The Effect of the Van Hiele Model Based Instruction on the Creative Thinking Levels of 6th Grade Primary School Students

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the Van Hiele model based instruction process on the creative thinking levels of 6th grade primary school students. Pre test-post test matching control group quasi-experimental design was used in the study. Fifty five students enrolled in sixth grades during the 2005-2006 educational year formed the sample. The study was carried out with two groups. One of these groups was determined as the experimental group and the other was as the control group. While a teaching based on the Van Hiele model was carried out in the experimental group, a teaching with the traditional method was carried out in the control group. The instruction was carried out by the researchers in both groups. In the study, the Shapes Section of the Torrance Creative Thinking Test was administered in order to determine the creative thinking levels of students before and after the teaching. In order to determine whether there is a significant difference between the creative thinking levels of the experimental and control groups before and after the instruction, t-test was used. At the end of the study, although there is a significant difference between the creative thinking test, fluency, originality, the titles' being abstract, creative forces lists, and creativity pre test and post test scores of the students in the experimental group, a significant difference between the pre test and post scores of students in the control group related to the sub-dimensions of creativity thinking and total scores was not observed. When the creative thinking levels of the students after the instruction was examined, a significant difference was found in total post test scores related to fluency, originality, the titles' being abstract, creative forces lists and creativity in advantage of the experimental group.