The Practical State and Prospects of Developing Logical and Creative Thinking in Primary School Students Through an Integrative Approach

Abstract

Background. The formation of logical and creative thinking in the primary grades is a decisive condition for later academic achievement, yet in current practice these two capacities are cultivated in isolation and largely within single subjects. This study examines the practical state of the problem and tests whether an integrative approach that links native-language instruction with mathematics, natural science and the arts can raise both capacities simultaneously.

Methods. A pedagogical experiment was conducted over the 2021–2024 academic years with 457 fourth-grade pupils drawn from three schools in different regions of Uzbekistan (Tashkent, Samarkand and Namangan). Pupils were assigned to an experimental group (n = 229) taught through an integrative model and a control group (n = 228) taught by conventional methods. Logical and creative thinking were measured with a criterion-referenced instrument before and after the intervention, and the results were analysed using Student's t-test.

Results. After the intervention the share of pupils at the low level of thinking in the experimental group fell from 56.77% to 18.18%, while the high-level share rose correspondingly. The experimental group outperformed the control group by a factor of 1.12 (a 12% advantage). The difference between the groups was statistically significant (t = 7.077 > t₀.₀₅ = 1.96).

Conclusions. The integrative approach is an effective and reproducible means of developing logical and creative thinking together, and it can be embedded in the standard primary curriculum without additional teaching hours.