Developing an Invention Education Program for the Gifted Based on Future Problem Solving

This study aimed to create an educational program on invention for gifted elementary students, based on the six-step Future Problem Solving (FPS) process and future-oriented problem scenarios. Using a Design and Development Research (DDR) methodology, the program was refined using the results of needs analysis and the validation of experts to ensure its appropriateness and effectiveness. Firstly, the FPS process was integrated with Renzulli’s Enrichment Triad Model to establish a nine-step instructional framework. Secondly, twenty future problem topics were identified across the fields of industry and economy, society and culture, science and technology, and environment and resources. Following expert review, nine topics were selected and developed into age-appropriate scenarios for elementary students. Thirdly, the program incorporated diverse thinking strategies and activity designs, and a prototype module titled “A Sea with Floating Plastic Islands” was produced to showcase an example of application. Academically, this research contributes to the theoretical convergence of invention education and futures studies by articulating a model that positions invention as both a cognitive and anticipatory practice. Educationally, it advances the aim of nurturing gifted learners’ capacity to critically interrogate emergent challenges, to empathize with societal and environmental concerns, and to assume ethical responsibility in envisioning alternative futures.