Imagination is inherent in the process of human cognition, which is the ability of forming mental images and concepts through unlimited and imagery thinking. However, little research has been done in exploring the mechanism of imagining process and establishing the mental model of imagination as a basis for innovative teaching and learning. This study intends to bridge such a gap by establishing a theoretical model of imagination and developing an imagination measurement scale. In light of literature review and expert consultation, a tentative theoretical model of imagination was developed as the foundation for scale development. An imagination scale was composed and administered to a total of 667 college students from 7 general education courses at three universities. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to establish the relationships among variables. The results showed that the factors of imagination include susceptibility, boundary-crossing, connectivity and possibility, among which significant relationships exist. In this way, this study makes a special contribution by establishing a four-factor model of imagination and developing an imagination scale based on the model.
想像力是人類與生俱來的一種思維過程，過去教育領域中較少針對想像力做系統性研究。本研究為彌補上述不足，探討想像力的內涵與要素，並編製適合的想像力量表，進一步建構與驗證想像力的理論模型。本研究首先分析整理想像力研究相關的文獻，釐清想像力的內涵與可能面向；接著，以三所大學通識課程七班學生共667人為樣本，進行探索性與驗證性因素分析，並運用結構方程模式（structural equation model, SEM），建立想像力理論模型。研究發現，想像力包含易感性、超越性、連結性及可能性等四元素，且四元素間存在顯著相關性。本研究所建構的想像力四元模式與發展的量表具有重要理論與實務的意涵。
