Development of creative competence in university students through information technologies: an experimental study

Maria Kostolovych; Milena Yaroslavtseva; Svitlana Pyekharyeva; Mariia Bykova; Liudmyla Radchenko

doi:https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2025.19.02.9

Kostolovych, M., Yaroslavtseva, M., Pyekharyeva, S., Bykova, M., & Radchenko, L. (2025). Development of creative competence in university students through information technologies: an experimental study. Revista Eduweb, 19(2), 122-142. https://doi.org/10.46502/issn.1856-7576/2025.19.02.9

Desarrollo de la competencia creativa en estudiantes universitarios a través de las tecnologías de la información: un estudio experimental

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Natural Sciences, Rivne State University of Humanities, Ukraine.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Docent (Associate Professor), Associate Professor of Theory and Methods of Pre-school Education Department, Municipal Establishment «Kharkiv Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy» of Kharkiv Regional Council, Ukraine.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko, Ukraine.

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Social Sciences, National University of Life Resources and Environmental Management of Ukraine, Ukraine.

The article reveals the content of the concept and the main indicators of creative competence. The article aims to verify the developed and research-based pedagogical conditions for training specialists for the formation of creative competence in professional activity using information technologies. Regarding the research methodology, we used quantitative methods of data analysis. This group of empirical research methods includes obtaining information about the object under study that allows us to identify its quantitative characteristics. When determining the sample of subjects, the general specificity of the research subject was considered. The total sample size was 120 subjects. When forming the sample, the criteria of content, representativeness, and equivalence were taken into account. As a result of the experimental work, according to all the specified criteria and indicators, a positive dynamic of creative competence was formed due to the use of modern information technologies among EG students, which confirms the significant influence of the specified pedagogical conditions on the preparation of students for the manifestation of creative competence in professional activities.

Keywords: professional training, modern information technologies, professional activity, students, formation of creative competence.

El artículo revela el contenido del concepto y los principales indicadores de la competencia creativa. El objetivo del artículo es verificar las condiciones pedagógicas desarrolladas e investigadas para la formación de especialistas en el desarrollo de la competencia creativa en la actividad profesional mediante el uso de tecnologías de la información. En cuanto a la metodología de investigación, se emplearon métodos cuantitativos de análisis de datos. Este grupo de métodos de investigación empírica incluye métodos para obtener información sobre el objeto de estudio que permiten identificar sus características cuantitativas. Al determinar la muestra de sujetos, se tuvo en cuenta la especificidad general del sujeto de investigación. El tamaño total de la muestra fue de 120 sujetos. Al formar la muestra, se tuvieron en cuenta los criterios de contenido, representatividad y equivalencia. Como resultado del trabajo experimental, de acuerdo con todos los criterios e indicadores especificados, se formó una dinámica positiva de la competencia creativa debido al uso de tecnologías de la información modernas entre los estudiantes del GE, lo que confirma la influencia significativa de las condiciones pedagógicas especificadas en la preparación de los estudiantes para el desarrollo de la competencia creativa en las actividades profesionales.

Palabras clave: formación profesional, tecnologías de la información modernas, actividad profesional, estudiantes, formación de la competencia creativa.

Today, the task of higher education is not only to increase the level of professional competence of graduates, but also to form a mobile, creative, socially stable personality, able to adapt to modern conditions, ready for self-development, and effective application of this knowledge in professional activities.

Based on this, in the formation of creative competence of students through the use of modern information technologies, an important role is assigned to higher education, which aims to reveal the personality of a person; to educate in his interest in acquiring knowledge, in the educational field; to form a modern citizen adequate to modern life, possessing innovative high-quality knowledge (Harashchuk & Kutsenko, 2022).

The need of the present is to improve the preparation of students for the formation of creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies, which is based on innovative teaching of creative technologies. Therefore, comprehensive education and training of specialists who have the skills of adaptation to changing conditions, high creative potential, and skills to meet the requirements of the labor market is one of the fundamental tasks of the education system.

Thus, the question arises of the need to optimize the educational process, find new ways and means of forming creative competence, apply effective innovative technologies, and create favorable conditions for the realization of students' creative abilities. In this regard, there is a growing need to develop innovative teaching methods that are implemented within the framework of educational models that are creative and ensure an increase in the quality of higher education as a whole. This is precisely what determines the relevance of the article (Kalinina, 2017).

Practice shows that, for example, when using information technologies in education, such as text information, the intensity of learning is 20-25%, and when using sound media, this figure increases to 45-50%, while when using them together (text, sound and video information) – 70-75%. The use of information and technical achievements in education increases the effectiveness of the educational process, arousing students' interest in working with modern equipment, thus increasing their motivation for learning; expands the possibilities for presenting information through the use of multimedia; provides access to learning sources – databases, knowledge bases; provides flexibility of learning strategies, etc.

