Creative Learning: A Fresh Look

Young Creators: Perceptions of Creativity by Primary School Students in Malta

Policymakers and employers insist that educational institutions prepare workforce-ready candidates fluent in the application of 21st Century Skills such as creativity. So far, only a few studies have explored the self-perceived creativity of students. This paper addresses this gap in literature by providing an understanding of how young students in upper primary feel about themselves as creative beings. Data for the present study was collected through an anonymous online survey that 561 students, aged 9–11 years and residing in Malta (EU), completed. In-depth responses were collected from a subset of the original sample made up of 101 students through an anonymous online form containing a set of questions. Data was analysed using regression analysis for the quantitative component and through thematic analysis for the qualitative part. Results indicate that, overall, students in Year 6 felt less creative than students in Year 5. Furthermore, findings show that the type of school attended impacted the students’ perception of creativity. From a qualitative perspective, findings led to insights into (i) the interpretation of the term creativity and (ii) the impact of the school environment and how timetabling impacted students’ creativity. The findings suggest that the student’s perceived creative personal identity and the concrete manifestations that they engage in are influenced by environmental factors.

An Assessment of Junior High School Students’ Knowledge, Creativity, and Hands-On Performance Using PBL via Cognitive–Affective Interaction Model to Achieve STEAM

This study aimed to discover the implications of using different teaching approaches for a hands-on STEAM activity for junior high school students’ STEAM knowledge, creativity, and hands-on performance. The teaching contents used in the study were designed based on the project-based learning (PBL) strategy and the cognitive–affective interaction model (CAIM). The students’ learning outcomes were tested through a hands-on activity with the theme of electric boat creation. PBL with the CAIM was the strategy used to implement the hands-on STEAM activity and to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). In this study, a quasi-experimental design was used for 10 weeks, and the 366 students who participated in the experiment were divided into experimental groups (EGs, 199 students using PBL with the CAIM) and control groups (CGs, 167 students using PBL only). Through the analysis of covariance, the results showed that students in the EGs achieved higher academic performance in terms of STEAM knowledge, creativity, and hands-on performance. The study also found that the hands-on STEAM activity had a positive effect on creativity for students in the EGs, allowing them to develop different modes of thinking in the processes of designing and producing the finished product, which in turn enhanced the innovativeness of their products and solutions. In addition, using PBL with the CAIM in the hands-on STEAM activity brought about positive learning outcomes and creative abilities for the students, achieving the SDG 4 objectives. Moreover, the outcomes of this study are in line with the current international trend in the development of education, providing reference examples for the future development of STEAM activities and teaching materials at the junior high school level.

School Does Not Kill Creativity

Abstract. Based on meta-analyses, intervention studies, and investigations outside of the creativity literature, this paper makes seven evidence-informed propositions about the relationships between creativity and school functioning. First, creative abilities are drivers, not brakes of school achievement. Second, the negative attitudes toward creative students sometimes observed in schools usually concern a small and particular group of creative students: those who are most impulsive and nonconforming. Third, creativity-relevant mental processes support learning. Fourth, creative learning occurs when students can co-discover new, meaningful knowledge. Fifth, school education supports – albeit likely to a different degree – both intelligence and creativity. Sixth, both creative and learning processes are most effective when accompanied by agency and value: feeling confident and valuing creativity and learning are instrumental for generating and directing motivation. Seventh, in both creativity and learning processes, self-regulation is vital.

The Road to Uncreative Science Is Paved With Good Intentions: Ideas, Implementations, and Uneasy Balances

How does the current replication crisis, along with other recent psychological trends, affect scientific creativity? To answer this question, we consider current debates regarding replication through the lenses of creativity research and theory. Both scientific work and creativity require striking a balance between ideation and implementation and between freedom and constraints. However, current debates about replication and some of the emerging guidelines stemming from them threaten this balance and run the risk of stifling innovation. Although we recognize the importance of doing rigorous science, we argue that any "one size fits all" research guidelines being proposed or enforced will do more harm than good for scientific creativity.