The Effect of the Graduated Difficulty Strategy on Developing Divergent Thinking Among Fourth Literary Grade Students

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of the graduated difficulty strategy on developing divergent thinking among fourth literary grade students. To test the validity of the null hypotheses formulated by the researcher, an experimental design with partial control was employed (experimental group and control group) using pre- and post-tests. The study sample consisted of 60 students, divided equally into two groups (30 students in each group). The researcher ensured equivalence between the two groups in variables such as (parental academic achievement, students' chronological age calculated in months, final history grades for the 2022-2023 academic year, intelligence test scores, and divergent thinking scale scores). The study tool was a divergent thinking scale prepared by the researcher, consisting of six sub-tests, including general and historical questions. The validity and reliability of the tool were verified. The researcher used the T-test for two independent samples of equal size and the T-test for two dependent samples. The results indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-application of the divergent thinking scale, demonstrating the growth of divergent thinking among the experimental group students. Based on the results, the researcher recommended that teachers adopt the graduated difficulty strategy due to its effectiveness in developing divergent thinking. As an extension of this study, the researcher suggested conducting a comparative study between the effect of the graduated difficulty strategy and another strategy on the variable of creative thinking