Analysis of theoretical developments of scientists on the development of competencies using information technologies in terms of the formation of creative competence in them made it possible to state several contradictions between:

Therefore, the study of the process of developing creative competence of future specialists is a relevant and important task that meets the requirements of the modern social environment and professional standards.

The relevance of the problem raised, the theoretical and practical benefits of its solution, its insufficient development in pedagogical science, as well as the need to eliminate the identified contradictions, determined the choice of the topic of the article.

An appeal to the scientific discourse of recent decades shows that the problem of creativity, creative abilities, and creative thinking is widely represented in the works of foreign and domestic scientists.

Several scientists distinguish a separate type, creative giftedness, as the potential of an individual and their readiness for creative activity. One of the new scientific perspectives is the study of creativity, the ability to make innovative decisions, critical thinking in the context of classification and explanation of "soft skills" as important skills of the 21st century. Analysis of the works of Klochko, Nagayev, Kovalenko & Fedorets (2020) shows that “man has always strived for creative self-expression”. Creative abilities are considered by scientists as those that “correspond to general giftedness, that is, they are prerequisites for highly effective intellectual activity”. Authors proved that “during the creative process, the harmonization of the personality as a system occurs, and in the act of creation, a person is freed from previous tension. As a result of tension relief, harmonization occurs between the elements of the system”.

Among the studies of giftedness and creativity, many works reveal the psychological properties that characterize a gifted, creative person. The main place in the preparation of specialists for the formation of creative competence in professional activity is occupied by the development of the creative potential of giftedness. Methodological, scientific-theoretical, and applied aspects of the formation of creative competence in the professional activity of future specialists are considered by Harashchuk & Kutsenko (2022). Scientists revealed the components of creative resources (intellectual abilities of a person, the personality itself, environment, knowledge, thinking style and motivation), which contribute to the ability of a future specialist to integrate knowledge, to the formation of developed professional thinking at different functional levels; they substantiated the principled approaches to the formation of creative specialists, the essence of competence and competence of an employee in the educational sphere, ways to develop motivation in a future specialist to master quality knowledge, to study.

In the psychological and pedagogical discourse, there is a fairly wide range of research devoted to various aspects of creativity as an important feature of every teacher. We share the position that every stage of pedagogical activity should be carried out based on creativity, and creativity should "permeate" all components of the educational process. The problems of forming creative competence of students in higher education are considered by Kalinina (2017). At the same time, students' abilities to be creative are a component of professional competence and an important professional quality of the personality. "It is substantiated that the use of information technologies in the educational process contributes to the formation of creative competence of university students".

In recent years, pedagogical creativity has been considered within the framework of the implementation of the competency-based approach, which is actively developed in modern theory and is gradually being introduced into the practice of educational institutions. This problem is considered in the article by Sokół, Figurskab, and Blašková (2015). The main scientific goal of the article by these scientists is to study and investigate the frequency of Internet use in the educational process in selected higher educational institutions using scientific procedures and appropriate methodology to determine the impact of online learning on the competencies of professional creativity of human capital. The results obtained became the basis for formulating the research hypothesis: the higher and more developed the ability to use the Internet in the educational process, the higher the level of competencies of professional creativity of human capital, which as an element of intellectual capital is an important factor of development at the micro- and macro-regional levels.

The variety of innovative technologies includes Internet technologies, which involve the interaction of all participants in the educational process, which is carried out using methods that activate pedagogical communication, as an equally active intersubjective interaction. Innovative technologies help to intensify independent creative work, which contributes to the development of creative skills and cognitive activity. In particular, the scientist Norqulov (2024) in the article explores the formation of creative competence in students through the integration of innovative technologies in education. It emphasizes the importance of creative competence, which is defined as the ability to generate new ideas, solve problems, and adapt to new situations, which is crucial for success in the 21st century. The article examines various innovative technologies, such as multimedia tools, virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and digital platforms, emphasizing their role in improving students' learning experiences and developing creativity.

A thorough analysis of research on this issue allows us to conclude that in the process of training specialists, more attention should be paid to the formation of creative competence through the use of modern information technologies, the formation and development of students' creative activity, the development of creative abilities, imagination, fantasy, skills, etc.

Paying tribute to the scientific achievements of the listed researchers, taking into account the realities of today, there is a growing need to continue scientific research in terms of developing theoretical and methodological foundations and developing practical recommendations for the development of creative competence in university students using information technologies. Therefore, clarifying the essence of creative competence, conducting an analysis of the state of development of the labor market and higher education in Ukraine, monitoring the employment and career growth of graduates, and developing ways to develop creative competence in university students using information technologies requires a comprehensive solution to these problems.

