At international conference, master’s students recommend creative learning in Palestinian schools

Graduate students, Iman Omar and Malak Qara’een, both enrolled in the Education Master’s Program at Birzeit University, presented a research paper titled “Effectiveness of the Formal Aspect of the Torrance Test Identifying Levels of Creative Thinking among Tenth Grade Students” at the 2022 International Conference on Special Education and Diversity (IConSED) in Istanbul, Turkey.

Omar and Qara’een explored gender differences in the level of creative thinking among 10th-grade students in Jerusalem and Ramallah. Using the Torrance Test, commonly used to measure creative potential among people, the researchers measured fluency, originality, flexibility and elaboration among students, showing the differences between genders.

According to the study, female students are able to provide various solutions (flexibility), come up with original and unique ideas (originality) and refine solutions by adding details (elaboration) more than male students. Male students, on the other hand, have a better flow of ideas (fluency). These differences are associated with the surrounding environment and the impact of the social context of every student.

The student researchers recommended re-evaluating Palestinian curricula and methods of teaching through using interactive activities the encourage creative thinking among students.

The IConSED conference, organized by the International Society for Research in Education and Science, aims to bring together scholars, students, administrators and professionals from different countries to discuss theoretical and practical issues in all fields of special education, giftedness, inclusive education and diversity.