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Abstract: The effect of Logo programming language for creativity and problem solving was investigated.
Eighty-five fifth grade students were assigned to a Logo experiment and control group. They were pretested to
assess receptive fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, logical word problem solving skill, and figural
problem solving skill. After 8 weeks of learning, the Logo experimental group had significantly higher score
than control group on the test of problem solving skill (logical word, figural problem solving) and figural
creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration). The result revealed significantly differences for
creativity especially in flexibility and originality and figural problem solving skill between the Logo
experimental group and the control group. An implication was Logo programming may provide opportunities
for improvement of creativity and problem solving skill. Possible alternative explanation and suggestions for
future research were provided.
Keywords: Logo programming language, creativity, problem solving skill, turtle geometry
students has mastered the immediate mode, the 1.3 Logo and Problem solving
student can advance to the next level, the program Kull and Carter [16] found that Logo enhances
mode. In the program mode, the commands are no childrens problem solving skill on mathematical
longer carried out individually. A series of understanding. Students can explore numbers and
commands are written, then the ENTER key is number relationships by using the wrapping
pressed and the command program is executed on component of Logo. Wrapping in Logo occurs
the monitor. So, Logo provides immediate when a large number is entered into the computer,
feedback, which allows students to correct and moving the turtle off the screen and back again as
learn from their errors, and to exercise their self- many times as commanded to produce a screen
correcting and problem solving skill. wrap. Young students are unable to appropriately
Logo provides students with a variety of associate numbers with their value. Students
learning strategies. Students with short attention discover number relations by finding that if a larger
spans can benefit from Logo because they can work number is entered into the computer, the turtle
at their own pace. According to research done by wraps longer and fills up the screen more than if a
Emihovich and Miller [5], Logo can also acquire smaller number is entered. The children construct
metacognitive skills which are rarely met in the these wraps and determine that numbers represent a
regular classroom. Planning the turtles movements relational amount of something. After discovering
provides students with experience in how they number relation, students began to predict what
think and learn. This higher-level thought process will happen on the screen with numbers they
applied to a concrete object teaches them content, choose to input.
thinking styles, and behaviors needed for academic Battista and Clements [17] investigated the
success. changes in childrens mathematical problem
solving that result from learning Logo. They
1.2 Logo and Creativity concluded that understanding of geometric shapes
Silvern [6] points out that problem solving was enhanced. They also concluded that childrens
strategies and play facilitate creative thinking. idea about mathematic problem solving became
Through play, children transform objects into real- more sophisticated.
word ideas. Constuctive play is defined as using Using Logo leads to geometry. Students practice
ordinary objects and imagination to create a new and simulate spatial relations, learning to repeat
product. Painting, drawing, and building blocks are and rotate geometric figures on the screen. Battista
all forms of constructive play, but a child does not and Clements suggested that illustrating spatial
have to think about creating them. Using Logo, the imagery is important in geometric problem solving
child must think creatively because a set of because it involves thinking about properties of
instructions must be followed or created. Through figures. Determining how to recognize geometrical
constucting and transforming original instruction figures in their tilted form develops students spatial
sets, children can developed and express creative imagery and visual reasoning.
thinking. Torgerson [3] noted that Piagets research
Clements [7] corroborated these findings when stressed the necessity of student involvement in
his Logo group significantly outperformed other physical manipulation of objects to build
groups in creativity training studies. Third-grade intellectual structures. Children need to interact
children were able to create complex projects by with their environment to understand spatial
combining an entire page of shapes into one relations. The creating of geometrical shapes and
drawing. Their drawings were more complete, designs provides practice in left, right, forward, and
more original, more sophisticated graphic backward directions once they have developed the
representations than the control groups. According concepts of spatial relations.
to his study, Clements determined that this was
probably because they learned procedural thinking 2 Problem Formulation
when using Logo. This study was conducted to know whether
Other studies showed an increase in figural Logo programming language improves students'
creativity on transfer tests, although gains in some creativity and problem-solving skill amongst grade
were moderate [8-13] and occasionally non- 5 students. This studies focused on Logo, because
significant [14,15]. Originality, in contrast to as previously described, Logo has great potential
fluency or flexibility, was most often enhanced. for introducing children to many of the central
5 students. This study compared the differences of Table 2. Descriptive Statistics of Creativity and
scores in students creativity and problem solving Problem Solving Posttest Score
skills before and after Logo programming course.
Scores of students creativity pretest were Posttest
compared with scores of students creativity
posttest. Similarly, scores of the students problem- Measured Logo
Control Group p-value
Area Experimental
solving skill pretest were compared with scores of Group (N=43)
(N=41)
students problem-solving skill posttest. T-test
analysis was used, taken on a matched pairs of Mean SD Mean SD
students creativity pretest and posttest score, and a FLU 13.74 3.04 12.88 3.23 .209
matched pairs of students problem-solving skills FLX 12.39 3.37 10.93 3.24 .045*
pretest and posttest score. ORG 13.07 3.48 11.46 3.23 .033*
ELA 13.12 3.05 12.15 2.89 .139
LWT 11.91 3.50 10.71 3.54 .122
4 Problem Solution FPST 12.19 2.30 10.80 2.92 .019*
In this study, students creativity pretest and * indicates p < 0.05 for difference between means
posttest scores, and students problem-solving
pretest and posttest scores were collected. Students
creativity and problem solving pretest scores, and Table 2 presents the means and standard
students creativity and problem-solving posttest deviations of creativity and problem solving
scores were classified into two groups: Logo posttest score. In posttest, the mean score of FLU
experimental group and control group. did not differ significantly, F = .291, p = .209. The
Independent-samples T-test was performed to same result also emerged for ELA (F = .089, p =
test for differences among FLU, FLX, ORG, ELA, .139) and LWT (F = .017, p = .122). Meanwhile,
LWT, PST with respect to participants Logo the mean score of FLX was significantly difference
experimental group and control group in pretest and (F = .387, p = .045). The same results also emerged
posttest scores. for ORG (F = .000, p = .033) and FPST (F = 7.044,
p = .019).
Table 1 Descriptive Statistics of Creativity and
Problem Solving Pretest Scores
Figure 2 Creativity and Problem Solving Pretest-
Pretest
Posttest Scores for Logo Experimental Group
Logo
Measured Control Group
Experimental p-value
Area (N=42)
Group (N=42)
Mean SD Mean SD