Incorporating creative problem-solving skills to foster sustainability among graduate students in education management

Abstract

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a strategic focus in management education, highlighting the need for creative problem-solving skills to prepare students for environmental and social challenges. Although creative problem-solving is regarded as effective for addressing sustainability issues, empirical research on its impact in enhancing sustainability awareness and problem-solving skills among management students is limited. This study aimed to integrate the creative problem-solving instructional approach with the development of sustainability awareness among graduate students in education management. A mixed-method approach guided the research, utilizing a non-equivalent quasi-experimental design with questionnaires and interviews for data collection. Purposive sampling was used to select 75 master's students, with 39 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. The intervention consisted of 15 lessons conducted over three months. Pre-tests and post-tests on creative problem-solving and sustainability were administered before and after the intervention, and in-depth interviews were conducted to assess learning effectiveness and gather feedback. The results showed that the thematic coding of the interviews was consistent with the statistical findings, demonstrating that creative problem-solving training not only improved specific skills but also fostered a broader commitment to sustainability. The study concludes that creative problem-solving training is essential for promoting sustainability and creativity among students in higher education.