Four Decades of Creative Vision: Insights from
an Evaluation of the Future Problem Solving
Program International (FPSPI)
ABSTRACT
E. Paul Torrance, a pioneer in creative education, and his associates founded the
Future Problem Solving Program (now FPSPI, or Future Problem Solving Program
International) in the mid-1970s as a competitive, interscholastic program and as a
curriculum project integrating creative problem-solving and future studies. Since its
founding, the program has emerged to be international in scope, and has expanded
to incorporate multiple components to engage students’ creative strengths and talents
in varied ways. This report presents highlights of an international evaluation of
the program, the results of which support and sustain Torrance’s creative vision for
education.
The late E. Paul Torrance was a pioneer in the field of creativity; his legacy
includes an extensive number of books and published articles (many of which
appeared in the pages of this journal), the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, and
the founding of the Future Problem Solving Program. Hebert, Cramond, SpeirsNeumeister,
Millar, and Silvian (2002, p. 6) described the origins of Torrance’s
interest in research and development on creativity:
Torrance’s interest in creativity can be traced back to 1937 when, as a
counselor and high school teacher in rural Georgia, he was struggling with
some difficult students. Torrance concluded that many of the students were
sent to this boarding school by their families because of their off-beat ideas
that were untolerated by their former teachers. Torrance noted that many of
the most difficult students went on to become successful in politics, business,
the military, education, the arts, science, and other fields. Sensing their creative
potential, he perceived these students as more than problem children.
While conducting research on creativity at the University of Georgia, Torrance
began to grow concerned about the overall decline of creativity in American society,
as well as the lack of knowledge and concern for the future among young people,
209 The Journal of Creative Behavior, Vol. 46, Iss. 3, pp. 209–219 © by the Creative Education Foundation, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/jocb.14
and in 1974, while working with a group of high school students, he tried out an
idea that he thought might address both creativity and concern for the future.
Inspired by early work on the development of Creative Problem Solving (CPS), he
decided to teach the process to his group of high school students to determine if
they might learn to think more creatively by combining CPS with future problems
(Hebert et al., 2002, pp. 22–24).
Torrance, Bruch, and Torrance (1976, p. 119) described their early efforts as creating
“interscholastic creative problem-solving,” or “creative problem-solving bowls”
(see also: Millar, 1995, pp. 134–139). Torrance and Torrance (1978) described the
foundations for FPSPI this way: “In 1977–1978, the Future Problem-Solving Program,
initiated in 1974, emerged as a national program of interscholastic competition
and as a curriculum project in creative problem-solving and future studies” (p.
87). Torrance (1994) noted that FPS emerged from the fact that he and his wife,
Pansy, “sensed a need for creatively gifted youngsters to develop richer images of
the future and to expand their creativity” (p. 33).
From the beginning of the program, Torrance held that “students currently in
differentiated programs for the gifted like to think about the future, and believe that
there is much that they can do to change it, and to shape it. However, many are
doubtful of the influence their actions will have, and believe that examples from the
past are the best guides to the future” (1978, p. 75). Torrance’s views about the
importance of expanding concepts of giftedness to include creativity, and about the
important role of studies of the future in curriculum experiences for gifted and creative
students, were also influenced by his own international experiences. In 1982, for
example, Torrance described ten “lessons” about developing gifts and talents that he
learned during a period of extended observation and study in Japanese schools; they
are as follows:
1 National commitment to full potential (“full development of the creative
potential of each person and the importance of the creativity of each
individual”).
2 No ceiling on excellence.
3 Importance of the arts in the pre-school years.
4 Any child may be gifted and talented.
5 Materials for young children and their parents.
6 Training in group or team creativity.
7 Fantasy, persistence, and other creative characteristics.
8 Search for ideas from afar.
9 Self-directed learning.
10 The “long look”—images of the future.
Torrance (n.d., p. 3) described three elements as foundational to the FPS program:
“(a) training in a disciplined, systematic creative problem solving procedure,
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Four Decades of Creative Vision
(b) research on problems of the future, and (c) teamwork skills.” Torrance,
Williams, and Torrance (1977, p. 1) stated the rationale for the program as follows:
The most basic skill that can be taught in today’s schools is problem
solving…. Because of the rapid worldwide changes, today’s children will live as
adults in a world vastly different from today’s world. They will do work of
kinds that do not exist today…. An obvious implication of all this is that
successful future adaptations are going to call for a great deal of creative
problem solving and ingenuity.”
