Effects of the Six Thinking Hats Method in Undergraduate Honors …

Wallace Research Symposium on Talent Development

Poster Presentations

Poster Presentation 21 — Effects of the Six Thinking Hats Method in Undergraduate Honors StudentsBenna Haas

Monday, May 20, 2024, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Student Union Ballroom, Rooms 330/331

Cultivating creative problem-solving abilities in honors students remains an important priority within colleges and universities (Miller & Dumford, 2018; Olszewski-Kubilius et al., 2016). Additionally, effective creative problem-solving requires creative thinking and collaboration with others. Creativity involves specialized and discipline-specific skills. Example skills include engaging in inclusive dialogic discourse, divergent thinking, and convergent thinking (Guilford, 1975). Development of students’ creative problem-solving skills is essential to prepare honors students for engaging in inquiry projects, typically a required component for graduating with honors, as well as for being successful in their future careers. Although many honors students engage daily in diverse perspectives, solve problems efficiently, and produce quality outcomes (Bernstein et al., 2019; Kaufman, 2016; Simonton, 2019), few studies exist regarding the effects of creative thinking interventions within college and university classrooms such as the Six Thinking Hats method (STH; de Bono, 1999). The STH method is a promising approach to solving real-life problems; however, more empirical research is needed. In that light, this poster session provides a literature review regarding creative problem-solving interventions related to gifted education pedagogy used in post-secondary institutions and professional settings.