As programs aimed at fostering creativity in educational settings become more widespread, assessing their impact becomes increasingly important. This article responds to calls for evidence‐based policy in this field by assessing the impact on creativity of a government‐funded arts‐based educational program in Malta (European Union). A quasi‐experimental design was adopted and data was collected pre‐ and post‐intervention from a test group and a control group of students across nine secondary schools (n = 400 pre‐intervention and n = 259 post‐intervention). Students undertook a total of four Divergent Thinking tests, which culminated in indices comprising ideational fluency, flexibility, originality, novelty, relevance, and elaboration. Ordinary Least Squares models of creativity were estimated revealing a strong positive association between creativity scores and participation in the program. Difference‐in‐Differences analyzes with matched pre‐ and post‐intervention responses (n = 380), further confirmed that participation in the program positively impacts creativity scores, particularly among students who did not self‐select into the project and who had low prior exposure to creative experiences. We also observe an overall decline in creativity between the start and end of the scholastic year. These results suggest that arts‐based programs can be effective in enhancing (at worst, preserving) students’ creativity.

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.

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Learning takes place constantly, including in workplace settings. Exploring which factors may facilitate or hinder the transfer of learning in the workplace may have implications on organisational performance. Following a review of the extant literature exploring factors that impact situated learning, and bi the Situated Learning Transfer Model emerged as a potential tool that may make learning processes more explicit. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 40 respondents from two ICT companies was used to collect data that would operationalise the Situated Learning Transfer Model.  Deductive analysis using four overarching themes categories: (i) respondents’ perception of workplace learning, (ii) factors affecting transfer of situated learning at an organisational level will be noted, (iii) individual level in relation to how factors affecting the transfer of situated learning, and (iv) transfer climate was conducted. The findings support the Situated Learning Transfer model and indicate that the workplace is a rich, contextual environment where learning can take place.  Factors that affect situated learning may be observed at the organisational and individual level with the support of an adequate transfer climate.  The workplace provides a social context where individuals interact and learn from each other.  This study focuses on this type of learning that takes place in situ. This paper is a first attempt to operationalise the Situated Learning Transfer Model which gives prominence to learning taking place at the organizational level and at the individual level within the work environment. There is considerable scope for situated learning to be placed at a strategic level to gain leverage and enhance organizational performance.

The relationship between artwork and mental health has been the subject of various research endeavours. Whilst artwork has been long used as a means of emotional expression, it is also a method of raising mental health awareness. In this study, an art collection was presented to depict the challenges faced by many individuals living with a mental illness. Through a series of open-ended questions, twenty-nine participants were requested to give a title to each piece and to describe the perceived message and emotions related to each painting. The thematic analysis process of the participants’ descriptions led to the identification of three themes, namely those of Darkness, Solitude and Recovery. Whilst congruence was often observed between the participants themselves and between the viewers and the artist, discrepancies were also noted. Artwork can be an important medium in addressing stigma and in guiding reflections on mental health topics.