The Effect of TRIZ Problem Solving Skills on Creative and Critical Thinking skills of the Elementary Students in District 5 of Tehran, Iran

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teaching TRIZ problem solving skills on students' Creative thinking and critical thinking. The statistical population of this study was 3958 female students in the sixth grade of elementary school in the 5th district of Tehran. The sample size was determined using Cohen's table of 60 people and they were divided into experimental and control groups by random sampling. A quasi-experimental research method as pretest-posttest with a control group was used. The measurement tool consisted of Torrance (1974) Creative Thinking Test and Critical Thinking Questionnaire (Robert Ennis, 1961). The experimental group underwent six one-hour sessions of innovative problem-solving skills training (TRIZ). At the end of the intervention, both groups were retested using the Robert Ennis Critical Thinking Test and the Torrance Creative Thinking Test. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and multivariate covariance analysis through SPSS. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental group and control group and also there is a difference between all dimensions of critical thinking (understanding the meaning of a phrase, identifying the ambiguity in the way of reasoning, logical conclusion, understanding the coordination, justified conclusion, adherence to a rule or principle, the validity and acceptability of the sources of a claim) and the dimensions of creative thinking (ingenuity, expansion, fluidity, and flexibility). The mean score of critical thinking and creative thinking in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Therefore, the results indicate that the teaching the problem solving skills by TRIZ affects creative thinking and critical thinking.