The Effect of the Maker Education Program on Creative Problem-Solving Ability and Convergent Thinking of Mathematically Gifted Middle School Students

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop a maker education program and verify its effects on the creative problem-solving ability and convergent thinking of mathematically gifted middle school students. Methods The study developed a total of 12 educational sessions for mathematically gifted middle school students, which were carried out from October 17 to November 14, 2020. A survey was conducted before and after the program to assess changes in creative problem-solving ability and convergent thinking. Alongside the survey, the study also analyzed activity results, class observations, and interview data. Results First, the maker education program was found to have significant effect on sub-domains of creative problem solving ability, which are knowledge of and reasoning in specific areas, functional and technical knowledge, divergent thinking, logical and critical thinking and motivational factors. Second, the maker education program was found to have significant effect on sub-domains of convergent thinking, which are convergence, creativity, respect for others and communication skills. Conclusions This study confirmed that the maker education program had a positive effect on the creative problem-solving ability and convergent thinking of mathematically gifted middle school students. This result suggests that the maker education program can be used as an effective educational method for mathematically gifted middle school students to enhance their creative problem-solving ability and convergent thinking.