Breakthrough Thinking Among Graduate Students

Abstract

The present study aims to explore breakthrough thinking among postgraduate students and examine differences based on gender (male-female) and specialization (scientific-humanities). To achieve the study's objectives, the researchers adopted the Breakthrough Thinking scale developed by Gerald Puccio (translated by Hanoun, 2018). This scale is based on Puccio’s insight theory, which defines breakthrough thinking as "deep thinking, clarification, and development around a problem to achieve an optimal solution" (Puccio, 2011). The final version of the scale consists of 36 items distributed across four dimensions. The study was conducted on a sample of 300 postgraduate students from various colleges at the University of Thi-Qar, including 143 males and 157 females, selected through a stratified random sampling method. The scale items were analyzed logically and statistically to determine their discriminative ability and validity coefficients. The researchers verified the scale’s face validity, construct validity indicators, and reliability using test-retest and Cronbach's alpha methods, utilizing the SPSS statistical package. The results indicate that postgraduate students possess a high level of breakthrough thinking. Additionally, there are statistically significant differences based on gender in favor of females and based on specialization in favor of humanities students. Based on these findings, several recommendations and suggestions were proposed, including integrating breakthrough thinking strategies into postgraduate curricula to enhance critical thinking and innovative problem-solving. Furthermore, academic advisory programs should be developed to support students in cultivating breakthrough thinking skills.