In describing the emerging FPS program, Torrance and Torrance (1978) noted
that “it became clear through the 1978 bowl that teams from small towns and rural
areas have as good a chance for success as teams from affluent urban and suburban
schools. The necessary ingredients are a few creative students, a good teacher, much
study of future problems, and practice in problem solving” (p. 88).
From its modest origins in 1974, the Future Problem Solving program (now
“Future Problem Solving Program International, Inc., or FPSPI) has grown into a
worldwide program, serving tens of thousands of students annually. The Program
now involves participants from 41 states in the United States, as well as from Japan,
Korea, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand internationally, five additional countries
or regions preparing for full participation through a mentoring process, and
several additional countries now preparing for participation (see Treffinger & Jackson,
2009, and Volk, 2007 for additional information).
THE PROGRAM TODAY
As FPSPI approaches its 40th Anniversary, it stands as a “living legacy” to the
vision and creative energy of E. Paul and J. Pansy Torrance. It remains committed
to its founders’ goal of providing engaging opportunities for young people to learn
and apply creative problem-solving methods and tools to significant present and
future topics and issues, from their local communities to a global context.
FPSPI PROGRAM GOALS
The program’s currently stated educational purposes are to “motivate and assist
participants to:”
1 develop and use creative thinking skills.
2 learn about complex issues, which will shape the future.
3 develop an active interest in the future.
4 develop and use written and verbal communication skills.
5 learn and utilize problem-solving strategies.
6 develop and use teamwork skills.
7 develop and use research skills.
8 develop and use critical and analytical thinking skills.
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Journal of Creative Behavior
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
FPSPI currently includes three major components (as described at: http://www.
fpspi.org/Components.html), which were addressed in this evaluation; a fourth,
non-competitive component, Action-based Problem Solving, was not included in the
scope of the present evaluation project.
Global Issues Problem Solving
Under the guidance of a teacher or coaches, teams of four students in Grades
4–12 use the FPS six-step model to explore challenges and propose action plans to
complex societal problems, such as fads, financial security, amateur sports, the Internet,
and genetic engineering. Teams are divided into three divisions: Grades 4–6
(Junior); Grades 7–9 (Middle); Grades 10–12 (Senior). Teams complete two practice
problems and one qualifying problem throughout the school year. Trained evaluators
score student work and return it with feedback including suggestions for
improvement. The top scoring teams on the qualifying problem are invited to Affiliate
FPS Bowls held each spring. The winners of each respective Affiliate FPS Bowl
advance to the FPSP International Conference in June. (An optional Individual GIPS
competition is offered in some affiliate programs, in which a student works independently
on each problem.)
Community Problem Solving
Students apply their problem-solving skills to real problems in their community.
A community problem is a problem that exists within the school, local community,
region, state, or nation. Implementation of the action plan is included in this component.
Students move from hypothetical issues to real world, authentic concerns.
The CmPS component is offered for teams, and some affiliates also offer an Individual
CmPS competition as well for students who elect to work independently. The
top team and individual Community Problem Solving projects are invited to the
FPSP International Conference in June.
Scenario Writing
Individual students compose futuristic short stories (1,500 words or less) related
to one of the current year’s topics. The first place winner in each affiliate program is
invited to the FPSP International Conference. In addition, each affiliate director may
submit its top three essays to the International Scenario Writing Competition.
EVALUATION GOALS AND DESIGN
In 2010–2011, the Center for Creative Learning conducted an international evaluation
of FPSPI. This report provides highlights of the results of that study; for a
more extensive technical pr