Creativity is an understudied topic in elementary school mathematics research. Nevertheless, we argue that creativity plays an important role in mathematics, but that more research is needed to understand this relation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate this relation, specifically between domain‐general creativity, domain‐specific mathematical creativity, and mathematical ability. Measures for these constructs were administered to 342 Dutch fourth graders. In order to examine the nature of the relation between creativity and mathematics, two competing models were tested, using Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that models in which general creativity and mathematical ability both predict mathematical creativity fitted the data better than models in which mathematical and general creativity predict mathematical ability. This study showed that both general creativity and mathematical ability are important to think creatively in mathematics.

In this study, it was investigated how domain-specific (number sense) and domain-general (working memory, creativity) factors explain the variance in mathematical abilities in primary school children. A total of 166 children aged 8 to 10 years old participated. Several tests to measure math ability, mathematical creativity, number sense, verbal and visual spatial working memory and creativity were administered. Data were analyzed with a series of correlation and regression analyses. Number sense, working memory and creativity were all found to be important predictors of academic and creative mathematical ability. Furthermore, groups with math learning disabilities (MLD) and mathematical giftedness (MG) were compared to a typically developing (TD) group. The results show that the MLD group scored lower on number line estimation and visual spatial working memory than the TD group, while the MG group differed from the TD group on visual spatial working memory and creativity. It is concluded that creativity plays a significant role in mathematics, above working memory and number sense. Research on individual differences in the development of mathematical cognition has pointed to two main underlying cognitive factors: number sense and working memory (e.g., Fuchs, Geary, Compton, Fuchs, Hamlett, & Bryant, 2010;Geary, 2010). Number sense (NS) could be seen as the domain-specific precursor of mathematics. Working memory is a domain-general predictor, not only in mathematical development but also in other academic areas. Although several other cognitive factors have been related to math, such as processing speed (e.g., Peterson et al., 2017;Willcutt et al., 2013), or phonological skills (e.g., Barnes et al., 2014;Slot, Van Viersen, De Bree, & Kroesbergen, 2016), working memory and number sense together explain a substantial part of the variance in mathematics (e.g., 48-50% in Kroesbergen & Van Dijk, 2015; 24-28% in Toll, Kroesbergen, & Van Luit, 2016). These two factors are not only related to mathematics in typically developing (TD) children, but they have also repeatedly been found to explain differences between children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) and TD children (e.g., Geary, Hoard, Byrd-Craven, Nugent, & Numtee, 2007;Mazzocco, Feigenson, & Halberda, 2011;Mussolin, Mejias, & Noël, 2010;Piazza et al., 2010; Raghubar, jnc.psychopen.eu | 2363-8761 Barnes, & Hecht, 2010Schuchardt, Maehler, & Hasselhorn, 2008). However, from another body of research, on mathematically gifted (MG) children, another domain-general factor appears that may influence mathematics as well: Creativity (e.g., Leikin, Koichu, & Berman, 2009;Mann, 2006;Sriraman, 2005). However, studies investigating the role of creativity in mathematics have taken neither working memory nor number sense into account. The goal of the current study is to compare the role of working memory and number sense with that of creativity in the mathematical abilities of both TD children as well as children with MLD and MG children in fourth grade....

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This study evaluates the effects of the Mathematics, Arts, and Creativity in Education (MACE) program on students' ability in geometry and visual arts in the upper grades of elementary school. The program consisted of a lesson series for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students in which geometry and visual arts were integrated, alongside with a professional development program for teachers. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in which three groups of teachers and their classes were investigated. One group of teachers taught the lesson series and followed a professional development program (n = 36), one group of teachers only taught the lesson series (n = 36), and a comparison group taught a series of traditional geometry lessons from mathematical textbooks (n = 43). A geometrical ability, creativity, and vocabulary test and a visual arts assignment were used in a pre-and post-measurements to test the effects of the MACE program. Results showed that students who received the MACE lesson series improved more than students who received regular geometry lessons only in geometrical aspects perceived in a visual artwork. Regarding students' understanding and explanation of geometrical phenomena and geometrical creative thinking, all students improved, but no differences between the groups were found, which implies that on these aspects the MACE program was as effective as the comparison group that received a more traditional form of geometry education.

In this study, we explored the structure of pupils' creativity in primary education following the Amusement Park Theory, by investigating undiscovered linkages between the domains of writing, mathematics, and drawing. More specifically, we examined: (a) whether some domains and general thematic areas are more closely related to each other than to others, (b) whether literacy and mathematical ability are specific underlying traits of creativity in writing and mathematics, respectively, and (c) whether intelligence and divergent thinking are related to creativity in all domains. The sample consisted of 331 Dutch 4th grade pupils. For each research question, a model was analyzed using structural equation modeling. We found creativity in mathematics and creativity in writing to be most similar, followed by creativity in mathematics and creativity in drawing, with creativity in writing and creativity in drawing being least similar. Additionally, we found evidence for several underlying traits (i.e., literacy ability and mathematical ability) and initial requirements of creativity (i.e., intelligence and divergent thinking), none of which were important for creativity in only one domain, and of which only intelligence was important for creativity in all domains. Herewith, our study provides insights regarding the complexity of the structure of creativity in primary education.