DEVELOPMENT OF ART LEARNING MANAGEMENT MODEL BASED ON LOOSE PARTS CONCEPT TO PROMOTE CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS FOR PRESCHOOLERS

Abstract

The objectives of this study were 1) To examine the developmental progress of creative behavior and 2) To investigate the development of creative thinking skills in early childhood through the use of art-based learning activities designed according to the Loose Parts approach. This study employed a research and development design. The sample consisted of 15 children aged 5–6 years from Sacred Heart Convent School, selected through purposive sampling. The research instruments included 1) An observation form for creative behavior and 2) A creative thinking assessment form, both of which had been validated for content validity by experts. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The results revealed that: The development of creative behavior showed continuous improvement after the implementation of the Loose Parts art-based learning approach. The mean scores increased progressively from 5.87 ± 3.65 at the first assessment, to 9.75 ± 3.93 at the fifth assessment, and 11.10 ± 1.46 at the tenth assessment, across all aspects. The development of creative thinking skills also demonstrated a sequential increase, with mean scores rising from 6.79 ± 7.58 at the first assessment, to 10.52 ± 7.41 at the fifth assessment, and 13.40 ± 1.22 at the tenth assessment, in all dimensions. These findings indicate that the activity set effectively enhanced both creative behavior-including exploration, persistence, engagement and enjoyment, and reflection-and creative thinking skills, which comprised fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. The results further suggest that children developed enthusiasm, learning motivation, and self-pride, which are fundamental for sustainable success in the future.