Research on the sociocultural context of creative development is reviewed; and external influences on creative development are seen to include Availability of role models, political fragmentation, civil disturbances, and political instability. (CL)

The author discusses developments in the education of gifted, talented, and creative (GTC) students over the past 20 years; cites the current pressures on youth; and suggests ways in which individuals and groups can serve GTC pupils. (C L)

Television may be inhibiting our ability to create new ideas, according to Eric Somers, assistant professor of journalism at Drake University. Discusses television's role as facilitator of information and how it should improve to increase organization and the creative process. (Editor/RK)

The "Torrance Ideal Child Checklist" was administered to 260 mothers and fathers, and the results were correlated with the judgments of 10 experts on creative personality. The study concluded that parents did not perceive the personality characteristics of creative children favorably or in the same way as the experts did. (JDD)

The president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Ernest L. Boyer, discusses the importance of developing creativity in the classroom. (MD)

Camp Mind's Eye is a one-week residential summer program for intellectually and creatively gifted children provided by Camp Tyler (Texas), one of the oldest outdoor education facilities. The camp program stresses right brain thinking, a flexible curriculum, and autonomous instructors. (DB)

There's some uncertainty about what constitutes plagiarism, especially when it involves something more subtle than stolen words. It is difficult to distinguish legitimate use of others' material--borrowing in a general fashion or drawing inspiration--from outright theft. Guidelines on identifying plagiarism are presented. (MLW)

This article points out the role of using literary models in relation to older children's writing; investigates how children's use of models can help us explain certain features in their writing; and suggests that teachers can incorporate in their teaching the natural process of using models that children follow when they write. (Author)

A mother and her 15-year-old daughter respond to observations of Donald W. Mackinnon regarding creative families ("In Search of Human Effectiveness: Identifying and Developing Creativity," 1978). Aspects addressed include parent expectations, psychological distance between parent and child, and parent' avoidance of pressuring the child to perform.…

Cases of four creative young persons who attempted suicide are summarized, the high incidence of suicide among 15- to 24-year-olds is noted, and possible reasons are suggested. The role of the gifted movement in helping develop career strategies and strategies for creative growth is considered. (CL)

The author suggests that students can achieve an expansion of successful creative problem-solving through the use of psychosynthesis and allied techniques in transpersonal psychology. This paper discusses the philosophical rational of teaching creativity and examples of a practicum for use in the classroom or work place. (Author/CL)

The essential nature of drama is a liberating act of imagination, of self-transcendence. A session is described in which the class maintained the delicate balance of dual consciousness and focused its attention and empathy on an illusory but possible world, creating and being responsible for the meaning of its construction. (MT)

Considers the results of an analysis of "creative" alternative names for the New York Exposition and Conference Center, which were collected in a newspaper contest. When comparing these results with those of a prior analysis of "practical" computer file names, it appears that the principles governing naming are analogous in…

Chemical engineering students were required to create an open-book final examination and to include questions reflecting analytical, synthetic (creative), and evaluative skills. Rationale for the assignment, sample student responses, and how the technique might be profitably adapted to any course on any subject are discussed. (JN)

Concludes that (1) the message structure of highly creative television commercials tends to differ from that of television commercials from the general population of television advertising and (2) there is a difference in the message structure of highly creative commercials across cultures. (FL)