The Effectiveness of 4MATE Teaching Model in Enhancing Creative Thinking, Attention, and Working Memory in Thai Context

Abstract

Creative thinking is the most crucial skill in the 21st century in Thailand. Moreover, learners' attention and working memory are the most special abilities affecting creative thinking. This research was intended to investigate the effectiveness of the 4MAT teaching model integrated with executive function training (4MATE) in enhancing creative thinking, attention, and working memory in Thai context. It was particularly focused on examining the significant change in creative thinking, attention, and working memory among grade 4 students after the intervention of a 4MATE and a 5E teaching model in an experimental group and a control group, respectively. 40 of 104 grade 4 students were randomly selected from a primary school in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A pre-test and post-test control group design was adopted in this study. 4MATE teaching model consisted of eight steps, including experience concentration, experience analysis, experience development, thinking development, performance development, creative innovation, innovative analysis, and battle ideas. The 4MATE teaching model was implemented in the experiment group, while the 5E teaching model was employed in the control group. Two types of psychological tests were utilized as the research instruments, namely the creative thinking test and the cognitive ability test software: attention and working memory. The findings revealed that the mean scores, covering creative thinking, attention, and working memory, of the 4MATE intervention were higher than those of the 5E teaching model. In conclusion, creative thinking, attention, and working memory can be improved with the 4MATE teaching model derived from a combination of the 4MAT teaching model and executive function training.