Inventive Problem-Solving Skills Effectiveness in RBT Project-Based Learning (PBL)

Abstract

Examining how well a TRIZ-based Project-Based Learning (PBL) module fosters creative problem-solving abilities in secondary school students enrolled in Design and Technology (RBT) courses is the goal of this study. The combination of PBL with structured creative problem-solving techniques like TRIZ, particularly in the context of RBT topics, is still largely unexplored, even though PBL has been widely used in Malaysian education. In this quasi-experimental study, 118 Form 2 students were split into two groups: a control group (n = 58) that received traditional instruction and a treatment group (n = 60) that received the PBL intervention. The 12-week TRIZ methodology-based module was presented to the treatment group. The treatment group’s mean scores increased by 34% (from 50.72% to 67.93%) compared to the control group’s 16% improvement, according to pre- and post-test data. Significantly, the treatment group showed a stronger change in mastery levels and high order thinking abilities in every aspect of problem-solving. The results imply that the TRIZ-based PBL module fosters structured and innovative problem-solving skills more successfully than conventional methods. By giving a scalable methodology for developing 21st-century skills, the study offers new insights by presenting a verified pedagogical framework that incorporates TRIZ into project-based learning for secondary education.