• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.233-244
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between creativity development and debate in solving a probability task. We developed the probability task with instructional strategies facilitating debating among students. 33 students in grade 11 who were identified as gifted participated in this study. The findings indicated that debating leads students to critical and reflective thinking on prior learning regarding probability concepts, which nurtured creative ideas on sample space.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-41
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• 2010

This research applies the climbing learning method that, a Japanese professor, Saito Noboru established and practiced, to fourth and sixth graders in an elementary school in order to analyze its effect on mathematical creativity, attitude toward mathematical creativity, so called CAS(Creative Attitude Scale) and academic achievement of the subject. The goal is to explore methods that can enhance students' mathematical creativity. To address these tasks, the research developed a teaching-learning scheme and learning structure chart that applies the climbing learning method. Next, the research organized two homogeneous groups among 124 students in fourth and sixth grades in S elementary school, located in the city of Busan. The experiment group went through classes that applied climbing learning method, while the control group received regular teaching. The following describes the research findings. After the experiment, the research conducted t-test for the independent sample based on the test result in terms of mathematical creativity, CAS and academic achievement of the subject. For mathematical creativity, all four constructing factor showed statistically significant differences at significance level of 5%. For CAS, statistically significant difference was revealed at significance level of 0.1%. However, in regard to a test of academic achievement for fourth and sixth graders, statistically significant difference was not detected at significance level of 5% even though the average score of the students in the experiment group was higher by 6 points. The research drew the following conclusion. Firstly, classes that apply climbing learning method can be more effective than regular classes in enhancing mathematical creativity of elementary school students. Secondly, the climbing learning method has positive impact on inclination for mathematical creativity of elementary school students. The research suggests that the climbing learning method can be an effective teaching-learning tool to improve students' mathematical creativity and inclination for mathematical creativity.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.29-52
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• 2023

Objective: This research aims to examine the effect of a young children's engineering-focused STEAM program based on the project approach - a program that constructs components aligned with children's interests in their play through an engineering design process - on their scientific inquiry ability, mathematical problem-solving ability, and creativity. Methods: In this research, 42 five-year-old children from a public kindergarten in S district, I city, were randomly divided into experimental and comparative groups, each with 21 children. The engineering-focused STEAM program was conducted from April 18 to June 10, 2022, with the experimental group exploring the 'car' theme and the comparison group focusing on a different theme. The study employed an independent sample t-test and analysis of covariance(ANCOVA), using the pretest as a covariate to control variables. Results: The children-selected 'cars' themed engineering-focused STEAM program was effective in enhancing their scientific inquiry ability, mathematical problem-solving ability and creativity. Conclusion/Implications: The engineering-focused STEAM program, which emerges from young children's interesting daily play, had positive effects on enhancing their scientific inquiry ability, mathematical problem-solving ability, and creativity. This research can serve as fundamental data for developing education programs focused on engineering within the STEAM framework, guided by children's emergent play.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2011

Based on the work of Haylock (cf [Haylock, D. W. (1987). A framework for assessing mathematical creativity in schoolchildren. Educ. Stud. Math. 18(1),59-74]) a mathematical creativity test containing items of two categories overcoming fixation and divergent thinking has been developed for Bengali medium school students with sample size 262. The items measuring divergent thinking are found highly internally consistent and there is a significant correlation between overcoming fixation and divergent thinking. Study of the factorial validity of the test by Thursstone's centroid method gives satisfactory result. Validity coefficient of the test with teachers' rating, alpha reliability and test-retest reliability of the test are also found satisfactory.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2009

How to promote creativity for all students in mathematics education is always a hot topic for mathematics educators. Based on the theory study and practice in the project "Open-ended Questions in Mathematics" granted by Ministry of Basic Education Curriculum Study Center in China, the paper reported the effect of "Open-ended Questions in Mathematics" on the way to change the development of thinking ability, to inspire students to develop thinking flexibility, to expand their imagination, to stimulate their interest in learning, and to foster students' creativity.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.117-134
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• 2011

