Exploring the effects of interactive digital picture books on elementary students' creativity

Abstract

As education increasingly integrates digital technologies, there is growing interest in understanding how these tools can foster creativity—an essential skill for students in the 21st century. Despite the recognized importance of creativity in education, there is limited research on how interactive digital picture books impact students' creative thinking. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the effects of the interactive digital picture book Food Ninja on elementary students' creativity, particularly in the context of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The research employed a triangulation approach with 44 sixth-grade students divided into an experimental group (22 students) and a control group (22 students). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, behavioral observation checklists, and the TTCT. The findings indicate that interactive features of the Food Ninja digital book significantly enhance students' fluency, flexibility, and originality in creative thinking, with the most significant improvement observed in originality. These results highlight the potential of interactive digital resources to foster creativity in educational settings, offering valuable insights for integrating such tools into curricula. The study contributes to the growing body of research on creative education and emphasizes the importance of interactive digital picture books in nurturing creative thinking.