Influence of Thinking Style on the Critical Thinking Skills and Creativity in Mathematics

Abstract

Two of the key talents that students need to possess in the twenty-first century are the ability to think critically and creatively, both of which can be nurtured through mathematics training. Teachers should take into account the various ways that each student thinks when using pedagogical strategies to help students develop their critical and creative thinking abilities in mathematics. Thus, the main goal of the study was to determine whether there were any significant differences in the critical thinking and creativity abilities in mathematics among the various thinking styles of Grade 10 students in a national high school in the Philippines. In order to compare the differences between the critical thinking skills and creativity of sixty respondents in mathematics depending on their thinking styles—inchworm and grasshopper—a comparative descriptive research design was used in the study. The results showed a significant difference in the critical thinking skills in mathematics as to interpreting information component only of critical thinking skills. Furthermore, thinking style is not a determinant in students’ mathematical creativity due to non-existence of significant difference. The study recommends that teachers consider students’ thinking styles when developing instructional materials and strategizing their instruction because this helps students interpret information and decide whether the evidence and conclusions obtained from mathematical problems can be generalized. To confirm the study’s conclusions, a similar study with a high number of respondents for each thinking style is recommended.