The development of creative thinking by Applying Torrance's Learning Management Theory Integrated with the open Approach in the Economics subject for Grade 7

Abstract

The objectives of this research are: 1) To develop creative thinking by applying Torrance's learning management process combined with the concept of open-ended teaching. 2) To examine the opinions of Grade 7 students at Satri Wat Rakhang School regarding the approach of Torrance’s learning management Theory with open-ended teaching. The sample group consisted of 40 Grade 7/4 students from Satri Wat Rakhang School, selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included: 1) A lesson plan on Fundamental Economic Problems., 2) A self-assessment creativity evaluation for Grade 7 students, 3) A product-based creativity assessment for Grade 7 students and 4) A questionnaire on students' opinions regarding the teacher's teaching methods. The statistics used for data analysis include the mean and standard deviation.

The study found that :

1. The development of creative thinking through the application of Torrance's learning management process combined with the open-ended instructional approach showed that the comparison of creative thinking scores—categorized by different aspects—based on students’ self-assessment before and after the learning process indicated an improvement. The post-learning average score (x̄ = 51.85, S.D. = 0.75) was higher than the pre-learning average score ( x̄ = 35.28, S.D. = 1.33)

2. Regarding students’ opinions toward the instruction using Torrance’s learning management process integrated with the open-ended teaching approach, it was found that Grade 7 students at Satri Wat Rakhang School expressed positive opinions toward the teacher, the learning activities, the instructional media, and the classroom atmosphere