enhancing classroom behaviors and creativity: the impact of a critical thinking workshop

Purpose: this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a critical thinking workshop in improving classroom behavior and creativity among college students. methodology: a randomized controlled trial design was utilized, involving 30 participants aged 18-22 years, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving the critical thinking workshop or a control group that received no intervention. the workshop spanned eight sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. classroom behavior and creativity were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at a three-month follow-up using the classroom behavior assessment scale (cbas) and the torrance tests of creative thinking (ttct), respectively. data analysis was conducted using spss-27, employing analysis of variance (anova) with repeated measurements and bonferroni post-hoc tests. findings: the experimental group exhibited significant improvements in creativity, with mean scores increasing from 56.92 (sd = 15.06) at baseline to 67.56 (sd = 15.22) post-intervention, and slightly higher at follow-up (mean = 68.03, sd = 16.90). classroom behavior also improved significantly, with mean scores rising from 29.52 (sd = 5.99) at baseline to 33.92 (sd = 5.80) post-intervention, maintaining at follow-up (mean = 34.04, sd = 6.30). in contrast, the control group showed negligible changes in both variables. statistical analysis revealed significant effects of time and group, as well as time × group interactions for both creativity (time × group: f = 8.09, p < 0.01) and classroom behavior (time × group: f = 7.50, p < 0.01). conclusion: the critical thinking workshop significantly enhanced creativity and classroom behavior among college students. these findings highlight the workshop’s effectiveness in fostering essential higher-order thinking skills, suggesting that similar interventions could be beneficial in educational settings to cultivate an environment conducive to learning and innovation.