The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics

The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics

Section: Article
Issue
Vol. 6 No. 24 (2026): Volume 6 / Issue 24

Abstract

The present research sought to investigate the impact of two divergent thinking strategies on fostering problem-solving skills among third-year students within the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences. The study sample comprised (69) male and female students, randomly assigned to two experimental groups. The first cohort (n=34) received instruction based on the hypothetical thinking strategy, whereas the second cohort (n=35) was taught utilizing the network analysis strategy.


Prior to the intervention, the researcher ensured statistical equivalence between the two groups across several variables. To measure the outcomes, a problem-solving skills test was developed, consisting in its final version of (6) restricted-response essay problems. This instrument assessed specific sub-skills: identifying given data, formulating hypotheses, selecting the appropriate statistical method, executing the solution, extracting the tabular value, and making the decision. The tool's psychometric properties—validity, discriminatory power, and reliability—were strictly verified.The experiment was implemented during the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Following data collection and statistical analysis, the findings revealed the following:



  1. A statistically significant difference exists at the 0.05 level regarding the mean growth of overall problem-solving skills, favoring the second experimental group (instructed via the network analysis strategy).

  2. Significant differences were specifically observed in two sub-skills (executing the solution and making the decision) in favor of the second group. Conversely, no statistically significant differences were detected in the remaining four sub-skills (identifying given data, formulating hypotheses, selecting the statistical method, and extracting the tabular value).


In light of these outcomes, the researcher deduced several conclusions, presented pedagogical recommendations, and proposed avenues for future studies.

Keywords:

Divergent thinking strategies, hypothetical thinking,, network analysis, statistical problem-solving, problem-solving skills, Inferential Statistics

References

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Author

د.عاصم احمد خليل

Identifiers

DOI: 10.33899/jeh.v6i24.62838

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The The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics: The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(24). https://doi.org/10.33899/jeh.v6i24.62838
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The The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics: The Impact of Two Divergent Thinking Strategies in Developing Problem-Solving Skills Among Students of the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences in Inferential Statistics. (2026). Journal of Education for the Humanities , 6(24). https://doi.org/10.33899/jeh.v6i24.62838