The impact of metacognitive instruction on creative problem solving

This study examined the impact of teaching creativity in the form of associative thinking strategies within a metacognitive framework. A representative sample of 30 university design students was selected from a larger section (N = 122) to participate in a 16-week supplemental course. Each week a new creative thinking strategy was integrated with activities to encourage metacognitive skill development. Upon completion of the course the treatment group had significantly higher scores on fluency and originality measures compared with their matched peers. In addition, students in the treatment condition received higher ratings on a summative domain-specific project judged by external design experts. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory scores increased for the treatment group but were stable over time for the comparison group.