Educational Research Journal


Vol. 15 No. 1, Pages 45-68, Summer 2000

A Comparative Study of Relay Thinking Activities in Degree and Secondary Level Students

Kin-wai Michael Siu
Abstract

"Relay thinking" was first piloted at two Hong Kong tertiary institutions, with students required to generate ideas through relay thinking in order to solve problems. To explore applicability and compare the possibilities and limitations of relay thinking at different levels, a comparative study was carried out. In the study, two groups of secondary level design and technology students, along with two groups of university industrial design students, were selected to use relay thinking in generating design ideas to solve a problem. The study did not aim at problem solution, but simply at the experience of relay thinking. In this paper, the idea behind relay thinking is briefly described, and the results of the two sets of student activity are discussed. The discussion focuses on three major aspects: (a) the students' experience, (b) the settings and requirements of the relay thinking activities, and (c) the students' performance. The study indicates that relay thinking is suitable for both levels, and that it provides an alternative individual and group thinking experience for students, though modifications to the thinking activities for the two levels are necessary, and there are different problem requirements.

Key words: relay thinking; degree level; secondary level

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