• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.47-62
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• 2016

Cultivating mathematical creativity is one of the aims in the recently revised mathematics curricular. However, there have been lack of researches on how to nurture mathematical creativity for ordinary students. Perspective of Realistic Mathematics Education(RME), which pursues education of creative person as the ultimate goal of mathematics education, could be useful for developing principles and methods for cultivating mathematical creativity. This study reanalyzes RME from the points of view in mathematical creativity education. Major findings are followed. First, students should have opportunities for mathematical creation through mathematization, while seeking and creating certainty. Second, it is vital to begin with realistic contexts to guarantee mathematical creation by students, in which students can imagine or think. Third, students can create mathematics in realistic contexts by modelling. Fourth, students create the meaning of 'model of(MO)', which models the given context, the meaning of 'model for(MF)', which models formal mathematics. Then, students create MOs and MFs that are equivalent to the intial MO and MF given by textbook or teacher. Flexibility, fluency, and novelty could be employed to evaluate the MOs and the MFs created by students. Fifth, cultivation of mathematical creativity can be supported from development of local instructional theories by thought experiment, its application, and reflection. In conclusion, to employ the education model of cultivating mathematical creativity by RME drawn in this study could be reasonable when design mathematics lessons as well as mathematics curriculum to include mathematical creativity as one of goals.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-103
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• 2014

The purpose of this paper is to find a method of measuring mathematical creativity reasonably. In the pursuit of this purpose, we designed four multiple solution tasks that consist of two kinds of open tasks; 'tasks with open solutions' and 'tasks with open answers'. We collected data by conducting an interview with a gifted fifth grade student using the four multiple solution tasks we designed and analyzed mathematical creativity of the student using Leikin's model(2009). Research results show that the mathematical creativity scores of two students who suggest the same solutions in a different order may vary. The more solutions a student suggests, the better score he/she gets. And fluency has a stronger influence on mathematical creativity than flexibility or originality of an idea. Leikin's model does not consider the usefulness nor the elaboration of an idea. Leikin's model is very dependent on the tasks and the mathematical creativity score also varies with each marker.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.41-62
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to propose the possibility of integrating creativity and character education and its need in mathematics education by developing and validating a testing tool assessing students' perceptions of mathematical creativity and character. For this purpose, we developed sixty questions in total to extract factors of mathematical creativity and character based on a literature review. Then, questionnaire data were collected for 1258 middle school students. After the collected data were randomly divided into two (n1=615, n2=643), the first group of data was used for exploratory factor analysis and the second one was employed for confirmatory factor analysis. As a result, 45 problems showing nine factors were extracted. The cognitive components of creativity includes divergent thinking, convergent thinking, imagination/visualization, and reasoning, whereas its affective components are interest, motivation, and openness. The character components contain participation, communication, responsibility, and promise. In addition, it is concluded that the developed testing tool, in which character in the model of this study impacts creativity meaningfully, has a measurement consistency which is not affected by gender and grade differences. These results have implications for a guide to curriculum development promoting creativity and character at school by showing objective and practical foundations of helping how to integrate creativity and character education.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2003

The present study examined the 7th national elementary school mathematics curriculum from a perspective of mathematical creativity. The study investigated to what extent the activities in the Pattern and Function lessons in the national elementary school mathematics textbooks promoted the development of mathematical creativity. The results indicated that the current elementary school mathematics curriculum was limited in many ways to promote the development of mathematical creativity. Regarding the activities in Pattern lessons, for example, most activities presented closed tasks involving finding and extending patterns. The lesson provided little opportunities to explore the relationships among various patterns, apply patterns to different situations, or create ones own patterns. In regard to the Function lessons, the majority of activities were about computing the rate. This showed that the function was taught from an operational perspective, not a relational perspective. It was unlikely that students would develop the basic understanding of function through the activities involving the computing the rate. Further, the lessons had students use exclusively the numbers in representing the function. Students were provided little opportunities to use various representation methods involving pictures or graphs, explore the strengths and limitations of various representation methods, or to choose more effective representation methods in particular contexts. In conclusion, the lesson activities in the current elementary school mathematics textbooks were unlikely to promote the development of mathematical creativity.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.865-884
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• 2010

The purpose of this research was to analyze the characteristics of teachers' questionings in the geometry field and suggest the characteristics of teacher questioning to enhance students' mathematical creativity. Teacher questioning plays a role to students' mathematical achievements, mathematical thinking, and their attitudes toward mathematics. However, there has been little research on the roles of teacher questioning on students' mathematical creativity. In this research, researchers analyzed teachers' questions concerning the concepts of triangles in the geometric areas of 4th grade Korean revised 2007 mathematics textbooks. We also analyzed teachers' questionings in the three lessons provided by the Jeju Educational Internet Broadcasting System. We classified and analyzed teachers' questionings by the sub-factors of creativity. The results showed that the teachers did not use the questionings that appropriately enhances students' mathematical creativity. We suggested that teachers need to be prepared to ask questions such as stimulating students' various mathematical thinking, encouraging many possible responses, and not responding with yes/no. Instead, teachers need to encourage students to explain the reasons of their responses and to take part in learning activities with interest.

• 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.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-58
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• 2001

This study sheds light on the importance of developing creativity in mathematics class by examining the theoretical base of creativity and its relationship to mathematics. The study also reviewed the realities of developing creativity in mathematics courses, and it observed and analyzed the processes in which students and teachers solve the mathematics problems. By doing so, the study examined creative abilities of both students and teachers and suggests what teachers can do to tap the potential of the student. The subjects of the study are two groups of students and one group of mathematics teachers. These groups were required to solve a particular problems. The grading was made based on the mathematical creativity factors. There were marked differences in the ways of the solutions between of the student groups and the teacher group. It was clear that the teachers\\` thinking was limited to routine approaches in solving the given problems. In particular, there was a serious gap in the area of originality. As can be seen from the problem analysis by groups, there was a meaningful difference between the creativity factors of students and those of teachers. This study presented research findings obtained from students who were guided to freely express their creativity under encouragement and concern of their teachers. Thus, teachers should make an effort to break from their routine thinking processes and fixed ideas. In addition, teaching methods and contents should emphasize on development of creativity. Such efforts will surely lead to an outcome that is beneficial to students.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.277-293
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to find out how problem solving learning with open-ended mathematics problems for elementary school students affects their mathematical creativity and mathematical attitudes. To this end, 9 problem solving lessons with open-ended mathematics problems were conducted for 6th grade elementary school students in Seoul, The results were analyzed by using I-STATistics program to pre-and post- t-test. As a result of the study, problem solving learning with open-ended problems was effective in increasing mathematical creativity, especially in increasing flexibility and originality, which are sub-elements of creativity. In addition, problem solving learning with open-ended problems has helped improve mathematical attitudes and has been particularly effective in improving recognition needs and motivation among subfactors. In problem solving learning with open-ended problems, students were able to share various responses and expand their thoughts. Based on the results of the study, the researchers proposed that it is necessary to continue the development of quality materials and teacher training to utilize mathematical problem solving with open-ended problems at school sites.