Technology-based assessment of creativity in educational context: the case of divergent thinking and its relation to mathematical achievement

• Technology offers many advantages over traditional assessment of divergent thinking.
• Our online assessment tool proved to be a reliable and valid instrument.
• Our online assessment tool is suitable for everyday use in educational context.
• Divergent thinking predicts mathematical achievement at a moderate level.

Creativity is one of the most frequently cited 21st century skills, and developing creativity is one of the most often declared goals of modern education systems. However, without easy-to-use assessment instruments available for everyday application in educational practice, systematic improvement of creativity is far from a realistic option. The aim of the present study is to explore the possibility of online assessment of divergent thinking and to contribute to the development of a reliable technology-based test. The paper also investigates the relationship between divergent thinking and mathematical achievement in different dimensions. The sample for the study was drawn from sixth-grade students (N = 1,984). The computerized instrument comprising nine tasks was based on item types for divergent thinking by Torrance and by Wallach and Kogan. Our online test proved to be a reliable instrument. Based on theoretical assumptions, evidence for construct validity was provided for both the fluency–flexibility–originality and verbal–figural dimensions. Divergent thinking predicts mathematical achievement at a moderate level. The advantages of technology-based assessment made our instrument suitable for everyday school practice and large-scale assessments; however, the coding process is not yet fully automated.