SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Research proposal On Enhancing Creativity of Electrical Technology Students In Dire Dawa TVET College

Submitted by:

Submitted to: Mr Assaye

Dereje taye Habtamu Tewoderos shemeles Wasyehun tamerat

Feb/2012
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Adama

Table of Content
Chapter 1.Introduction............................................................................................................ 1.1 Statement of the Problem 1.2 Purpose of the Study 1.3 Research Questions .. 1.4 Definitions and Terms .................. 1.5 Delimitations .................... 1.6 Limitations ................... 1.7 Significance of the Study . Chapter 2.Review of Literature ... 2.1 Creativity and Learning 2.2 Insight 2.3 Meta cognition 2.4 Motivation 2.5 Relation to Academic Achievement 2.6 Developing Creativity Chapter 3.Methodology and Procedure.. 3.1 Research Design .. 3.2 Research Population and Sample . 3.3 Quantitative method..... 3.3.1 Data Collection instrument and procedure . 3.3.2 Data Analysis .......................................................... 3.4 Qualitative method .. 3.4.1Data Collection instrument and procedure .. 3.4.1Data Analysis .. Chapter 4.Work Plan and Budget schedule

4.1. Time Schedule. 4.2. Budget and Resource schedule. Chapter 5. List of References

Chapter one
Background of the Study
1. Introduction
Creativity has become a different meaning across the society, the importance of creativity and innovation define at the context of social interest and it has obtained different meanings at different time for different purpose .Therefore, social meaning of creativity is also focus on how satisfied in daily way of life. To this end, we investigate how Dire-Dawa TVET college electrical students recognize their own creative contributions to college life and we analyze where and how students of electrical technology department feel most creative. As we emphasize their creativity operating under this department. We observe that their creativity is inactive types creativities. To mean is that inactive because they come out from prototype of responses among students rather than emerging from a former definitions of creativity. Straight definitions of creativity might lead to the wrong expectation that students view the arts and sciences as primary passage for their innovations and expressivity. Our results instead suggest that individual students find creative passage in ways that have largely been below the radar of academic and official. Everyday creativity, we find students identify various crafts, social activities with peers, and relatively ordinary daily activities as important for creativity. Everyday aspects of social life like hanging out with friends, working in a student organization, and volunteeringwere frequently nominated as key sites for creativity. This research amplifies that college is important as a site where individuals, at a shaping in their lives, learn how to navigate daily habit, social relationships, market, and institutions in ways that allow for personal expression, innovation, creativeness, and sometimes resistance.

1.2 Statement of the problem Research Questions

In our study the guiding research question is: - What factors that affect students creativity and how it could be increase their creativity? Our specific research questions:
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1. How does creativity impact on students? 2. How do academic factors impact on students creativity? 3. How do institutional-related factors impact students creativity? 4. How do student-related factors impact on their creativity? 5. How do external factors impact on students creativity?

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study will be to enhancing the creativity of Dire-Dawa TVET college electrical department students and by obtaining statistical, quantitative results from surveying a sample of the electrical students and then following-up with purposefully selected individuals to explore these results in more depth by interviews and other materials. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, the quantitative research questions will address how selected internal and external variables related to creativity of students in the college. In the second, qualitative phase, student are selected from different level of electrical occupations based on typical response and maximal variation principle, one from each of level groups (level-I ,level II ,levelIII and level IV) and explored in-depth the results from the statistical tests about creativity .

1.4 Significance of the Study

The result obtained from this study is useful for Dire Dawa TVET College to know the complex factors that affect students creativity and suggest how it could be enhancing student creativity within the college. The outcome of this study primarily benefits Dire Dawa TVET College electrical department trainers, trainees as well as Dire Dawa TVET College itself, Dire Dawa TVET agency. Moreover it also serves as a spring idea to other researchers who want to conduct further study on the area of creativity with in TVET colleges.

