Editor: Viv Edwards (University of Reading, UK)
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Volume: 17 Number: 4 Page: 241–265
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Creativity, Diversity and Originality of Ideas in Divergent Group Discussion Tasks: The Role of Repetition and Addition in Discovering 'New Significant', or 'Original' Ideas and Knowledge
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Tan Bee Tin
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This paper examines the role of addition and repetition in generating what counts as valuable educational knowledge and ideas in divergent tasks. It is argued that the nature of valuable knowledge required
for divergent tasks is different from that of convergent tasks. Although justification and truth are important features of valuable knowledge required in convergent tasks, these are not sufficient for divergent
tasks. Instead, novelty, originality and creativity are important features of knowledge in such tasks. The paper attempts to define 'originality' and examines how 'original' or 'new significant' ideas might
be generated. The data used in the paper is the group discussion data of Malaysian and British students on British undergraduate courses. The analysis suggests that repeating and adding similar ideas have
a role in constructing 'original' or 'new significant' ideas and knowledge. Ideas that are repeated and added can combine and accumulate into something significant.
© Multilingual Matters 2003
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