Trick‐or‐Treat Candy‐Getters and Hornet Scare Devices: Second Graders Make Creative Inventions Related to Animal Adaptations

Abstract

This repeated measures study examined second graders' (n = 21) performance in creating inventions related to animal adaptations for simple products under two conditions that alternated each week for a six-week period. In the analogy condition, students used form and function analogy object boxes to learn about animal adaptations, applying these concepts with the SCAMPER technique to generate a new product with a given item. In the traditional condition, students learned about animal adaptations through text/Internet searches and created a puppet play to organize, reinforce, and share these ideas. Students discussed ideas, and then brainstormed product inventions for given items. In both conditions, students drew advertisements for their inventions that were scored for inventiveness content and creativity. Weekly inventiveness content scores and creativity scores were higher for the experimental condition than for the traditional condition with large effect sizes.

Effects of using invention learning approach on inventive abilities: A mixed method study

“…Until now, regular schools have neglected to encourage students who have innate creativity to be innovative and produce new inventions. Rule et al (2009) state that published research on efforts to improve children's inventive skills, especially at the secondary level, is almost nonexistent. Students must not be overlooked, but their latent ability to invent something new should be developed and supported at the national level.…”

“…Currently, inventions are being used more to teach many disciplines. Several studies suggest that educational invention helps students gain content knowledge in subject areas (Westberg, 1996;Plucker and Gorman, 1999;Rule et al, 2009). In addition, Plucker and Gorman (1999) have suggested that teaching to invent plays a positive role in both learning and motivation.…”

“…In addition, Plucker and Gorman (1999) have suggested that teaching to invent plays a positive role in both learning and motivation. According to Rule et al (2009), teaching students how to invent can increase students' interests in engineering and science. Invention is multidisciplinary and covers many technical areas like science, math, engineering, design, and technology.…”

“…Many previous studies have researched the effectiveness of the ways for teaching to invent including studying lives of inventors in order to teach students (McCormick, 1984), building Rube Goldberg-type inventions (Kuehn, 1985;Kuehn and Krockover, 1986), using step-by-step inventor approach programs (Shlesinger, 1982(Shlesinger, , 1987b, and scientific process skill programs or thinking skills (Kuehn and Krockover, 1986;Westberg, 1996;Rule et al, 2009). All of these programs, while enhancing students' motivation and helping them learn group interaction process skills in invention, showed limited success in improving inventive abilities.…”

“…All of these programs, while enhancing students' motivation and helping them learn group interaction process skills in invention, showed limited success in improving inventive abilities. However, Kuehn and Krockover (1986) and Rule et al (2009) showed that their teaching the science of invention positively influenced the students' inventive abilities. Unfortunately, these studies have been researched very little among secondary school students for teaching invention.…”