The theoretical significance and practical necessity of developing creative competence in university students using information technologies, insufficient scientific and applied development of these issues, determine the relevance of the problem and the choice of the topic of the article, outlining its purpose and structure.

PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE. Verification of the pedagogical conditions developed and substantiated in the research for the training of specialists for the formation of creative competence in professional activity using information technologies.

To achieve the set goal, a set of research methods was used at the following stages of the study:

When determining the sample of subjects, the general specificity of the research subject was taken into account. The total sample size was 120 subjects. The control group contained 60 respondents, and 60 in the experimental group. When forming the sample, the criteria of content, representativeness, and equivalence were taken into account. The sample was formed by random selection using the technical procedure of calculating the selection step.

The implementation of the pedagogical experiment was carried out in three stages: preparatory, main, and final.

At the preparatory stage, the purpose and objectives of the study were determined, the experimental plan was developed, methods of measurement and processing of the results were identified, control and experimental groups were selected, and their homogeneity was checked.

At the final stage, the results of the experiment were analyzed, their reliability was confirmed, and conclusions were drawn about the pedagogical effect of the experiment.

The experiment involved bachelor's degree students in socio-economics who are in their 1st-3rd year of university.

The experiment was conducted in Rivne State University of Humanities, Municipal Establishment «Kharkiv Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy» of Kharkiv Regional Council, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko, National University of Life Resources and Environmental Management of Ukraine. The conduct of the experiment is permitted by the scientific councils of the universities in order not to violate ethical considerations in institutions of higher education.

The reliability and validity of the obtained results, the objectivity of their assessment were ensured by the methodological justification of the initial positions and the qualimetric mechanism for assessing the quality under study, the use of a complex of complementary research methods, and the involvement of a group of respondents from a higher educational institution in the analysis of its results.

To assess the homogeneity of the experimental and control data collection, statistical processing was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) programs.

In our article, we used quantitative methods of data analysis. This group of empirical research methods includes methods of obtaining information about the object under study that allow identifying its quantitative characteristics.

We have implemented pedagogical conditions for creative competence in university students using information technologies.

The choice of technologies was based not only on the requirements of society, but also on the individual characteristics of the student. Expressive means of digital resources (computer graphics, video clips) open up opportunities to stimulate the emotional perception of educational messages, this is achieved through figurative vision, emphasizing the main idea in the frame, dynamic editing, etc. Currently, the term "visual thinking" is becoming increasingly widespread, which is defined as "human activity, the product of which is the generation of new images, the creation of new visual forms that carry a certain semantic load and make knowledge visible."

Increasing the creative activity of students in the educational process using digital resources is determined by the following motives:

The second pedagogical condition is the development of the student's creative potential, which stimulates creative activity through the use of various types of digital resources. These are: purposeful creation of conditions and stimulation of the creative process for each student; creation of open learning situations, consideration of alternative points of view and approaches; creation of conditions for eliminating conformism; creation of a positive emotional background for learning, and elimination of stress factors in classes. Using educational platforms (such as Moodle, Google Classroom) in experimental groups.

The third pedagogical condition is the creation of a special course. The special course is aimed at the practical mastery of creative practices that form individual and socially oriented technologies in the development of a teacher's creative competence. Practical mastery of creative technology groups will contribute to the preparation of socially active, creative, creative specialists in the field of information technologies in the process of advanced training, capable of self-improvement, self-determination, and self-actualization with the skills of individual and team creative activity. In the process of gradual mastery of the special course, students should realize: the role and importance of the creative component in the formation of an innovative education system and the heuristic potential of the introduction of innovative technologies for the formation and development of creative competence.

These pedagogical conditions not only provide an opportunity for a student at each educational level to develop their original creative potential, but also awaken the need for further self-knowledge, creative self-development, and form an objective self-esteem in a person.

The content of the concept and the main indicators of creative competence, qualities that are distinguished in the structure of the creative competence of the individual.

The activity, the result of which is the creation of spiritual and new material values, is creativity. Creativity has procedural, personal, and psychological aspects and assumes the presence of knowledge and skills, motives, and abilities in the individual, thanks to which the creative product is created and is distinguished by uniqueness, originality, and novelty (Dermendjieva & Tsankov, 2023). The study of such personality properties revealed the important role of fantasy, intuition, and imagination as unconscious components of mental activity, as a person's need to expand and reveal their creative capabilities, in self-actualization (Kalinina, 2017).

