Creative thinking

Since an effective technique to assess the level of thinking ability is to identify the types of questions one generates, the present research by employing a hybrid question framework, intended to investigate the status of thinking ability among Iranian EFL students in two majors of TEFL and English Literature in M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. To this end, through convenience sampling, a group of 51 students was asked to read two simple short texts and make any type of question(s) that would spring to their minds in essay-type format. Then, using purposeful sampling, 15 participants out of 51 were selected for a semi-structured interview. The findings revealed that nearly half of the participants did not generate thought-provoking questions, which might imply that beyond-routine thinking is not well attended to in the related context. Moreover, as the English Literature students were more capable of producing thought-provoking questions than the TEFL students, it can be inferred that an academic major can be considered an essential factor impacting one’s way of thinking. Furthermore, since the students of English Literature/TEFL in Ph.D. degree outperformed those in M.A. degree, it can be concluded that the academic degree can be accounted as an aiding factor influencing the level of thinking ability as well. Furthermore, in searching for the reasons affecting (non-) production of thought-provoking questions, several factors were discovered and categorized into impeding and promoting ones.

Creativity is an essential element of cognition and thinking. Thinking is defined as the process of reorganizing or modifying the stored information and symbols in long-term memory. In this context, creativity is closely linked to analytical ability and the mind's capacity for visualization. The present study aims to predict creative thinking and emotional creativity based on executive brain functions among second-grade high school students in Jafarabad city. The study employs a correlational methodology with descriptive characteristics and applied purposes. The statistical population consists of all male and female second-grade high school students in Jafarabad city, totaling 493 individuals. The sample size was determined Using Cochran's formula, resulting in the selection of 218 students. Standardized questionnaires for Abedi Creative Thinking Questionnaire 2013, Ivoril emotional creativity questionnaire 1999, and Questionnaire of executive functions of the rescue brain 2013 were used as data collection tools. The results of the reliability calculation of the questionnaires showed that Cronbach's alpha coefficient was estimated for creative thinking (0.84), emotional creativity (0.92) and brain executive function (0.79). which shows that the questionnaires are at an acceptable level. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, including descriptive and inferential analyses through tables, demographic charts, and regression analysis. The results suggest that executive brain function components can predict both creative thinking and emotional creativity.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the impact of philosophizing training on the inquisitiveness and creative thinking of sixth-grade students in Bushehr County. Methodology: This research method was among quasi-experimental studies. The statistical population consisted of 4,263 sixth-grade students in Bushehr County. The sample size included 40 students, obtained through cluster random sampling. The tools for data collection in this study were the Heydari Inquisitiveness Questionnaire (2013) and the Wiles and Dowell Creative Thinking Questionnaire (2002). The obtained data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate covariance analysis. Findings: The findings showed that the adjusted mean score of the inquisitiveness variable in the experimental group's post-test stage was higher than that of the control group. Therefore, it can be said that philosophizing training led to an increase in the inquisitiveness of the experimental group compared to the control group, indicating the positive impact of philosophizing training on the inquisitiveness of the experimental group relative to the control group. Additionally, the adjusted mean score of the creative thinking variable in the experimental group's post-test stage was higher than that of the control group. Therefore, it can be said that philosophizing training led to an increase in the creative thinking of the experimental group compared to the control group, indicating the positive impact of philosophizing training on the creative thinking of the experimental group relative to the control group. Conclusion: Therefore, philosophizing training were effective for improving inquisitiveness and creative thinking in sixth-grade students.