The purpose of the study was to explore that using creative problem solving
can promote students’ performance of concept mapping (CMPING). Students were
encouraged to use creative problem solving (CPS) in constructing nanometer knowledge
structure, and then to promote the performance of CMPING. The knowledge structure was
visualized through CMPING which helps students to improve their performance. The
participants were 42 college juniors who selected the course ‘‘Nano-environmental Engineering
Technology’’. Four instruments were used to classify student learning performance
(meaningful learning, rote learning and non-learning). This study included three main
issues: (1) Student learning quality was determined by the change in concept map construction.
(2) In-depth interviews were applied to understand student’s CPS process. (3)
Student interaction quality in a discussion board on a web-platform was evaluated. The
results showed that meaningful high-level learners successfully applied CPS in constructing
concept maps and they presented better performance of CMPING. Rote learners’
results were in the second place, and non-learners achieved the worse outcomes. It is suggested that a future teaching study can use creative problem solving to promote students’
performance of CMPING in other courses.