We support the opinion of Ziaziun (2011) that “creative competence is a complex personal formation that includes intellectual, emotional, moral and other acquired knowledge, skills and abilities, which allows, at a fundamentally new, integrative level, to transfer acquired competencies from one sphere of life to another, to achieve a fundamentally new result of activity or perform activity at a fundamentally new qualitative level”.

A creative personality is distinguished by a high level of development of motivation for creativity, is characterized by the formation of a wide range of qualities and properties, has a high level of intellectual development, is characterized by independence and originality of judgments, developed fantasy and imagination, richness of the inner world, sensitivity to the unusual and new, intuitive foresight, self-confidence, a developed "I" concept and ingenuity and initiative. The manifestation of these qualities and properties of a person indicates the formation of the creativity of the individual, a high level of personal development (Tkachenko, 2014).

The main indicators of creative competence are: innovative, informational, creative, research competence, because it is the curiosity of the mind, search activity that characterizes a creative personality, and finding and searching for an effective and new solution – the innovative orientation of a specialist who has creativity, that is, the necessary potential (Ho & Shih, 2023).

So, creativity is the ability to deeply understand one's experience, the ability to find solutions in non-standard situations, the ability to learn and be surprised, and the ability to discover something new (Puhach et al., 2021).

The creative competence of a modern specialist includes a system of personal qualities, skills, abilities, and knowledge, which are necessary for creativity. The creative component can be in any type of pedagogical, organizational, or communicative activity of a person. The emphasis is, in this context, on the research component of a person's professional activity (Illyakhova, 2018).

Let's highlight the qualities that are distinguished in the structure of the creative competence of the individual. These are:

Analyzing creative abilities, let’s determine the properties inherent in a creative personality and identify criteria for assessing a person's ability to think creatively and exhibit innovative personality traits.

Analyzing creative abilities, we will define the properties inherent in a creative personality:

Let's list the possibilities of scientific talent that involve the development of a personality:

You can use the criteria for assessing the individual's ability to think creatively:

In addition to scientific talent, for the success of scientific research work, a student must have innovative personality traits:

The task of higher education is to activate the creative potential of the student during the educational process and to develop in future specialists of innovative digital technology the formation of creative competence by the requirements of modern society (Todorova, 2024).

Signs and principles that characterize creative education. The role of self-movement, self-affirmation, independent work, self-improvement, self-education, self-knowledge, self-regulation, self-determination, and self-realization in preparing students for the formation of creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies.

Let us name the features that characterize creative education: orientation towards the development of the creative potential of educational technologies, systematic construction of the educational process, positive motivation for creativity, balance of practical skills and theoretical knowledge, diversity of teaching methods, continuous development of knowledge and problem-solving, active participation in the formation of students' educational programs (Fedulova & Shovkun, 2009).

Active use in education of computer laboratory workshops, activities of training modules and cases, electronic tests and textbooks, demonstration materials, multimedia presentations, virtual business games, electronic full-text textbooks, multimedia training programs is important in preparing specialists for the formation of creative competence in professional activity (Knysh et al., 2024).

Proper management of educational development risks contributes to their successful use by adhering to the following principles:

All this has a positive effect on the acceleration of the innovative economy, on the formation of a socially-oriented, creative economy, where education, in particular digital, plays a decisive role precisely in the formation of a society of happy people, and not just creative individuals (Harashchuk & Kutsenko, 2022).

In order to verify the pedagogical conditions developed by us and substantiated for preparing students for the formation of creative competence in professional activity through modern information technologies, we organized a pedagogical experiment that included the traditional stages for pedagogical research: ascertaining, forming. The experiment was held in the natural conditions of the university educational process.

At the stage of ascertaining the experiment, the goal was set to clarify the state of the problem of forming creative competence in students through the use of modern information technologies and readiness to reveal creative competence in their future professional activity. A questionnaire was conducted, in which 120 students – future specialists in socionomic specialties, studying in the 1st-3rd years of universities, participated.

In the structure of students' creative competence, we consider it appropriate to distinguish the following components: motivational, cognitive, activity, and reflective. We believe that the interaction of these components encompasses knowledge and skills, personality traits necessary for the professional preparation of university students to demonstrate creative competence in professional activities.

We have determined the criteria and indicators of the formation of creative competence in students through the use of modern information technologies and readiness to demonstrate creative competence in their future professional activities, during the study.

Indicators: creative motivation (for professional realization – the need to be creative, the presence of motives that actualize creativity); creative attitude to the future profession (awareness of the need to demonstrate creativity in the profession, value orientations).

Indicators: creative potential of the student's personality (intuition, imagination, curiosity, originality, sense of humor and optimism, creative problem solving, emotionality); reflective skills (skills of self-organization and self-realization, skills and abilities of self-analysis and analysis of the collective creative activity of the group, one's own creative activity).

