Enhancing Creativity Through Project-Based Instruction: Insights from Kazakhstani Elementary Classrooms

Abstract

Preparing the next generation of students for an unpredictable future is a key challenge facing educators today. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a project-based learning (PBL) model for fostering creativity among third-grade students in Kazakhstan. Recognising creativity as a key 21st-century competency, the research aims to evaluate whether project-based instruction could considerably enhance young students’ creative thinking within an elementary school setting. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed, involving 35 students divided into experimental and control groups. Creativity was assessed using the Figural Form of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), focusing on fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Pretest scores revealed no significant differences between groups, while posttest results showed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group, demonstrating the model’s positive impact. These findings support the integration of project-based approaches in early education to cultivate creativity and offer meaningful implications for curriculum development and instructional practices in Kazakhstan and similar contexts. The study contributes to the growing body of literature advocating for student-centred, inquiry-based learning models as essential tools for developing creativity in young learners.