This series of studies focused on Bulgarian school effects on children's creative development. The studies were based on the premise that one of the most powerful ways in which a culture encourages or discourages creativity is the way in which teachers and the school reward or punish certain personality characteristics as they develop in children and manifest themselves in children's behavior. Study 1 investigated the personality traits of gifted secondary students with outstanding achievements in academic fields, high levels of performance in creative activities, and acknowledged success in arts. Findings indicated that gifted students have self-perceptions, values, and motivations that differ from other students and that may cause problems in their search for peer acceptance. Study 2 examined how Bulgarian teachers perceive and describe the "ideal" pupil. Findings indicated that teachers tended to devalue independence in judgments and being emotional, two traits often associated with high creative potential. Study 3 examined teachers' free descriptions of children's behavior in order to determine the characteristics they find most relevant for work in school; findings showed that creativity-related traits ranked very low. Study 4 compared teachers' evaluations of students' creativity to students' scores on creativity measures; disparities were found. Findings of the studies were used to create an instrument for teachers' evaluation of children's creative behavior in primary school. Using this instrument, 100 pupils (50 boys and 50 girls) from second and third grade were evaluated by their teachers (n=4). Teachers' perception of creativity was centered around its intellectual aspects and problem-solving processes. Boys were significantly nominated more often than girls as being creative. Investigators found primary teachers reluctant to nominate whatever child as non-original. Both under- and over-estimation of creativity hinder teachers' evaluative behavior and attitudes. (Contains 11 references.) (EV)