Indicators: effectiveness of knowledge (nature and completeness of knowledge), that is, the presence of knowledge of basic creative techniques and their innovative application in practice; features of the manifestation of creative thinking (adequacy, flexibility, originality, speed) in the field of informatization of education, which make the existence of creative activity possible; associative thinking (verbal creativity); divergent thinking (non-verbal creativity).

The formation of these criteria determines the readiness of future specialists to identify creative competence through the use of modern information technologies and the manifestation of readiness to apply creative competence in their future professional activities.

We have identified three levels of assessment of the formation of students' creative competence for each criterion: high, medium, and low.

We began the diagnosis of the level of formation of creative competence of university students using the motivational criterion.

Motivation for success by general indicator of attitude towards future profession

In the aggregate of all indicators of the motivational criterion, a high level was demonstrated by 19% of respondents in the CG and 19% of respondents in the EG. Thus, the low and approximately equal initial level of formation of creative competence in the field of informatization of education, according to the motivational criterion of university students, was confirmed using objective diagnostics.

Identification of the level of development of reflectivity and creative potential in future specialists was provided by the diagnostics of the personality criterion.

A high level of personal creativity is inherent in a student who has developed creative potential, is persistent, proactive, active, can use innovations, independence, willingness to take risks, emotionality, a sense of humor and optimism, which contribute to providing the creative process with positive emotions, etc.

Levels of reflexivity, adequacy of self-assessment of a student's creative potential

Diagnostics of the cognitive criterion at the ascertaining level involved determining the features of the manifestation of creative thinking, the manifestation of knowledge in the informatization of education, and identifying in students the initial level of effectiveness of knowledge necessary for the formation of creative competence, and showed the following results:

Thus, the vast majority of the EG and CG respondents, according to this criterion, showed a generally insufficient level of readiness to reveal creative competence.

Quite low results were found for almost all indicators, which indicates the need to develop and implement pedagogical conditions to increase the level of formation of all indicators of the identified criteria of readiness to reveal creative competence of students as a whole.

The data from the ascertaining experiment allowed us to determine the guidelines with the students of the EG during the formative stage of the experiment.

At the formative stage of the experiment, pedagogical conditions for preparing students for the formation of creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies were developed and implemented in the EG:

Analysis of the effectiveness of the results of experimental work at the formative stage of the study.

At the formative stage (2023−2024), the developed pedagogical conditions for training university students to form creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies were implemented; monitoring of the implementation of pedagogical conditions, quantitative and qualitative analysis of results using mathematical statistics methods, formulation of research conclusions were carried out.

The changes that occurred after the implementation of the developed pedagogical conditions are shown by the analysis of the dynamics of the formation of the creative attitude of university students to the profession by the motivational criterion:

The positive changes that occurred in the motivational criterion during the experimental study were the result of the introduction of the first pedagogical condition into the educational process.

Fig. 1. Results of the formative stage of the experiment (by Motivation criterion).

Further diagnostics of the state of formation of creative competence in students by using modern information technologies took place according to the personal criterion.

During the experimental study, it was found that in the personal criterion, positive changes are caused by the introduction of two pedagogical conditions for the formation of creative competence into the educational process.

Fig. 2. Results of the formative stage of the experiment (by Personal criterion).

In the course of the study, we will analyze the changes that occurred during the formation of the cognitive criterion indicators.

1) The high level of divergent thinking development in students increased by 10%, and the number of respondents with a low level decreased by 18%;

2) The high level of associative thinking development in students increased by 7%, and the number of respondents with a low level decreased by 19%;

3) The high level of the behavioral creativity indicator increased by 9%, and the number of respondents with a low level decreased by 21%.

In the control group, the dynamics of changes in the cognitive criterion indicators did not become significant (Fig. 4):

According to the indicators of the cognitive criterion, we observe the general dynamics of changes (Fig. 5):

Thus, according to all the specified criteria and indicators, a positive dynamic of creative competence was formed through the use of modern information technologies in EG students, which confirms the significant influence of certain pedagogical conditions on the preparation of students for the manifestation of creative competence in professional activity.

The results of mathematical statistics confirmed the study of the effectiveness of the implementation of the developed pedagogical conditions for training students of socio-economic specialties to identify creative competence in professional activity.

The null hypothesis was formulated: the distribution under consideration corresponds to the normal law. Alternative hypothesis: the distribution under consideration does not correspond to the normal law. All hypotheses are tested with a confidence probability of 0.95, that is, with a risk of 5%.