1.5 Limitations
Limitations of the study include: 1. Because the convenience sampling will be used in the quantitative method of our study, we cannot say with confidence the sample will be representative of the all trainees of Dire Dawa TVET College. 2. In the quantitative method of our study there might be risk of a non-response error, i.e. problems caused by differences between those who respond and those who do not in the event
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of a low response rate. 3. Homogeneity of group variances and linearity among the predictors may decrease the statistical power of the discriminate analysis procedure 4. Due to the nature of qualitative research, the data obtained from this method of study may be subject to different interpretations by different readers. 5. Because of the interpretative nature of the qualitative research, the investigator may introduce her bias into the analysis of the findings. 6. There is a probability of bias in the qualitative results interpretation, because the researcher is a student

1.6 Delimitations
Delimitations of the study include: 1. The study will be restricted only to DDTVC electrical technology department trainees 2. Participants responses will be reflections of, and confined to their personal experiences in DDTVC academic. 3. The study will provide only one perspective it is on creativity. 4. Due to the time factor and lack of all-inclusive the study will collect data no more than 200 students of electrical department. 1.7 TVET Level DDTVC SPSS Definition of terms or Key concepts: Technical Vocational Training College Job-related standard in TVET Dire-Dawa TVET college Statistical Package for Social Sciences software

Trainees Students in Electrical Department

Chapter two Literature Review 2.1 Learning and Creativity

In J. P. Guilfords 1950 asked, Why is there so little relationship between educations and creative productiveness and also he asked why schools were not producing more creative persons. So after on this there are so many attempts has been made to answer his questions. He stated that a creative act is an instance of learning and a comprehensive learning theory must take into account both insight and creative activity In this regard, Guilford (1967a) Suggested that transformations of information are a key to understanding insight. There are many suggestions in the literature as to how develop student creative abilities in schools, for example; Guilford (1967b) observed that creative thinking abilities could be developed through direct instruction. Karnes et al. (1961) suggested that educational programs should be organized flexibly to provide better services, such as enhancement programs, to students. Teaching techniques that stimulate both convergent and divergent thinking are important for stimulating creative thinking and are more challenging to creative students (Karnes et al., 1961). Individual assignments based on problem solving and problem finding also would stimulate creativity (Davis & Rimm, 1985; Karnes et al., 1961; Subotnik, 1988). Teachers who are amenable to change and who model divergent thinking themselves seem the most effective in stimulating creativity in students (Karnes et al., 1961). Besides using individual assignments to stimulate creativity, teachers should provide situations for students to participate in group activities (Davis, 1991; Davis & Rimm, 1985). These group activities, In addition to enhancing creative thinking and academic performance, should provide students with opportunities for developing peer acceptance (Karnes et al., 1961). Another technique for developing creativity is the Inquiry discovery or problem solving approach, which is an indirect teaching method (Feldhusen & Refiner, 1980). Treffinger (1980) suggested that creativity is related to the discovery process.

They stated that experience with discovery learning enhances creative performance by forcing the learner to manipulate the environment and produce new ideas

2.2 Insight
Jacobs and Dominowski (1981) and Martinsen (1995) suggested that when students solve insight problems, which require students to use an object in some unusual way to solve a problem. These researchers also questioned whether there is a specific or a general transfer of skills after solving these types of problems. Martinsen suggested that cognitive styles might explain the transfer problem as well as the reorganization process involved in solving insight problems. Martinsen differentiated between two cognitive styles, assimilators and explorers, where assimilators give priority to upholding cognitive economy and explorers seek new types of solutions and new ways of solving problems He also speculated that explorers would perform better than assimilators when there is a high level of innovationin the task and that assimilators would perform better when they have a high level of important experience Martinsen subsequently found that assimilators performed better on insight problems in the highlevel-of-experience condition (i.e., experience in problem-solving activities) and that explorers performed better in the low-level-of-experience condition. These results suggest that good problem solving occurs when there is an optimal match between strategic disposition and the task condition He also believed that the assimilator and explorer cognitive styles were related to creativity in that creativity is associated with the ability to handle high task innovation.

