Digital platform for network interaction in additional education: Measuring the effectiveness of children's inventive competencies development using learning analytics methods

The article presents the results of an empirical study on the effectiveness of a digital platform for network projects in additional education for developing children’s inventive competencies. The pedagogical experiment (n = 250, 2022–2024) compared traditional teaching methods with the use of the online course “Nobel Heirs” and a learning analytics system. Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (figural battery), subjectivity questionnaires, and platform activity log analysis were used. Statistical processing included Student’s t-test, analysis of variance, and effect size calculation (Cohen’s d coefficient). Results showed statistically significant differences between experimental (n = 128) and control (n = 122) groups: fluency (t = 4.82; p < 0.001; d = 0.79), flexibility (t = 3.94; p < 0.001; d = 0.68), originality (t = 5.21; p < 0.001; d = 0.84), subjectivity in co-creation (t = 4.15; p < 0.001; d = 0.72). Correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between platform activity and creativity growth (r = 0.64; p < 0.01). A metric for evaluating the effectiveness of the digital environment DICE (Digital Invention Creativity Effectiveness) was developed, considering product creation frequency, solution originality, project completion rate, and collaboration interactivity. The data demonstrate the feasibility of integrating educational data mining methods into children’s additional education practice.