Comparisons of Learning Achievement and Problem-Solving Thinking Abilities of Vocational Certificate Level 1 Students between Learning Management of Creative Problem Solving and Conventional Learning Approaches

The purposes of this study aimed to: 1) develop plan for creative problem solving learning activities with a required efficiency of 80/80, 2) find out effectiveness indices of the plan for creative problem solving learning activities, 3) compare learning achievements, problem-solving thinking abilities of the students who learned using creative problem solving learning activities between pretest and posttest, 4) compare learning achievements, problem-solving thinking abilities of the students who learned using conventional learning approaches between pretest and posttest, and 5) compare learning achievements, problem-solving thinking abilities of the students who learned using creative problem solving learning activities and those who conventional learning approaches, The samples for this study consisted of vocational certificate level 1 students in second semester of the academic year of 2014, Kantharalak Technical College. They were selected using the cluster random sampling technique and randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group one learning by creative problem solving learning activities, and the other one experimental group learning by conventional learning approaches. The tools used in the study were: 1) plans for creative problem solving learning activities and conventional Learning approaches, The instruments used in this study were: 6 units, 3 hours per week in each plan, for a total of 18 hours of teaching 2) a 30 items 4 choice achievement test with discriminating powers (B) ranging 0.22-0.63 with a reliability (rcc) of 0.86, and 3) a 28 item 4 choice test of problem-solving thinking with discriminating powers (B) ranging 0.22-0.71 with a reliability (rcc) of 0.76. Basic statistics used for analyzing the collected data were percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and the statistic used for testing the hypotheses was Hotelling’s T2 . The results of the study were as follows: 1. The efficiencies of the plan for creative problem solving learning activities were 86.06 / 89.71 respectively. 2. The effectiveness indices of the plan for creative problem solving learning activities were 0.7359 3. The students who learning using creative problem solving learning activities after learning increased their learning achievement and problem-solving thinking compare with before learning at the .05 level of statistical significance. 4. The students who learning using conventional learning approaches activities after learning increased their learning achievement and problem-solving thinking compare with before learning at the .05 level of statistical significance. and 5. The students who learning using creative problem solving learning activities had higher learning achievements and problem-solving thinking abilities than group of students who learning using conventional learning approaches In conclusion, The plans of creative problem solving learning were efficient and effective. As a result, the students academic achievement, problem-solving thinking were increased, The teachers should implement them in the organization of learning activities or apply them to generate maximum benefits for an organization of learning.