Problem solving and creativity potential: A study in mathematics teacher training Artículos uri icon

Resumen

  • Although substantial empirical evidence documents problem-solving and mathematical creativity as distinct phenomena within mathematics education research, investigations examining their intersection across diverse institutional contexts remain limited. This study aims to characterize aspects of creativity and identify creative potential manifested in problem-solving tasks within mathematics teacher education programs. Employing a quantitative-descriptive methodology, the investigation examined 57 pre-service mathematics teachers distributed across four cohorts: two from a public-sector university and two from a private-sector institution in Chile. The assessment instrument employed establishes a rigorous, theoretically grounded framework for examining creativity within a defined educational context through a validated mathematical test comprising five open-ended problems. The instrument operationalizes creativity through four distinct dimensions—fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration—yielding composite scores for each dimension. Statistical analysis revealed substantive findings: pre-service mathematics teachers demonstrated heterogeneous levels of creative performance in problem solving, with mean performance at a moderate level; moreover, statistically significant creativity variations emerged across cohorts and educational level strata between the two institutional types. Notably, the findings indicate that educational advancement alone does not constitute a reliable predictor of creative potential. These results underscore the imperative for deliberate cultivation and systematic assessment of creative competencies within mathematics teacher education curricula and contribute to the existing literature by elucidating how creativity manifests empirically in open-ended problem-solving contexts, thereby offering substantive implications for both educational practice and future research directions.

fecha de publicación

  • 2025

Número de páginas

  • 17

Página inicial

  • 1313

Última página

  • 1330

Volumen

  • 16

Cuestión

  • 4