Learning to Be Creative: A Causal-Comparative Study of Digital Skill Development in a Technology-Rich Classroom

• In Event: Computational Thinking, Makerspace, and Robotics in Education

Abstract

While so-called 21st century skills are now considered essential for success in the digital economy, their relationship to digital literacy remains under-investigated. Using the Torrance Test for Creative Thinking as tool for assessing creative thinking, we conducted a small-scale causal-comparative investigation exploring higher-level digital skill development in students before and after learning in a technology-rich class environment called a makerspace. Results from our t testing for paired samples showed creative thinking measures were significantly higher in students from the makerspace class, while there seemed to be no significant change in creative thinking for students from the more conventional classroom. Our results seem to provide important insight into innovative learning in the context of technology-rich environments, as argued by several authors.

Authors

• Michel T. Leger, Universite de Moncton

• Viktor Freiman, University of Moncton