The Myths of Heaven-Sent Creativity: Toward a Perhaps Less Democratic But More Down-to-Earth Understanding

The role of creativity in graduate education according to students and professors

Abstract The aim of this research was to examine the role of creativity in the context of graduate studies from the perspective of students and professors. Semi-structured interviews were held with six students and six postgraduate professors from both a private and a public university. The topics covered included relevance, conception, and characteristics of creativity, as well as educational practices that foster and inhibit creativity. Grounded Theory was used to analyze the data. Both students and professors considered creativity as fundamental for the development of graduate education, but both have indicated personal and institutional barriers for the promotion of creative thinking. Partnerships, teamwork, different teaching strategies and interdisciplinarity were pointed out as factors that enhance creativity. On the other hand, the participants mentioned the evaluation of postgraduate programs, repetitive classes and bureaucracy as barriers to creativity. Future studies, involving classroom observation, case studies, and psychometric measurements, are suggested.