2.3 Metacognition
Metacognitive abilities are related to creative thinking. Davis (1991) stated that it isimportant to help students metacognitively understand the topic of creativity (p. 240). In turn, this increased understanding of creativity would increase creativity consciousness, demystify creativity, and increase creative ideas and products .In addition, Runco and Chand (1995) stated that thinking is creative if it leads to original and adaptive ideas, solutions, or insights (p. 244) and posited that there are informational and process components that may be important. Also they presented a model of creative thinking to explain the components and interactions of processesThe model depict the complex structure of creativity and creative thinking. Runco and Chand also emphasized the importance of knowledge and motivation for creative thinking. Knowledge can be differentiated into declarative and procedural, where declarative knowledge
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can enhance creative thinking by simply providing factual information. Procedural knowledge provides instructions for strategic thinking, which Runco and Chand described as metacognitive ability.

2.4 Motivation
Runco & Chand, (1995) suggested that motivation is important for creative thinking and that, in their model; problem finding would facilitate intrinsic motivation in individuals. In other words, students will be more motivated when they choose their own tasks. This would make the task meaningful to the individual. They further suggested that educators devote more time to problem- finding skills to communicate to students that this ability is as important as problem solving.?????? Often, though, extrinsic motivators must be used to foster intrinsic motivation. Of importance is Runco and Chands (1995) argument that motivation is dependent on cognitive processes such as recognition. With regard to cognitive and affective factors of creativity, Hennessey and Amabile (1987) proposed an intrinsic motivation principle of creativity which states that intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity and that extrinsic motivation undermines creativity. They also asserted that this intrinsic motivation is influenced greatly by situational or state factors (p. 11). Thus, situational events in ones environment (e.g., school) may affect ones motivation on a task (e.g., problem solving). In fact, Hennessey and Amabile found that extrinsic constraints, which are factors external to the specific task, could decrease intrinsic motivation and thus decrease creativity.

2.5 Relation to college success

According to Torrance (1981), the purpose of creative teaching is to create a responsible environment through high teacher passion, appreciation of individual differences, and so on. Feldhusen and Treffinger (1980) and Davis (1991) also believed establishing a creative climate was important to stimulate creative thinking. And also provided several recommendations for establishing a classroom environment favorable to creative thinking this are: 1. Support and reinforce unusual ideas and responses of students. 2. Use failure as a positive to help students realize errors and meet acceptable standards in a supportive atmosphere. 3. Adapt to student interests and ideas in the classroom whenever possible.
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4. Allow time for students to think about and develop their creative ideas. Not all creativity occurs immediately and spontaneously. 5. Create a climate of mutual respect and acceptance between students and between students and teachers, so that Students can share, develop, and learn together and from one another as well as independently. 6. Be aware of the many facets of creativity besides arts and crafts: verbal responses, written responses both in prose and poetic style, fiction and nonfiction form. Creativity enters all curricular areas and disciplines. 7. Encourage divergent learning activities. Be a resource provider and director. 8. Listen and laugh with students. A warm, supportive atmosphere provides freedom and security in exploratory thinking. 9. Allow students to have choices and be a part of the decision-making process. Let them have a part in the control of their education and learning experiences. 10. Let everyone get involved, and demonstrate the value of involvement by supporting student ideas and solutions to problems and projects.

