The purpose of this study was to examine prospective middle and secondary teachers' preferences for unique versus relevant student responses during classroom discussions. Results indicate that, on average, prospective teachers (N = 70) preferred relevance to uniqueness in student responses. In addition, results of regression analysis indicate that…

This study investigated 137 Venezuelan college freshmen's performance on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking as a function of field dependence or independence as well as "field mobility." Findings indicated that the most mobile students performed best on creativity tests whereas "fixed" students performed better on tests of…

Principles of creativity and andragogy (the art and science of helping adults learn) are compared and found to be complementary especially in such areas as self-direction, active learning, and preference for the problem centered approach. Adult educators should utilize creativity research and creativity researchers should incorporate the…

The correlation between risk taking behavior and test results on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was examined in a group of 47 fourth and fifth grade students identified for a gifted and talented program. The risk-taking check list (DEEP) was developed by the Downington, Pennsylvania Area School District, and includes four…

Determined whether small groups would stimulate creativity more than individualized learning environments for fifth- and sixth-grade students (N=111). Results indicated that small groups were more creative with electrical circuits and that this grouping format should be used in elementary classes. (Author/DH)

Torrance's longitudinal study predicting adult creative achievement was reexamined employing a multiple regression analysis. Application to 211 cases found that 4 predictors explained 49% of the total variance in adult creative achievement. They were creativity test score, childhood future career image, intelligence test score, and the existence…

Three studies with overlapping participant populations evaluated Amabile's componential model of creativity, which postulates three major creativity components: (1) skills specific to the task domain, (2) general (cross-domain) creativity-relevant skills, and (3) task motivation. Findings of the three studies support Amabile's model. (DB)

This paper reports a study on children's classroom-based collaborative creative writing. Based on socio-cultural theory, the central aim of the research was to contribute to current understanding of young children's creativity, and describe ways in which peer collaboration can resource, stimulate and enhance classroom-based creative writing. The…

Two studies are reported that measure the long-term stability of performance assessments involving story-writing and poetry-writing (involving grade four and five students) and story-telling (involving grade two students). The long-term stability of these assessments compares favorably with stability figures for other creativity tests. (Author/JDD)

The individual stylistic variations of creative potential and conceptual tempo were investigated in 61 preschool children. The Kansas Reflection Impulsivity Scale for Preschoolers (KRISP) was used to measure the reflective/impulsive (that is, creative tempo) dimension, and the Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure (MSFM) was administered to…

This study, with 46 college students, found that participation in exercise, music, and exercise with music increased fluency aspects of creativity but not originality or elaboration. (DB)

Three studies are reported that address the often-described impoverished creativity in children with either autism or Asperger syndrome. Findings indicated both groups were more likely to generate reality-based than imaginative ideas. Results support both the executive dysfunction and the imagination-deficit hypotheses for the observed deficiency.…

This study investigated the relationship between creativity and conformity (social conformity and impersonal conformity) with 45 preschool children. Findings support the hypothesis that highly conforming and highly nonconforming children do not score as highly on creativity measurements as children in the freedom of expression group (i.e., not…

The history of divergent-thinking tests suggests that new approaches to creativity testing are needed. Research has focused on the relation of creativity to insight, divergent problem solving, problem finding, and intelligence. A proposed situational model of creativity defines creativity as a meaningful response to open-problem, open-solution…

Many criticize the educational system, arguing that it suppresses individual creativity. This paper proposes an alternative instructional design which is intended to be used by educators in planning for creative learning and assessing it in the classroom. It is based on the notion that everyone has the potential to be creative and that any process…