Promoting junior high school students’ creativity in maker education: The design thinking approach

Maker education is an emerging approach that fosters creativity in K-12 students. However, there is still much to learn about designing effective maker activities and curricula that foster creativity. Design thinking is an innovative methodology that guides the design process and promotes creativity. This study incorporated design thinking into maker education to investigate its impact on students’ creativity, including creative tendency, creative thinking, and design performance. The study lasted 12 weeks and involved 60 seventh-grade students from two classes at a junior high school in China. Both groups were taught how to use 3D design software and create artifacts, but the experimental group learned through a design thinking model. In contrast, the control group was taught using a traditional approach. The results indicated that integrating design thinking into maker education supports the development of creativity. Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed.