Creativity of gifted students in an integrated math-science instruction

Abstract

This study designed and applied integrated math-science instruction to gifted students to enable expression of creative potential, and examined the creativity and creative productivity in the context of a classroom designed to facilitate improvement. Study participants consisted of 20 mathematically gifted elementary students in a combined 5-6th grade class operated by a university affiliated institute for gifted students in Seoul, South Korea. Gifted students that received 8 sessions of integrated instruction did not think of math and science concepts separately but designed the solution process appropriately and solved problems creatively. Creativity tests showed a high correlation between subcomponents, and assessment scores on productivity using a gear Goldberg machine showed that divergent thinking and originality have a significant effect on the production process. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.