The Impact of Arts-Based Innovation Training on the Creative Thinking Skills, Collaborative Behaviors and Innovation Outcomes of Adolescents and Adults

The Art of Science Learning Project (AoSL) is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded initiative, founded and directed by Harvey Seifter, that uses the arts to spark creativity in science education and the development of an innovative 21st century STEM workforce. This research was guided by three main hypotheses: (1) Arts-based innovation training, compared to traditional innovation training, improves an individuals creative thinking skills including critical thinking, divergent thinking, problem identification, convergent thinking and problem solving; (2) Arts-based innovation training, compared to traditional innovation training, increases individual collaborative behaviors within a team context; and (3) Arts-based innovation training, compared to traditional innovation training, enhances the novelty, impact and feasibility of team innovations. In order to test these hypotheses, the research study used a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test intact group design, including a control group for comparison purposes.