Exploring Differences in Mathematical Creative Potential and Problem-Posing in Gifted and Non-Gifted Middle School Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between students’ Mathematical Creative Potential (MCP) and giftedness by analyzing their abilities to pose mathematical problems. The participants included 260 gifted and non-gifted students from the 7th and 8th grades, representing four schools and four school districts in Northwest Arkansas. The study developed the Mathematical Creative Potential Scale (MCPS) to measure participant MCP. The MCPS is based on a divergent-thinking technique consisting of five free-structured and semi-structured situations. Students’ plausible problems were scored based on three dimensions of creativity: fluency, flexibility, and originality. This study found that there were statistically significant differences in gifted students’ performances on the MCPS related to the three dimensions of creativity compared to performances of students who were not gifted. Furthermore, this work illustrated differences in MCP between gifted and non-gifted students that manifest through problem-posing. The findings of this study address the current dearth in scholarship regarding the connection between MCP and giftedness.