The Information Components of Inventive Thinking
Ruth Small, Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and founding director of The Center for Digital Literacy (CDL), has been awarded an Enitiative grant for a two-year research study of inventive thinking in children.
Inventive thinking forms the foundation to entrepreneurial endeavors. The CDL plans to explore the following questions: What are the information requirements (skills, resources, activities) of successful inventive thinking and entrepreneurship? In what ways are inventive thinking processes and information problem-solving processes related? What and how do information-seeking support services influence students’ inventive thinking processes and entrepreneurial activities? How can information services and resources be designed to more effectively motivate and support students’ inventive thinking processes and entrepreneurial activities? Results of this innovative study are expected to add to our knowledge in this relatively untested area of research and be of practical value to future inventors/entrepreneurs, information professionals, and educators who may influence future inventors and entrepreneurs.