QEOSA: Testing a Pedagogical Model of Creative Problem Solving for Preschool Children

ABSTRACT

Transfer, particularly far transfer through analogic mapping and reasoning, is considered one of the mechanisms for creative problem solving. However, the cognitive paradigm of training for analogical problem solving has not met with much success. It is argued by these authors that a pedagogical model that exclusively focuses on training for analogical mapping is not effective. In this study, an alternative pedagogical approach, QEOSA, standing for Question, Explore, Optimize, Show, and Act, was tested on analogical transfer of problem solving with preschool children. This pedagogical model was informed by the creativity research with respect to creative problem solving as soft constraint satisfaction, involving both divergent and convergent processes. A randomly assigned experiment with 221 preschool children was conducted using QEOSA for 4 months (one semester). The results provide evidence of effectiveness of QEOSA in promoting far transfer. Theoretical and practical implications of the study for building an effective pedagogy of creative problem solving are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by three grants to the first author from Beijing Science/Technology Projects (Grant No. Z131106003513004), Beijing Soft Science Projects (Grant No. Z1211100019113005), and Beijing Xicheng District Experimental Zone of the National Sustainable Development Projects (Grant No. SD2013-38), respectively. It was partly supported by a grant to the second author from Army Research Institute, Behavioral and Social Sciences (Grant No. W911NF-17-1-0236). This work was done while the second author served as an adjunct professor and consultant at Shaanxi Normal University.