Exploring Gender Differences in Mathematical Creativity: Linking Problem Posing and Problem Solving

Abstract

This study explores gender-based differences in sixth-grade students' potential for mathematical creativity through the interrelated processes of problem solving (PS) and problem posing (PP), grounded in a multidimensional framework of creativity-encompassing fluency, flexibility, and originality. A total of 346 sixth graders from public schools in a northern coastal city of Turkey participated. They completed validated PP and PS tasks, and their responses were scored using established creativity metrics, which served as indicators of the potential for creative mathematical thinking. Independent-sample t-tests were conducted to examine whether creativity skills differ by gender across PP and PS, followed by multiple linear regression analyses to investigate the predictive relationships between the creativity dimensions across domains through the models were tested separately for male and female students. It was revealed that female students significantly outperformed male students in all three dimensions of creativity in both PS and PP tasks, as a result of the t-tests. Regression analyses further indicated that fluency and originality were significant predictors of creativity across domains, while flexibility did not emerge as a significant predictor for either gender. Notably, for female students, PS fluency predicted PP performance, whereas PP originality predicted PS outcomes. For male students, originality was the only consistent predictor in both directions. These findings emphasize the importance of adopting a multidimensional and gender-sensitive framework when evaluating creative potential in mathematics education and suggest instructional implications for supporting creativity across genders.