After the implementation of the pedagogical conditions developed by us for training students to form creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies, the arithmetic mean increased in all indicators of the identified components of creative competence in the EG, and the CG the changes were insignificant (unlike the control group, the percentage of respondents with high levels of indicators increased in the experimental group). This indicates the effectiveness of the pedagogical conditions that have been experimentally tested.

Statistical analysis methods were used to distinguish random fluctuations from significant changes.

Using the Student's t-test statistics, the change in the difference between the two mean values was analyzed. The hypothesis about the normal distribution is accepted for all four criteria of indicators, and we can use the Student's t-test.

H0 – the null hypothesis is that: the difference in the mean indicators of the experimental (control) group – two sets of objects is insignificant for k = N1 + +N2 – 2 degrees of freedom before and after the application of the methods, i.e. the high level of formation of creative competence in EG respondents is explained by random factors.

H1 – alternative hypothesis is that: the difference between the average indicators of the experimental (control) group – two sets of objects is significant for k = N1 + N2 – 2 degrees of freedom before and after the application of the methods, that is, it is the introduction of pedagogical conditions that proves the high level of formation of creative competence in students in EG.

H0 – the null hypothesis is accepted, that is, for all criteria of indicators, the mathematical expectations of EG and CG do not have a statistical difference. That is, the indicators of students of both groups, EG and CG, before the experiment are statistically the same.

We find – all indicators are greater than the critical value. We conclude that the difference between the average values of the levels of formation of creative competence in university students through the use of modern information technologies in the experimental group is statistically significant. And the difference between the contingent of the experimental group before and after the implementation of the methods, that is, between the two populations, is significant and not accidental.

This fact is the basis for accepting the alternative hypothesis for the experimental group and rejecting the null hypothesis.

Comparison after the experiment of the indicators of CG and EG students suggests that they differ significantly. We argue that experimental training is successful, and these positive changes occurred thanks to it, given that after the experiment, EG students have higher average indicators.

Let us describe the consideration of the change in the distribution frequencies after the experiment. The statistical hypothesis that we are testing is “EG and CG have the same probability distribution” and the alternative: “EG and CG have different probability distributions”.

We used the Pearson consistency criterion (dichotomous criterion), comparing the relative frequency of the control group, which has a “high level”, only the relative frequency of the experimental group, which has a “high level”.

We determine the relative frequency of participants who have a high level in all indicators. We calculate the empirical value of Fisher’s criteria. As a result, we obtain 0.722. We compare the empirical value of 0.722 with the critical value of the statistic 1.64. Thus, we accept the null hypothesis − H0. There is no difference before the experiment between the two statistical distributions of the two groups (EG and CG) of the relative frequencies of the number of students with “high level” indicators. This means that before the experiment, both groups (EG and CG) did not differ statistically in the considered indicators. Similarly, we continue the calculations for respondents with average and low-level indicators.

As a result, we obtain the measurable value of Fisher's criterion for low and high levels of the experimental group more than the critical tabular value, 247, that is, the creative competence of students after the experiment in EG is statistically significant and has changed positively (the share of low level has decreased statistically significantly, and the share of high level has increased statistically significantly). For low and high levels of the control group, we obtain a less critical tabular value of Fisher's criterion. Thus, the creative competence of respondents in the control group has not changed significantly.

Therefore, we can conclude that the results obtained are statistically significant.

In order to compare the differences between the groups before and after the introduction of a special course in the EG, which was aimed at developing creative competence in university students for the practical mastering of creative practices using information technologies, the following statistical analysis was used: Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test.

The Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test are statistical tests that we used to compare the groups – EG and CG. Student's t-test was used to compare the mean values between the groups, and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the difference (dispersion) between the groups.

Comparing the mean values of two samples is one of the tasks in our study of the verified phenomenon of EG and CG. We solved this problem using Student's t-test (t-test). In particular, the null hypothesis is tested, which is that in the EG and CG both samples from the same general population were formed, that is, the differences are not caused by the action of the studied factor and are random between the mean values of the compared samples. The Student test belongs to the group of parametric analysis methods, therefore its correct application required the fulfillment of the following three conditions:

Let us show the procedure for checking the significance of the coefficient by Student's t-statistics:

The calculated value of the t-statistic in absolute value is greater than the table value, therefore the correlation coefficient calculated for the selected significance level is significant for us.

We used Fisher's test in the study, because the test statistic of this criterion when performed is reduced to the ratio (sums of squares divided by "degrees of freedom") of the sample variances. The denominator and numerator were independent random variables, and the corresponding sums of squares had a Chi-square distribution. The statistic had a Fisher distribution, because our data had a normal distribution. In addition, the variance of the random variables whose squares are summed is the same. At a given significance level, a test was performed by comparing the value of the statistic with the critical value of the corresponding Fisher distribution.

