Experimental investigation of the effects of learning environment and the nature of educational program on the outcome of creativity training

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of computer-based creativity training. Four groups of vocational high school students totaling 151 were used as experimental subjects. Two dimensions of treatment were designed. One treatment dimension is the use of computer medium in education: computer based vs. paper–pencil setting of education. The second treatment dimension is the method of creativity training: technique-oriented training program vs. factor-oriented training program. Both a pretest and a post-test were administered to all participated students. The tests were composed of a Creative Figural Test and a Creative Product Test. After the pretest 8 sessions of creative training were delivered as intended in the design of the experiment. The post-test was arranged a week after the completion of the training sessions. The results of the study include: First, all the 4 groups showed certain amount of improvements in their scores of Creative Figural Test, while no improvement was observed in the creative product test score. Second, the technique-oriented creative training was more effective than the factor-oriented under the context of computer-based education, and the factor-oriented training was more effective in the paper–pencil setting. The results suggest that different pedagogical approaches should be employed for computer-based training as compared to the paper–pencil education.