Abstract
In the current study, technological invention is regarded as creative problem-solving process as well as evolutionary process. Based on this variation-selection-and-retention model of evolution, it was predicted that the following six variables are critical for technological invention: internal motivation, problem finding, pluralism, internalized criteria, dialectic thinking, and environmental opportunities. By these six variables, a sample of technological inventors was contrasted with a sample of teachers from vocational high schools. A total of 143 inventors who won famous national and international awards of invention composed the first group, while a total of 149 vocational high school teachers with engineering background composed the second group. The first group was found to gain significantly higher scores on the scales of internal motivation, problem finding, internalized criteria, dialectic thinking, and environmental opportunities than the second group did. In conclusion, most predictions based on the theory of evolution about technological invention were confirmed. A few implications for educational practice and future studies were derived accordingly.
| Keywords: | technological invention; creativity; evolution theory; intrinsic motivation; thinking orientation |
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