Using the p-value − p(F), a convenient way to test hypotheses, the probability that, with a given Fisher distribution, a random variable will exceed a given value of the statistic. We assumed that if p(F) (for a two-sided test − 2p(F) is less than the significance level α, then the null hypothesis is rejected, and otherwise this hypothesis is accepted. When testing hypotheses, two cases of sample variances are possible: the variances are unequal or equal. In this regard, we had the task of testing the hypothesis of the significance of two variances – their differences. In general populations, to test the hypothesis of the equality of two variances, we used Fisher's exact test, which is based on two sample adjusted variances, their ratio, which in general populations replace the values of the variances. Using special tables, we found the critical values of Fisher's exact test for the corresponding number of degrees of freedom and a given significance level.

Comparing the results of various literary sources, the scientific novelty of our article is that we have for the first time identified and theoretically substantiated organizational and pedagogical conditions that positively affect the formation of creative competence in professional activities using information technologies (motivation and stimulation of the value attitude of future digital technology specialists to the formation of creative competence; taking into account the educational aspects of using network services based on information technologies.

The practical significance of the study lies in the practical implementation of organizational and pedagogical conditions of creative competence in professional activities using information technologies and the implementation of a special course aimed at the development of creative competence in university students for the practical mastery of creative practices using information technologies that form individual technologies and socially oriented technologies in the development of a student's creative competence.

The content of the concept and the main indicators of creative competence are revealed; the qualities that are highlighted in the structure of the creative competence of the individual are highlighted; the creative abilities of the individual are analyzed, the properties inherent in the creative personality are determined and the criteria are identified to assess the individual's ability to creative thinking, informatization of knowledge, and innovative personality traits.

In order to verify the pedagogical conditions developed by us and substantiated for preparing students for the formation of creative competence in professional activity through the use of modern information technologies, we organized a pedagogical experiment that included the stages traditional for pedagogical research: ascertaining and formative. The experiment took place in the natural conditions of the university educational process.

The following components were identified in the structure of students' creative competence: motivational, cognitive, activity, and reflective.

We determined the criteria and indicators of the formation of students' creative competence through the use of modern information technologies and readiness to reveal creative competence in their future professional activities, during the study.

We determined three levels of assessment of the formation of students' creative competence for each criterion: high, medium, and low.

The results of mathematical statistics confirmed the study of the effectiveness of the implementation of the developed pedagogical conditions for the preparation of students of socionomic specialties for the identification of creative competence in professional activity.

Limitations of the study. The implementation of the pedagogical experiment was carried out in three stages during 2024-2025: preparatory, main and final.

Research relies heavily on the accuracy and reliability of data. The following digital data collection tools were useful in the study: MS Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) programs.

The total sample size in the article is 120 respondents. The sample of respondents was formed by random selection using the technical procedure for calculating the selection step.

During the experimental study, diagnostic data on the levels of social competence of higher education applicants were determined through informational influence and were divided into a control group (60 students) and an experimental group (60 students).

The research was implemented through the use of methods and various forms: multimedia technologies (projector, multimedia board, video and audio equipment), software that combines animation, graphic, text, video and sound data and information, their simultaneous use in the information space; mobile devices, personal computers, web-based resources that are freely available and free of charge (YouTube, author's website, specialized sites, social networks, social network technologies), etc. The limitations of this study allowed to have the following impact on the results: improved quality characteristics of the material, optimally specified goals and objectives, increased effectiveness of the results.

Future research directions. The issue of organizing the international activities of a modern university requires further study, primarily specifying priority areas and current tasks of innovative activities in the context of the internationalization of higher education.

Future research directions can be used to study the effectiveness of combined teaching methods that combine traditional and innovative approaches, as well as the impact of individual learning trajectories on student success. It is worth investigating the use of artificial intelligence in the development of creative competence in students, analyzing the long-term consequences of the use of virtual simulations, and developing approaches to improving social and communicative skills in combination with innovative teaching tools.

