Invention Is in the Mind of the Adolescent: Effects of a Summer Course One Year Later

Abstract

Research on invention education involving adolescents appears infrequently. The study reported in this article involves an evaluation of an intensive, case-bused summer program on invention and design that students completed the previous year. Data gathered through qualitative methods were categorized, and general and specific themes were extracted. Students reported that group interactions and the hands-on aspects of the course provided the most significant benefit during the ensuing school year. Several students gained insight into career preferences and intellectual and interpersonal strengths and weaknesses, but most continued to show little appreciation, for the role of reflection in inventive processes. Student conceptions from the 1-year study provide additional evidence in support of the previous conclusion that students see refection as a strictly evaluative process. Implications for the design and evaluation of similar programs are discussed.