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ERIC Number: ED246426
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1982
Pages: 32
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Use of Synectics as an Aid to Invention in College Composition.
Heavilin, Barbara Anne
A research project examined whether students in an English 104 freshman composition class would develop the ability to think analogically and divergently by using synectics as an aid to invention in composition, and whether these students would develop a more positive attitude toward writing. (Synectics is a highly structured group activity based on the invention and use of analogies and oxymorons in problem solving.) The 50 subjects in two composition classes wrote a diagnostic theme, completed questionnaires, participated in three synectics sessions, and wrote a final theme without a synectics session. Analyses of the data indicated the following: (1) most students used analogical thinking on all of the themes; (2) although most students used divergent thinking on at least one theme, few used divergent thinking on the final theme; and (3) most students had a more positive attitude toward English 104 than toward previous writing experiences. These findings suggest that students learned to think analogically, did not learn to think divergently as a whole, and developed a more positive attitude toward writing. (Author/CRH)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A