Development of Creative Thinking Skills of Students Through Journal Writing

Abstract

This research was conducted in the fourth grade of a private primary school in the province of Gaziantep in the 2018-2019 academic year to provide students with creative thinking skills. This study was carried out as a qualitative case study. 23 students participated in the program. With a two-month study, students were given 23 journal writing topics to develop their creative thinking skills. The students wrote their journals in the school for 5-10 minutes at the beginning of the lessons. At the end of the program students and teachers were asked to write their opinions in the interview form. The data were analyzed by NVIVO 12 for Mac. According to the findings, creative thinking and writing activities have a positive effect on students' development of creative thinking skills. Majority of the students think the program was entertaining while it is seen that female students are more willing than male students.