2.6 Developing Creativity

There are many suggestions in the literature as to how to develop creative abilities in for example, Guilford (1967b) and Torrance (1963) observed that creative thinking abilities could be developed through direct instruction. Karnes et al. (1961) suggested that educational programs should be organized flexibly to provide better services, such as enrichment programs, to students. Teaching techniques that stimulate both convergent and divergent thinking are important for stimulating creative thinking and are more challenging to creative students (Karnes et al., 1961). Individual assignments based on problem solving and problem finding also would stimulate creativity (Davis & Rimm, 1985). Teachers who are amenable to change and who model divergent thinking themselves seem the most effective in stimulating creativity in students (Karnes et al., 1961). Besides using individual assignments to stimulate creativity, teachers should provide situations for students to participate in group activities (Davis, 1991; Davis & Rimm, 1985). These group activities, in addition to enhancing creative thinking and academic performance, should provide students with opportunities for developing peer acceptance (Karnes et al., 1961). Another technique for developing creativity is the inquirydiscovery or problemsolving approach, which is an indirect teaching method (Feldhusen & Treffinger, 1980).
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Treffinger (1980) suggested that creativity is related to the discovery process. They stated that experience with discovery learning enhances creative performance by forcing the learner to manipulate the environment and produce new ideas Feldhusen and Treffinger (1980) also reported that the creative processes of fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality were incorporated in the inquirydiscovery discovery approach to teaching. The following are suggestions for an inquirydiscovery learning experience: 1. Provide the initial experience to interest students in inquiring about a problem, concept, situation, or idea. 2. Provide the students with manipulative situations and materials to begin avenues of exploration. 3. Supply information sources for students questions. 4. Provide materials and equipment that will spark and encourage student experimentation and production. 5. Provide time for students to manipulate, discuss, experiment, fail, and succeed. 6. Provide guidance, reassurance, and reinforcement for student ideas and hypotheses. 7. Reward and encourage acceptable solution strategies. A supportive positive climate will spawn the best results. My general comments on this part

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Chapter 3 Methodology and Procedure 3.1 Research Design

This study will use both quantitative and qualitative methods of design for collecting, analyzing data at every stage of the research process and to understand a research problem more completely. The reason is that using both methods because neither Quantitative nor qualitative methods are sufficient by themselves to see the details of the situation, such as some difficult issue about students creativity. When used in combination, quantitative and qualitative methods harmonize each other and allow for more complete analysis. In quantitative research, we rely on numerical data. Also we uses post positivist claims for developing knowledge, such as cause and effect thinking, reduction to specific variables, hypotheses and questions, use of measurement and observation, and test of theories. Alternatively, on qualitative research we analyze words; reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting. In this approach, we make information based on the constructivist. (Guba & Lincoln, 1982) or advocacy/participatory (Mertens, 2003,) perspectives. In qualitative research, data is collected from those immersed in everyday life of the setting in which the study is framed. Data analysis is based on the values that these participants perceive for their world. Ultimately, it produces an understanding of the problem based on multiple contextual factors (Miller, 2000). In a mixed methods approach, the researchers build the knowledge on pragmatic grounds (Creswell, 2003; Maxcy, 2003) asserting truth is what works (Howe, 1988). They choose approaches, as well as variables and units of analysis, which are most appropriate for finding an answer to their research question (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 1998). A major tenet of pragmatism is that quantitative and qualitative methods are compatible. Thus, both numerical and text data, collected sequentially or concurrently, can help better understand the research problem. While using mixed methods study, we need to consider three things: priority, implementation, and integration (Creswell, Plano Clark, Guttman, & Hanson, 2003). Priority refers to which method, either quantitative or qualitative, is given more emphasis in the study. Implementation refers to whether the quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis comes in sequence or in chronological stages, one following another, or in parallel or concurrently. Integration refers to the phase in the
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research process where the mixing or connecting of quantitative and qualitative data occurs. This study will use sequential explanatory mixed methods design, consisting of two distinct stages. In the first stage, the quantitative, numeric, data will be collected first; using data will be subjected to a discriminant function analysis. The goal of the quantitative stage will be to identify probable predictive power of selected variables on students creativity and this allow as for purposefully selecting informant for the second stage. In the second stage, a qualitative multiple case study approach will be used to collect text data through individual interviews this help us to explain why certain external and internal factors, tested in the first stage, may be significant predictors of presence of student creativity within the college. The priority in this design is given to the qualitative method, because the qualitative research represents the major aspect of data collection and analysis in the study, focusing on in-depth explanations of quantitative results by exploring variation cases. The quantitative and qualitative methods are integrated at the beginning of the qualitative phase while selecting the participants for case study analysis and developing the interview questions based on the results of the statistical tests. The results of the two phases will be also integrated during the discussion of the outcomes of the whole study.

