This study shows that young children are better sources of novel and quality ideas than adults in the mobile services domain and indicates a new and valuable source for the companies that seek creative ideas for innovative products and services.
Abstract
It is well acknowledged that innovation is a key success factor in the mobile service domain. Having creative ideas is the first critical step in the innovation process. Many studies suggest that customers are a valuable source of creative ideas. However, the literature also shows that adults may be constrained by existing technology frames, which are known to hinder creativity. Instead young children (aged 7-12) are considered digital natives yet are free from existing technology frames. This led us to study them as a potential source for creative mobile service ideas. A set of 41,000 mobile ideas obtained from a research project in 2006 granted us a unique opportunity to study the mobile service ideas from young children. We randomly selected two samples of ideas (N = 400 each); one contained the ideas from young children, the other from adults (aged 17-50). These ideas were evaluated by several evaluators using an existing creativity framework. The results show that the mobile service ideas from the young children are significantly more original, transformational, implementable, and relevant than those from the adults. Therefore, this study shows that young children are better sources of novel and quality ideas than adults in the mobile services domain. This study bears significant contributions to the creativity and innovation research. It also indicates a new and valuable source for the companies that seek creative ideas for innovative products and services.
The learning environment has a meaningful impact on young children’s creativity. However, while research has explored the physical environment in terms of fostering creativity, less is known about online learning contexts. This article reports on the elements of the online learning environment that fostered young children’s creativity, specifically during STEM activities. In this case study, a group of first grade children in regional Australia engaged in a range of activities delivered online synchronously by a Science Discovery Centre (SDC) 700 km away. Guided by the
A-E of Children’s Creativity
framework, both multimodal video analysis and semi-structured interviews with all participants explored the learning environment element of place that supported the young children’s creative thinking. Based upon the findings, a series of recommendations are presented, designed to assist educators and service providers in preparing the learning environment to support young children’s creative STEM thinking in the online setting.
K. Maslin, K. Murcia, S. Blackley et al.· Early Childhood Education Jo...· 0 citations
Creative thinking has become an essential skill for students to navigate the digitally driven and competitive professional landscape in recent years. Employing a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental research design, this study reports on an intervention using design thinking as a creative thinking training program for undergraduate students. Quantitative results showed significant increases in creative self-efficacy (p = .001, d = .86) and use of creative cognition (p = .002, d = .79) following the intervention. Qualitative analysis of student reflections provided insights into the mechanisms of these changes, suggesting that design thinking training helped students 1) reimagine creativity as a skill set rather than a trait 2) act creatively without defining themselves as inherently creative and 3) not necessarily become a more creative person but more equipped with a problem-solving toolkit. The findings are discussed through the lens of social cognitive theory and used to advance implications for creative learning pedagogy to be integrated in higher education.
Gamze Yılmaz, Cassandra Alexopoulos· The Journal of Scholarship o...· 0 citations
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of artistic resource on the development of creativity in children aged 4 to 5, given that artistic activities foster imagination, free expression, and active participation during the learning process. A mixed-methods approach was employed-integrating qualitative and quantitative methods alongside the deductive method-which allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the collected data. The estudy population consisted of educational institutions in the San Vicente and Sucre cantons, while the sample comprised 27 teachers. Data collection involved a survey administered to all 27 partipants and interviews conducted with three teachers to gather relevant information regarding the use of artistic resources in the classroom. The data were processed using SPSS statistical software (version 25). Instrument reliability was verified using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient, yielding a value of 0.945, which indicates high internal consistency. The results demostrated that artistic resources contribute significantly to the development of children’s creativity by stimulating imagination, strengthening emotional expresión, and promoting learning that is more dynamic, participatory, and meaningful. Furthermore, the teachers agreed that incorporating innovative artistic activities fosters the development of cognitive, social, and emotional skills in children. Key words: Artistic resources, Child creativity, Early childhood education, Meaningful learning, Holistic development.
Lilia Moncerrate Villacis Zambrano, Luisa Ximena García Alvarado, R. Solórzano et al.· ARACÊ· 0 citations
Creativity is an important aspect of early childhood development that requires meaningful and exploratory learning experiences. However, evidence on improving creativity through classroom action research in rural early childhood settings remains limited. This study aimed to improve the creativity of 10 children in the Nakula Group at KB Nusa Harapan through loose parts media. The study employed classroom action research based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model, comprising planning, action, observation, and reflection. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and documentation using an observation sheet covering fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. The findings showed progressive improvement in creativity, with children achieving the expected developmental levels increasing from 20% in the pre-cycle to 70% in Cycle I and 90% in Cycle II. The study concludes that iterative loose parts activities supported children's creativity. This approach offers a practical contribution to child-centered, creativity-oriented learning in rural early childhood education.
This research aimed to investigate strategies involving recycled materials to foster creativity in children aged 3 and 4. The study employed a mixed-methods approach with a descriptive design, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods; a Likert-scale survey was administered to 22 teachers. The findings indicate that these strategies are well-received, as the majority of respondents use them to boost creativity and enable students to develop their own ideas and concepts; furthermore, the instrument demonstrated a high level of reliability (90%) according to Cronbach's alpha coefficient. A key conclusion was that the use of recycled resources in early childhood education serves as a strategic approach for implementing relevant, innovative, and meaningful teaching practices. By fostering creativity through play-based activities and crafts, these methods allow students to explore, create, and transform everyday objects into educational tools, thereby enriching their skills and abilities while promoting independence and active class participation. These findings demonstrate that recycling not only supports environmental preservation but also fosters the holistic development of children.
Lilia Moncerrate Villacis Zambrano, Vera Fallain Sabrina Leonela, R. Solórzano et al.· ARACÊ· 0 citations
In early years education, fostering computational thinking and creative problem-solving through digital play can potentially help children develop essential skills for future learning and everyday life. This paper reports an action research project that explored how collaborative play with tangible coding robots could support children's creativity and computational thinking. The study involved five young children (aged 4 and 5), their parents, and two early years specialist educators, positioned as practitioner-researchers. Video data analysis from three digital play sessions within a longer 'stay and play' programme revealed that guided play with age-appropriate tangible coding robots like Cubetto, Blue-Bot, and Botzee could foster young children’s development of problem-solving underpinned by creative and computational thinking skills. To illustrate, key findings are shared through narrative style vignettes which elaborate learning episodes from each digital coding robot play experience. The vignettes highlight the dynamic interplay between children and co-playing adults in fostering computational thinking. Insights and recommendations are shared for nurturing computational thinking in young children and effectively integrating digital technologies into early childhood education.
K. Murcia, Emma Cross, Sarsha Mennell· Australasian Journal of Tech...· 0 citations
Computer-use AI agents struggle with multi-step workflows like email and customer support. Echoverse trains agents in realistic environments rather than simply providing more training tasks, helping them improve as the tasks, tests, and environments evolve. The post Echoverse: Deep, evolving environments for computer-use agents appeared first on Microsoft Research.