The purpose of this research was to analyze mathematical task types to enhance creativity. Creativity is increasingly important in every field of disciplines and industries. To be excel in the 21st century, students need to have habits to think creatively in mathematics learning. The method of the research was to collect the previous research and papers concerning creativity and mathematics. To search the materials, the researcher used the search engines such as the GIL and the KISTI. The mathematical task types to enhance creativity were categorized 16 different types according to their forms and characteristics. The types of tasks include (1) requiring various strategies, (2) requiring preferences on strategies, (3) making word problems, (4) making parallel problems, (5) requiring transforming problems, (6) finding patterns and making generalization, (7) using open-ended problems, (8) asking intuition for final answers, (9) asking patterns and generalization (10) requiring role plays, (11) using literature, (12) using mathematical puzzles and games, (13) using various materials, (14) breaking patterned thinking, (15) integrating among disciplines, and (16) encouraging to change our lives. To enhance students' creativity in mathematics teaching and learning, the researcher recommended the followings: reshaping perspectives toward teaching and learning, developing and providing creativity-rich tasks, applying every day life, using open-ended tasks, using various types of tasks, having assessment ability, changing assessment system, and showing and doing creative thinking and behaviors of teachers and parents.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.247-270
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• 2013

The purpose of this research was to analyze the convergent approaches for creativity in elementary mathematics textbooks in Korean and the united States. Convergent approaches have emphasized since NCTM(2000) consistently includes 'connections' as an important factor in mathematics curriculum and KOFAC(Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity) initiated the STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) in mathematics and science education. For this research, two elementary mathematics textbooks were analyzed focused on their contexts and contents: Korean National Elementary Mathematics Textbooks and Navigations in Numbers, Data, and Space. In both textbooks, it was not easy to find so called the convergent approach in a real sense, but they use some contexts for connections between mathematical concepts and real world phenomena. For the enhancement of convergent approaches in mathematics education, we need to have a broader sense in the convergent approaches and develop various meaningful materials.

• School Mathematics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2014

Mathematical creativity in school mathematics is connected with problem solving. The purpose of this study was to analyse elementary students' the mathematical creativity using multiple solution tasks which required to solve a mathematical problem in different ways. For this research, I examined and analyzed the response to four multiple solution tasks according to the evaluation system of mathematical creativity which consisted of the factors of creativity(fluency, flexibility, originality). The finding showed that mathematical creativity was different between students with greater clarity. And mathematical creativity in tasks was different. So I questioned the possibility of analysis of students' the mathematical creativity in mathematical areas. According to the evaluation system of mathematical creativity of this research, mathematical creativity was proportional to the fluency. But the high fluency and flexibility was decreasing originality because it was easy for students to solve multiple solution tasks in the same ways. So, finding of this research can be considered to make the criterion in both originality in rare and mathematical aspects.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.41-63
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of an 'Ice' project, a topic chosen based on children's interests to discover the improvement of scientific and mathematical abilities, and creativity of four-year-old children. Methods: For this research, 34 four-year-old children from M childcare center were selected. Seventeen children were placed in the experimental group and the remaining 17 children were placed in the comparison group. After the project was completed, to observe the differences between the two groups, the Mann-Whitney U test was conducted. Results: First, the 'Ice' project had an effect on improving children's scientific abilities and its subfactors. Second, the 'Ice' project hadsignificant effects on improving children's algebraic and geometric mathematical skills. Third, excluding the resistance to premature closure among the subfactors of creativity, the 'Ice' project contributed to improve children's creativity and all sub-factors. Conclusion/Implications: The 'Ice' project activities, a subject chosen from the interests of children, led active play participation from children and brought positive effects in immersion of play and activity. Such effects proved to affect children's scientific abilities, mathematical abilities, and creativity, and suggest this research can be used as base line data in follow-up research on various project activities.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.10 no.1 s.25
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• pp.1-11
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• 2006

In today's world, it is not enough to be proficient at computation or at memorizing rote procedures to solve routine problems. These skills are important, but even more important are the abilities to recognize and define problems, generate multiple solutions or paths toward solution, reason, justify conclusions, and communicate results. These are not abilities that one is born with and they do not generally develop on their own. For students to become gifted, promising, and creative mathematicians, these talents must be cultivated and nurtured.