Preference for Challenging Tasks: The Critical Factor on Late Academic Achievement and Creative Problem Solving Ability

Abstract

Purpose of this study was to find out factors which may affect later academic achievements and creative problem solving ability. Two studies were carried out: One is to find out critical factors on later achievement among their intellectual and affective characteristics and family processes during their childhood; The other is to find out critical factor on creative problem solving among several affective characteristics. The first study was conducted with 60 young adults identified as prodigies at the age of 3-5 and 56 of their parents. Stepwise regression analyses were carried out with academic achievement, IQ, self-concept, achievement motivation, belief in their intellectual abilities, general self-efficacy and family processes. It was found that the preference for challenging tasks was the only factor highly correlated with academic achievement. The second study was conducted with 232 upper elementary school students and 77 gifted upper elementary school students. The study was to verify the path model among creative problem solving ability, motivation, beliefs about intellectual abilities, and preference for creative problem solving and challenging tasks. It was found that the intrinsic motivation, preference for creative problem solving and for challenging tasks directly affect the creative problem solving ability. It was also found that incremental beliefs about intellectual ability indirectly affect the creative problem solving ability through preference for creative problem solving, and intrinsic motivation. The results imply that providing children with positive experiences of working with challenging tasks are necessary to have children to achieve higher in their later years and to be creative in problem solving.