Investigating mathematical creativity in the process of solving multi-solution problems among middle school students: A case study

The aim of this study is to examine the different solution methods generated by 7th and 8th grade middle school students for multi-solution problems and to evaluate mathematical creativity through these multi-solution problems. In this study, a case study was used as the qualitative research design. The research was conducted in a middle school affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Antalya during the 2023-2024 academic year. A total of 10 students participated in the study, including 5 students from the 7th grade and 5 students from the 8th grade of this public middle school. Each student was given 5 open-ended multi-solution problems by the researcher. Students were asked to generate solutions to the multi-solution problems in different ways. Data were collected through clinical interviews conducted with students during a class period. The findings of the research were analyzed through descriptive analysis. The data of the study were analyzed using Wallas's (1926) creativity model, which consists of the stages of preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. When the results of the study were examined, it was seen that 7th grade students generally could not generate many solutions to the open-ended multi-solution problems. However, it was observed that students could exhibit their mathematical creativity more effectively in some problems depending on the type of problem. 8th grade students, compared to 7th graders, were generally observed to be able to generate more solutions to the problems. In terms of the stages of creativity, it was found that 8th grade students completed the illumination and verification stages fully and effectively. On the other hand, 7th grade students generally completed the preparation and incubation stages but did not adequately fulfill the illumination and verification stages.