3.2 Target Population and Sample

The target population in this study will be Dira dawa tvet college electrical department trainees that will be taking classes during the 2004 academic semester also which is from each level competency. The students status will vary in terms of level or completion of competency at each level. Criteria for selecting the student or trainee which is take part on sample will include: (1) being an electrical department trainee; (2) within the time period of 2004 academic semester. Based on these criteria we will find at least a total of 150 trainees for our research sample. For the purpose of quantitative study the sample will select trainees which cover the four level electrical occupations. For qualitative study we select trainees the purposefully, which implies intentionally selecting individuals to understand the central fact. The idea is to purposefully select informants, who will best answer the research questions and who are information rich trainees. Then from four groups of participants from each level, representing a typical response one from each level will be selected for case study analysis. In the survey informed permission form, the trainee will be informed that four of them will be selected for the follow up voluntary individual interviews. Due to the nature of the sequential design of this study, the selection of the participants qualitative study will depend on the results from the quantitative study. Based on
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these sampling, will allow us to present multiple perspectives of individuals on creativity. For this study, the participants will be selected based on the statistically significant difference results from the discriminate function analysis: potential participants on the research will vary on how they respond to the questions .then we will give a mark for each which is a variable yielding a statistically (1, 3, 5, and 7) significant discriminate function. In case none of the discriminant functions is statistically significant, the participants will be selected based on their different responses to the variable making up the factor with the highest Eigen value in factor analysis.

3.3 Quantitative Method

Data Collection
Our quantitative study will focus on identifying internal and external factors that affecting student creativity. The primary technique for collecting the quantitative data will be a selfdeveloped questionnaire, containing items of different formats: multiple choices, asking either for one option or all that apply, dichotomous answers like Yes and No, self-assessment items, measured on the 5-point Likert type, and open-ended questions. The questionnaire consists of twenty questions, which are prearranged into six sections. The first section of the survey asks questions related to the creativity and student experiences in it. It includes the selection questions related to the status of subjects in the program and within each of the four groups, factors contributing to their creativity, and participants experiences on creativity. The latter are measured on a 5-point Likert type scale from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree and will provide data regarding how the program, occupation, and institutional-related factors impact students creativity persistence. The second section will measure participants comfort with the college environment and will provide additional data about the impact of institutionalrelated factors, 5-point rating scale from Very uncomfortable to Very comfortable is used. The third section is focused on student relationship with their trainer regarding on sharing experience and motivating for their creativity will provide data regarding the role of trainer, for this 5-point keep scale from Extremely negative to Extremely positive is used. The fourth section asks for self-evaluation of how motivated the students creativity. The scale from 1 to 7, from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree, is used. The fifth section is focused on how selected external factors have influenced Participants progress in the learning program. This scale will provide data to answer the fifth research question. These experiences are measured on
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a 7-point Liker type scale from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree. Demographic questions constitute the sixth, final section of the questionnaire. They will provide information regarding participants age, gender, residency status, degrees earned and family structure. Some questions in the survey have an open-ended Other (specify) option to provide one correct answer for every subject in the study. A choice of Not applicable (NA) is included, when necessary. The last question on the survey is open-ended and will ask for additional information about students experiences on creativity.

