Exploring the role of Pedagogy in mathematical creativity via multiple solution tasks: a comparative study of two schools in China

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the relationship between pedagogy and mathematical creativity by comparing the mathematical creativity of students who experienced more student-centred pedagogy (SCP) with that of students who experienced more teacher-centred pedagogy (TCP). In total, 163 Grade 9 students from two schools in China, each enacting primarily one of these forms of pedagogy, participated in the study. Multiple solution tasks (MST) were used to measure mathematical creativity in terms of fluency, flexibility, originality. The total mean scores for fluency, flexibility, and originality of the SCP school were all higher than the respective scores of the TCP school though the differences were not statistically significant. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of these findings.