Improving Creative Thinking Skills of Students through Differentiated Science Inquiry Integrated with Mind Map

Abstract

In inquiry-based learning, teachers usually only apply one level of inquiry from the four available levels. The diversity of students should be a serious consideration. Differentiated Learning Science Inquiry (DSI) implements the four levels of inquiry. To train students’ creative thinking, inquiry can be integrated with mind maps. This research aims to determine the difference in creative thinking skills between male and female students who were given three different science learning models i.e., DSI, DSI integrated with mind map (DSIMM), and the conventional model. This research was a quasi-experimental research, which used a nonequivalent pretest posttest control group design. The samples of the research were 96 students from three classes spreading across three junior high schools in Kediri, Indonesia. The data on students’ creative thinking skills were taken from an essay test on science learning assessed using a creative thinking skills rubric. The results of the research showed that there was a difference in students' creative thinking skills for different models. The highest creative thinking skills were exhibited by the students taught using the DSIMM model. The results of the research also showed that there was a difference in creative thinking skills between the male and the female students. The male students had higher creative thinking skills than the female students. This was presumably because in the differences of brain anatomy affecting the students’ pattern of learning and activities.