The effect of systematic activities applied in the life skills education course on the systematic creative problem-solving skills of classroom candidate teachers

Within the scope of 21st century skills, the development of problem-solving and creative thinking skills is among the priority goals in education. This study aims to examine the effect of Systematic Creative Problem Solving (SCPS) activities implemented in the Life Skills Education course on the creative problem-solving skills of prospective classroom teachers. In this context, systematic activities aimed at developing creative problem-solving processes were presented to teacher candidates, and the effectiveness of these activities was analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The research was conducted with 52 teacher candidates enrolled in the classroom teaching program of a state university during the 2022-2023 academic year. The research was conducted using a sequential explanatory mixed research design based on a pre-test-post-test model. Quantitative data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 software package, while qualitative data were evaluated using content analysis. The following scales were used to collect quantitative data for the research: Creative Problem Solving Skills Test (CPSST), Teachers' Problem Solving Skills Self-Efficacy Scale (ÖİPÇBKÖ), Sensitivity to Creativity Scale (YKD), and What Do You Think About Creativity? (YHND) scale were used to collect quantitative data, while qualitative data were collected using semi-structured observation and interview forms. The findings indicate that systematic creative problem-solving activities have a positive effect on teacher candidates' creative thinking skills. Pre-test and post-test comparisons revealed a significant increase in creative problem-solving skills. In particular, it was observed that systematic and creative solutions replaced traditional problem-solving approaches. Furthermore, it was determined that teacher candidates tend to develop innovative approaches in the problem-solving process. The study utilized creative problem-solving techniques such as brainstorming, SCAMPER, CoRT, TRIZ, and ASIT, and it was observed that these techniques enabled teacher candidates to think more systematically and creatively in their problem-solving processes. In the qualitative dimension of the research, teacher candidates stated that systematic creative problem-solving activities contributed to their professional development and enabled them to develop more effective methods in classroom applications. The results reveal that developing creative problem-solving skills enables teacher candidates to approach problem-solving processes with a more analytical and innovative perspective. In this regard, it is recommended that more emphasis be placed on creative problem-solving activities in teacher education.