Creativity, pedagogical, and educational innovation: analysis of the perception of a group of Chilean teachers

Abstract

This study is circumscribed to the scope of education, didactics, and classroom methodology. The results of an investigation with a quantitative approach will be analyzed, whose aim was to identify the perception and experiences related to creativity, as well as to pedagogical and educational innovation - the two latter concepts not always clear and distinguishable in theory and empirical studies. The research was done in a group of teachers who were just beginning their training process in a Graduate Degree in Didactics, taught in the School of Education at the Los Angeles Campus of the Universidad de Concepción, in the region of Biobío, Chile. The investigation had a descriptive approach and the main method for data collection was an opinion questionnaire with open questions. The main findings show that teachers in general and in a high percentage appreciate creativity, understand the concept of pedagogical innovation, but have difficulties to identify the difference between the latter and educational innovation due to its conceptual breadth. Furthermore, the results show that while teachers believe that innovation is necessary and that they are willing to do it in their pedagogical teaching activity, favorable conditions to implement it in schools are not always generated.