlations between the fluency scores of 24 3- and 4-year-olds on the Unusual Box test and two existing measures of divergent thinking were found. Divergent thinking relates to the ability to think of multiple answers based on one premise. Furthermore, a large range of fluency scores indicated individual differences in children’s ability to generate multiple actions with novel objects. In addition, 16 2-year-olds were assessed on the Unusual Box test, twice two weeks apart, to investigate test-retest reliability and the possibility that the Unusual Box test could be used with children younger than 3 years. A strong positive correlation between the scores on the two assessments showed high test-retest reliability, while individual differences in fluency scores and the absence of a floor effect indicated that the Unusual Box test was usable in children from 2 years of age. Generating iconic gestures in order to communicate: Children’s ability to generate iconic gestures in order to communicate was assessed using a game to request stickers from an experimenter (N = 20, Chapter 3). In order to get a sticker children had to communicate to the experimenter which out of two objects they wanted (only one object had a sticker attached to it). Children’s use of speech or pointing was ineffective; therefore only generating an iconic gesture was sufficient to retrieve the sticker. Children generated a correct iconic gesture on 71% of the trials. These findings indicate that children generate their own iconic gestures in order to communicate; and that they understand the representational nature of iconic gestures, and use this in their own generation of iconic gestures. Generating pretend actions using object substitution: In order to determine whether children are able to generate their own object substitution actions and understand the representational nature of these actions, 45 3- and 4-year-olds were familiarized with the goal of a task through modelling actions. Children distinguished between the intentions of an experimenter to pretend, or try and perform a correct action. Children mainly imitated the pretend actions, while correcting the trying actions. Next, children were presented with objects for which they had to generate their own object substitution actions without being shown a model. When children had previously been shown pretend actions, children generated their own object substitution actions. This indicates that children generate their own object substitution actions, and that they understand the representational nature of these actions. An additional study with 34 3-year-olds, revealed no significant correlations between divergent thinking, inhibitory control, or children’s object substitution in a free play setting, and children’s ability to generate object substitution actions in the experimental setting.

Tratando música e performance violonística como um problema a ser resolvido e procurando por ferramentas que facilitassem o processo de solução de problemas a presente pesquisa levantou vários conceitos em outras áreas do conhecimento, notadamente o Pensamento Divergente de Joy P. Guilford (1950), o Método Científico (principalmente a partir de Tang, 1984), o Pensamento Reflexivo de John Dewey (1933), o Brainstorm de Alex F. Osborn e a Heurística (segundo Duailibi e Simonsen, 1990) e os aplicou à obra selecionada, a saber, os 12 Estudos para Violão de Francisco Mignone (1897-1986), criando inúmeras soluções de execução de suas passagens, expressas pelos 875 exemplos musicais contidos na tese, no intuito de demonstrar como estes conceitos podem auxiliar na solução de problemas violonísticos. O presente trabalho foi realizado com apoio da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Código de Financiamento 001. / By considering music and musical performance as a problem to be solved and searching ways of facilitate this problem-solving process this research gathered many concepts or tools of problem solving as the Divergent Thinking by Joy P. Guilford (1950), the Scientific Method (mainly based in Tang, 1984), the Reflexive Thinking by John Dewey (1933), Brainstorm by Alex F. Osborn and the Heuristic (mainly by Duailibi and Simonsen, 1990) and applied then to the selected work, the 12 Guitar Studies by Francisco Mignone (1897-1986). With this approach many solutions where created for it\'s passages, and where expressed by 875 musical exemples, wishing to demonstrate how this concepts can assist the guitar problem solving process. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001.

This study was conducted in order to assess the effects of creative stimulation in early childhood. The quantitative quasi-experimental study was set out to test a target group of 8 children in grade R, ranging in age from five to six years, to determine the importance of stimulation and intervention of creativity from a young age. A pre-test, evaluated the initial level of each child’s creative skills in fluency, flexibility and originality. This was followed by selecting one class as the experimental group and another class, from the same demographical location, as the control group. The experimental group underwent a six-week intervention programme which focused on the primary concepts in each area of fluency, flexibility and originality. Both groups continued with their normal school learning programmes. The results indicate that the impact of stimulation on young children was significant and that there was a great difference in the abilities and understanding of concepts in those children whohad been stimulated. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Creativity is a topic that is relevant to everyday life. Research in this area has mainly focused on comparing creativity in work contexts and between Eastern and Western conceptualizations. The current study was designed to measure differences in creativity between students in the United States and India by comparing a measure of cognitive creativity, the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, to a measure of creative achievement, the Creative Achievement Questionnaire. The results from a linear regression showed that the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults was predictive of the Creative Achievement Questionnaire in the United States, but not in India. Results from independent samples t-tests showed that participants from the United States scored significantly higher on the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults than participants from India. Independent samples t-tests further showed that participants from India scored significantly higher on originality domain of the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults than participants from the United States. Independent samples t-tests showed there was no significant difference between the two countries in terms of overall creative achievement. However, participants in the United States scored significantly higher in the domain of creative writing, and marginally higher in the domain of music. Participants from India scored significantly higher in the domain of culinary arts. Part of the explanation for the results revolves around the idea that the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults is western-centric test. There is a need for a creativity test that takes into account Eastern conceptualizations of creativity. Based on the results the researcher recommends staying away from overgeneralizing East/West dichotomies, instead shifting the focus towards the uniqueness of individual cultures.

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My dissertation deals with the contribution of practical activities as scope for the factors developing creativity of primary school pupils. Firstly, the definitions of the terms creativity, technical education and project teaching, based on specialised literature, are introduced. These three theoretical spheres focus in detail on the creative process and product, creative factors, convergent and divergent thinking skills, the creative person and the methods that help develop his or her creativity. I try to clarify the technique as a means of development of practical activities. After that I deal with the educational area "Man and the World of Work" and present possible topics for the development of creativity in working education. My thesis demonstrates a project together with its types and focuses on the implementation and benefits of project-based learning. The practical part is focused on the development of individual projects. Fifteen individual projects, helping to develop creativity of pupils at primary schools, were offered to twenty-one teachers. These teachers participated in a questionnaire survey and they were given an opportunity to provide feedback on the above mentioned individual projects. The results of the survey are described in the sixth chapter of this thesis.