The effect of an argumentation diagram on the self-evaluation of a creative solution.
Open Access
- Author:
- Antiliou, Andria
- Graduate Program:
- Educational Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 02, 2012
- Committee Members:
- Pricilla Karen Murphy, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Rayne Audrey Sperling, Committee Member
Peggy Noel Van Meter, Committee Member
Mindy L Kornhaber, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Creativity
Problem Solving
Creative Problem Solving
Beliefs about Creativity - Abstract:
- Creative problem solving during which individuals generate novel and effective ideas or products is an essential 21st century skill that is most successful when learners are able to analyze, evaluate and refine their own ideas in order to improve and maximize their creative efforts (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). Engaging learners in argumentation tasks during problem solving activities has the potential to promote more reflective thinking about a proposed creative solution. The purpose of the study was to explore creative problem solving performance and examine ways to support reflective self-evaluations of the proposed creative solutions. Undergraduate students in an introductory educational psychology class were recruited and 103 individuals completed the study online. Participants provided demographic information and completed a set of measures before they read the problem scenario. Based on the scenario they assumed the role of a high school teacher and they designed a creative college preparatory course for the high school seniors by describing the specific learning activities of the course. Depending on the experimental condition, participants completed a reflective task: either responded to an explanation prompt (Explanation condition) or completed an Argumentation Vee Diagram (Argumentation condition). Finally, participants evaluated their course by rating the course on a set of originality and effectiveness characteristics that describe creative solutions. The findings of the study confirmed the role of divergent thinking as a positive predictor of the originality of the solution, while relevant coursework (i.e., prior knowledge) was found to be a negative predictor of originality. Moreover, need for cognition was a positive predictor of the effectiveness of a solution. Participants whose beliefs aligned with current conceptualizations of creative outcomes evaluated positively their proposed creative course. Moreover, participants who completed the argumentation diagram evaluated their course more conservatively with respect to its effectiveness indicating that an argumentation diagram is a graphic organizer that could potentially promote more reflective and critical thinking about a creative solution. Finally, an important contribution of this study is the development of a self-evaluation rating scale, which practitioners and students can use to evaluate a potentially creative outcome (i.e., product, solution).