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4. Discussion
The current study suggests that creative problem solving approaches improves students’ creativ-
ity and support the finding by previous researchers (Teo & Waugh, 2010; Park, 2013; Runco 
& Johnson, 2002; Levenson, 2013; Fard et al., 2014). This study seems to strengthen the state-
ment that teachers’ awareness and effort in promoting creativity are able to foster creativity in 
students (Teo & Waugh, 2010; Park, 2013; Levenson, 2013). The qualitative data complements 
this finding when students’ result suggest that their creativity level increased as they get more 
involved in the intervention study – as can be interpreted from the observation data.
Meanwhile, the increase in students’ problem solving ability coincided with Kopka (2010) 
and Hu’s, Xiaohui’s, and Shieh’s (2017) findings, where they claimed that problem solving has 
created the foundation for a successful mathematics education, which seem to support the 
result of this study. This implies that having experienced the teaching and learning through 
collaborative CPS, their result increased in tandem. Silver (1997, p. 79) claimed that fostering 
creativity strategies will enrich mathematical problem solving. This finding also supported 
the suggestion by some authors (Lester et al.,
 
1994, pp. 661–662), who proposed that teach-
ing mathematics by using a problem solving approach can help the students to develop a 
deep understanding of mathematical ideas. This observation is also in line with the claims 
by Sriraman (2004), which stated that creativity is crucial as a foundation in mathematics.
Nonetheless, even though the mean scores increased, the level of the participants’ creative 
problem solving skill was still at a moderate level and can still be improved. The findings 
support the suggestions by researchers that enhancing students’ mathematical creativity in 
a mathematics classroom also depends powerfully on the learning and interactive environ-
ments (Kaufman & Sternberg, 2006).
Obviously, some students need special attention from teachers and being in a large class-
room with the teacher-centred approach does not help. In a large classroom with students 
having various capabilities, teachers need to know the correct approach to accommodate 
them all. This research addresses this issue by prescribing a collaborative group work among 
the students. In his study, Haylock (1987, p. 72) found positive impacts of creativity and cre-
ative problem solving in conducive classrooms. Therefore, it is crucial for teachers to create 
powerful learning (and interactive) environments (Kaufman & Sternberg, 2006) to provide 

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effective learning environments elements in fostering creativity as well as to accommodate 
the various needs of students.
Some participants in the study admitted that collaborative solving problems during the in-
terventions made them feel more confident. They also added that solving problems in a group 
develops their potential, and some admitted that collaborative CPS made them feel that math-
ematics is easier and learning mathematics is enjoyable. Thus, CPS was able to assist them in 
overcoming the challenges of the new syllabus. These findings are in line with the recommenda-
tion by Park (2013, pp. 412, 416) who recommended that fostering creativity in mathematics 
can help students think in different ways besides enjoying learning mathematics.
The participants also admitted that they gain knowledge from their friends in the same 
group. They were able to check and compare their answers with other groups through an 
inter-group discussion. This finding supports the research done by Retalis, Katsamani, Geor-
giakakis, Lazakidou, Petropoulou, and Kargidis (2010). One of the participants raised that 
creative problem solving gives him the space to analyse and choose the best method for 
answering mathematics questions. His statement supports the work of Anderson, Krathwohl, 
Airasian, Cruikshank, Mayer, Pintrich, Raths, and Wittrock (2000, p. 208) when they claimed 
that creativity is a skill that could be cultivated to enhance the cognitive skills, which aims 
to be utilized in solving problems. These findings proved the positive impacts of creativity 
and creative problem solving (Haylock, 1987). It is crucial for teachers to create powerful 
learning and interactive environments to foster creativity (Kaufman & Sternberg, 2006). The 
findings in this study also show that the recommendation from researchers who recom-
mended problem solving as one of the solutions to many issues in mathematics classroom is 
valid (Kopka, 2010; Khalid, 2017).