ERIC Number: ED655195
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 80
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-5699-8119-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Nurturing Creative Problem Solving in Social Sciences in Middle School Students
Michele Gaglione
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, St. John's University (New York)
The purpose of this non-experimental research study was three-fold: (1) to investigate the relationships among the attributes of creative problem solving ability (divergent thinking, convergent thinking, motivation, general knowledge and skills, and environment) and their relationships in the humanities (specifically those that took enrichment classes in that area), (2) to explore if there were group differences in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) attributes between students that had a high or low perception of class activities as measured by the My Class Activities (MCA) survey, and (3) to explore whether specific components of learning environment were impacted by certain enrichment classes. The CPSAI (Creative Problem Solving Attributes Inventory) and the MCA (My Class Activities) were administered to 114 students in grades six through eight at a suburban New York middle school on Long Island. The groups were subdivided by the total number of social science courses taken, those that participated in a humanities based enrichment class (rhetoric and debate or Model UN), high and low perceptions of class activities, and achievement in social studies classes as measured by their final grade for the year. Results supported that social science elective classes had a statistically significantly positive effect on student perception of their own CPS attributes, and classroom learning environment was a significant aspect of student perception of their CPS attributes, accounting for 29% of the variance. This study added to the body of quantitative research regarding creative problem-solving in the social sciences. It supported the validity of the CPSAI and its use in the social sciences and mathematics. Most importantly, it informed teachers of the importance of designing classroom learning environments that supported critical thinking and creative problem-solving while being appropriately challenging. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Creativity, Problem Solving, Class Activities, Enrichment Activities, Creative Thinking, Middle School Students, Teaching Methods, Measures (Individuals), Suburban Schools, Humanities, Student Attitudes, Social Studies, Academic Achievement, Elective Courses, Grades (Scholastic), Validity, Mathematics Instruction, Instructional Design, Critical Thinking
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A