Creativiteit en Meetkunde: Het verschil tussen sterke en zwakke rekenaars in de bovenbouw van de basisschool

Abstract

This study demonstrates how creativity is related to two different geometry tasks, academic geometry and creative geometry, and if this relation differs for mathematically strong and mathematically weak students. A total of 235 children, aged 7 to 11 years old, participated in this study. Creativity was measured by the Evaluation of Potential for Creativity Form A [EPoC] and the Test for Creative Thinking [TCT-DP]. Academical geometry was measured by the ‘Meetkunde Toets’ (Geometry Test) and creative geometry is measured by the Geometrical Creativity Test [GCT]. Mathematically strong and mathematically weak students were divided based on the test scores of the ‘CITO reken-wiskunde’ (a Dutch student tracking system for mathematics). Data were analyzed with Pearson’s-r analyses and a Multiple regression analyses. Creativity and academic geometry, and creativity and creative geometry were found to be significantly (positive) correlated to each other with a medium effect size. Furthermore, these relations did not differ significantly for mathematically strong and mathematically weak children. It is concluded that creativity is a significant factor in academic and creative geometry and does not depend on the mathematical performances of children. This underlines the importance of implementing creativity in the education of geometry.