Examining Ethnic Differences in Creative Thinking Abilities and Achievement in Science, Mathematics, and Reading

• In Event: Creative Thinking and Learning Within a Global Context

Abstract

Drawing upon the notions of creativity, achievement, and ethnicity, this study explores ethnic differences in five creative thinking abilities and achievement in science, reading, and mathematics among 8th graders. Data resulted from 889 8th grade students (743 Euro-American, 90 African-American, and 56 Asian/Pacific Islander) in a public school district in Minnesota completing the Torrance Creative Thinking Test (TTCT) Figural Form A and the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) test. One-way MANOVAs indicated that Euro-American students outperformed Asian/Pacific Islanders in science and reading and African-American students in fluency, originality, and elaboration as well as on the three achievement subtests of science, mathematics, and reading. The results further indicated that Asian/Pacific Islanders outperformed African-American students in two creative thinking abilities: originality and elaboration.

Authors

• William M. Bart, University of Minnesota

• Brad Hokanson, University of Minnesota

• Iclal Sahin, Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus

• Mohammed Abdelhady Abdelsamea, South Valley University