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The Effect of Digital Technology Integration on Students' Creative Thinking Skills: PISA Evidence Using Propensity Score Matching

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Title: The Effect of Digital Technology Integration on Students' Creative Thinking Skills: PISA Evidence Using Propensity Score Matching
Language: English
Authors: Orhan Kaplan (ORCID 0000-0002-4306-2266), Mevlüt Kara (ORCID 0000-0002-6381-5288), Turan Kaçar (ORCID 0000-0001-8390-7262)
Source: Problems of Education in the 21st Century. 2025 83(3):403-423.
Availability: Scientia Socialis Ltd. 29 K. Donelaicio Street, LT-78115 Siauliai, Republic of Lithuania. e-mail: scientia@scientiasocialis.lt; e-mail: problemsofeducation@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.scientiasocialis.lt/pec/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 21
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Creative Thinking, Secondary School Students, Foreign Countries, Cultural Differences, Thinking Skills, Student Characteristics
Geographic Terms: Singapore, Morocco
Assessment and Survey Identifiers: Program for International Student Assessment
ISSN: 1822-7864
2538-7111
Abstract: Identifying elements that enhance student creativity is essential for effective educational design. The rapid adoption of digital educational technologies (DETs) has become a key factor in this process. This study aims to present causal evidence on the impact of teachers' use of digital technology in education on the creative thinking of 15-year-old students in two countries, characterized by contrasting levels of digital technology integration in upper-secondary school. Propensity score analysis was applied to nationally representative PISA 2022 datasets of Singapore (n=6,606 students in 164 schools) and Morocco (n=6,867 students in 178 schools) to obtain causal estimates conditional on specified confounding factors. This causal inference method, which is infrequently employed in educational research, assesses interventions via observational data, considering temporal precedence, yielding less biased estimates by mitigating disparities between treatment and control groups. The findings showed that DET use at schools did not significantly influence students' creative thinking in Singapore, and surprisingly, it significantly decreased Moroccan students' creative thinking. Sensitivity analysis corroborated the robustness of the treatment effect estimates. The generalizability of the results is limited to the genuine educational contexts of the countries. The findings suggest that educational policymakers should be cautious about over-investment and over-reliance on digital technologies without carefully optimizing educational and curricular design for technology-enhanced creativity.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1478818
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: The Effect of Digital Technology Integration on Students' Creative Thinking Skills: PISA Evidence Using Propensity Score Matching
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Orhan+Kaplan%22">Orhan Kaplan</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4306-2266">0000-0002-4306-2266</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mevlüt+Kara%22">Mevlüt Kara</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6381-5288">0000-0002-6381-5288</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Turan+Kaçar%22">Turan Kaçar</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8390-7262">0000-0001-8390-7262</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Problems+of+Education+in+the+21st+Century%22"><i>Problems of Education in the 21st Century</i></searchLink>. 2025 83(3):403-423.
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  Data: Scientia Socialis Ltd. 29 K. Donelaicio Street, LT-78115 Siauliai, Republic of Lithuania. e-mail: scientia@scientiasocialis.lt; e-mail: problemsofeducation@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.scientiasocialis.lt/pec/
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  Data: Identifying elements that enhance student creativity is essential for effective educational design. The rapid adoption of digital educational technologies (DETs) has become a key factor in this process. This study aims to present causal evidence on the impact of teachers' use of digital technology in education on the creative thinking of 15-year-old students in two countries, characterized by contrasting levels of digital technology integration in upper-secondary school. Propensity score analysis was applied to nationally representative PISA 2022 datasets of Singapore (n=6,606 students in 164 schools) and Morocco (n=6,867 students in 178 schools) to obtain causal estimates conditional on specified confounding factors. This causal inference method, which is infrequently employed in educational research, assesses interventions via observational data, considering temporal precedence, yielding less biased estimates by mitigating disparities between treatment and control groups. The findings showed that DET use at schools did not significantly influence students' creative thinking in Singapore, and surprisingly, it significantly decreased Moroccan students' creative thinking. Sensitivity analysis corroborated the robustness of the treatment effect estimates. The generalizability of the results is limited to the genuine educational contexts of the countries. The findings suggest that educational policymakers should be cautious about over-investment and over-reliance on digital technologies without carefully optimizing educational and curricular design for technology-enhanced creativity.
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 21
        StartPage: 403
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Educational Technology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technology Uses in Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Creative Thinking
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Thinking Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Student Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: Singapore
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Morocco
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      – SubjectFull: Program for International Student Assessment
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      – TitleFull: The Effect of Digital Technology Integration on Students' Creative Thinking Skills: PISA Evidence Using Propensity Score Matching
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              Y: 2025
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