Data Analysis
Before we are going to proceed the data analysis we screening the data this will help as to classify probable multi co linear in the data, because many tests has high connection among predictor variables as a case that actually is in one category of outcome may show a high probability for being in another category. Out-of-the-way cases must also be excluded from the analysis. Because it may result poor model fit. Data screening will include the descriptive statistics for all the variables, information about the missing data, linearity, normality, multivariate outliers, and multi co linearity and singularity. Descriptive statistics for the survey items will be summarized in the text and reported in tabular form. Also we will conduct Frequencies analysis to identify valid percent for responses to all the questions in the survey. The purpose of this analysis is to correctly predict the group membership the predictive discriminate function analysis will be used. The main aim of this discriminate analysis is to find the dimension or along which groups differ, as well as to find classification functions to predict group membership (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2000).In case the data does not meet the underlying assumptions the transformation procedure will be performed. The results of the analysis will be reported in the form of the discussion. The values will provide the information of how much percent of variance is accounted for by the discriminate function.. The standardized coefficients of the discriminate function will indicate how much relative unique contribution to the group differences is provided by the predictor variables. The discriminate vitiate that best discriminates the groups will be defined based on the linear relationship formula. The structure coefficients will show the correlation between the response variable and the discriminate function. Functions at group centroids will provide the discriminate scores on the discriminant function for each group, i.e. they will show how the groups differ on the discriminating variable. All statistical analysis of the quantitative results will be conducted with the help of SPSS.
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3.4 Qualitative Method Data Collection

Our qualitative study will focus on explaining the results of the statistical tests, obtained in quantitative study. We will use multiple case studies design for collecting and analyzing the qualitative data. A case study is a type of ethnographic design and is an exploration of a bounded system or a case over time, through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information and rich in context for this study, the instrumental multiple cases will serve as for the purpose of illuminate a particular issue such as persistence or absence of creativity of the student on that field of study or occupation, and we will be describe and compare to provide insight into an issue. The primary technique will be conducting an Individual interview with four students, one from each level. at this time we will see academic transcripts each individual participants to validate the information obtained during the interviews. The participants while ask the information regarding the occupation and competency and general opinion about creativity. We will also ask participants to provide some works of their own creativity or others creativity work in their own department or occupation. The Interview will include ten-fifteen open-ended questions, and will be pilot tested. The content of the questions will be grounded in the results of the statistical tests of the relationships between the participants group membership and the predictor factors as related to students creativity, and will elaborate on them. The questions will focus on the issue of creativity the and about the details of the cases selected on maximal variation principle. The interview question procedure will be pilot tested on three students selected from the same target population, but then excluded from the full study. Brief Discussion will be conducted with the participants to obtain information on the clarity of the interview questions and their relevance to the study aim. The participants will receive the interview questions prior to the scheduled calling time, and will be informed the interview will be tape-recorded and transcribed word for word. Respondents will have an opportunity to review and, if necessary, correct the contents of the interview after it has been transcribed.

Data Analysis
For our the qualitative analysis, the text and image data obtain through the interviews, documents and elicitation materials will be coded and analyzed for subject matter with the help of the QSR,
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for data analysis. The steps in qualitative analysis will include: (1) preliminary exploration of the data by reading through the transcripts and writing memos; (2) coding the data by segmenting and labeling the text; (3) using codes to develop themes by aggregating similar codes together; (4) connecting and interrelating themes; and (5) constructing a description. To enhance the further discussion, the visual data display will be created to show the evolving conceptual framework of the factors and relationships in the data .data analysis will involve developing a detailed description of each case of students creativity. During the analysis a we will put the case within its background so the case description and subject matter are related to the specific activities and situations involved in the case. Based on this analysis we provide detailed information about the case, using either a detailed perspective about some event, chronology, or major events followed by an up-close description. In the proposed study, first, each case of the selected students will be analyzed for idea. Then, all the cases will be analyzed for idea that is either common or different. This will show the extent to which the identified internal and external factors have similar or different effect on their ideas of creativity. Finally, we will interpret the meaning of the cases and report using visual model of qualitative analysis for this study

Reference

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Chapter 4 Work Plan and Budget schedule 4.1. Time Schedule

2012 MONTH WEEK W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 DATE Activity Problem identification Research design: specification of method and procedures Developing review of literature Writing research proposal Data gathering instrument development Pretesting Distribution and collection of data Data processing: editing &coding Data analysis & interpretation Writing the research &Pres.

5. List of references

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