Dermendjieva, S. H., & Tsankov, N. (2023). Designing a Multimodal Environment for Cognitive and Creative Activity in Pre-School Education – Competence of the Teacher. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education (IJCRSEE), 11(2), 351-358. https://doi.org/10.23947/2334-8496-2023-11-2-351-358

Fedulova, L. I., & Shovkun, I. A. (2009). Approaches to the formation of an effective innovation strategy of Ukraine. Science and Innovation, 5(3), 5-15. http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/15008

Harashchuk, O. V., & Kutsenko, V. I. (2022). The role of education in the formation of innovative and creative competence of personnel in the conditions of the knowledge economy. Regional Studies, 30, 195–200. https://doi.org/10.32782/2663-6170/2022.30.33

Ho, S. H., & Shih, Y. T. (2023). Enhance cultural competence and creative abilities through innovative education of traditional techniques. In I. Ordonez, P. Sustersic, L. Buck, H. Grierson, & E. Bohemia (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE 2023) (Vol. 123, pp. 151–156). https://doi.org/10.35199/EPDE.2023.26

Illyakhova, M. V. (2018). Creative competence of scientific and pedagogical staff: theoretical and methodological analysis. Pedagogy of the Formation of a Creative Personality in Higher and General Education Schools: Collection of Scientific Works, 61(1), 70–75. http://www.pedagogy-journal.kpu.zp.ua/archive/2018/61/part_1/17.pdf

Kalinina, L. A. (2017). Formation of the creative competence of the students of the higher educational institutions of culture. Young Scientist, 9(49), 363–367. http://molodyvcheny.in.ua/files/journal/2017/9/81.pdf

Klochko, O., Nagayev, V., Kovalenko, O., & Fedorets, V. (2020). Forming of professionally creative competence of prospective agrarian managers by facilities of digital technologies. In V. Lubkina & L. Danilane (Eds.), Society. Integration. Education (Vol. IV, pp. 460–474). https://doi.org/10.17770/sie2020vol4.4847

Knysh, I., Drobin, A., Filimonova, T., Koycheva, T., Kushnir, A., & Kuchai, O. (2024). The use of information technologies in the educational space of Ukraine (on the example of STEAM technologies). Revista Conrado, 20(100), 437–448. https://conrado.ucf.edu.cu/index.php/conrado/article/view/3979

Lu, J.-B., Liu, Z.-J., & Tsvetkova, M. (2022). Creativity as a key competence in advertising industry: Knowledge management and creative potential stimulation. Journal of Information Science, 51(2), 419-430. https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515221141038

Norqulov, B. (2024). Formation of creative competence in students based on innovative technologies. Central Asian journal of education and innovation, 3(5), 207-212. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11409813

Puhach, S., Avramenko, K., Michalchenko, N., Chychuk, A., Kuchai, O., & Demchenko, I. (2021). Formation of Specialists’ Legal Competence in the System of Life Long Education. Romanian Magazine for Multidimensional Education, 13(4), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/13.4/472

Savchenko, R. A., Savchenko, Yu. O., & Sokhan, M. O. (2024). Formation of creative competence of future teachers of music disciplines: psychological and pedagogical aspect. Successes and Achievements in Science, 3(3), 2, 280–292. https://elibrary.kubg.edu.ua/id/eprint/51505/

Shetelya, N., Oseredchuk, O., Cherkasov, V., Kravchuk, O., Yarova, L., & Kuchai, O. (2023). Competency approach in preparing professionals in an innovative educational environment in higher education. Revista Conrado, 19(S3), 298-307. https://conrado.ucf.edu.cu/index.php/conrado/article/view/3512

Shyshkin, G. O. (2016). Scientific intuition in intellectual development of future teacher of physics. Collection of Scientific Works of Kherson State University. Pedagogical Sciences, 71(2), 163–167. http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/znppn_2016_71(2)__32

Sokół, A., Figurskab, I., & Blašková, M. (2015) Using the Internet to Enhance Teaching Process at Universities for the Development of Creativity Competencies. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186, 1282-1288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.036

Tkachenko, L. I. (2014). Creativity and work: Modern content. Education and Development of Gifted Individuals, 9-10(28-29), 32-35. http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/Otros_2014_9-10_7

Todorova, N. (2024). Development of the cultural competence and creative skills of the students from the high school stage through interest activities: Club "PISHA.BG". Bulgarski Ezik i Literatura – Bulgarian Language and Literature, 66(6), 747-755. https://doi.org/10.53656/bel2024-6-10T

Vanutelli, M. E., Cortinovis, V., & Lucchiari, C. (2022). The relationship between creative, cognitive, and emotional competences in intellectual disability: A case report. Life Span and Disability, 25(1), 121–149. https://acortar.link/31mWwq

Ziaziun, I. A. (2011). Educational paradigms and pedagogical technologies in the dimensions of educational philosophy. Scientific Bulletin of Mykolaiv State University named after V. O. Sukhomlynsky. Series: Pedagogical Sciences, 1(33), 22–27. https://acortar.link/UQwMQh

Este artículo no presenta ningún conflicto de intereses. Este artículo está bajo la licencia Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0). Se permite la reproducción, distribución y comunicación pública de la obra, así como la creación de obras derivadas, siempre que se cite la fuente original.