Teachers' Attitudes About Creativity*

Teachers' and Pupils' Perceptions of Creativity across Different Key Stages

“…Teachers reported that they feel it is possible to improve a pupil's creativity and that creative skills can be developed in the classroom (not just an inherited trait). These findings are in agreement with those of Treffinger et al (1968) which demonstrate that despite seeming dated, the attitudes are similar today despite more research on the topic. This could be expected; however, it could imply little progress within the use of creativity in teaching.…”

“…These comprised three sections: the first section requested a definition of creativity and a description of how the participants used it in their teaching. The second section contained eight questions from Treffinger et al's (1968) survey concerning teachers' attitudes towards creative pupils. This was selected to observe any changes in the last forty years of teachers' attitudes towards creativity in the classroom.…”

“…Describing and defining creativity Treffinger et al (1968) reported that many teachers did not understand what is meant by creativity in their teaching. Although this was over forty years ago, this may still be an issue as Fryer and Collings (1991) reported that research into teachers' views of creativity has been somewhat neglected and Simmons and Thompson (2008) have more recently commented on tensions surrounding creativity in education, one being the difficulty of defining it.…”

Primary physical education perspective on creativity: the nature of creativity and creativity fostering classroom environment

“…In Diakidoy and Kanari's (1999) study, the majority of the participants (77.5%) agreed that educators encounter creative children often or very often revealing their beliefs about the frequent occurrence and recognition of everyday creativity. Similar findings were reported for American primary and secondary teachers and administrators since 76% of them believed that they were able to identify the most creative children in their classes (Treffinger, Ripple, & Dacey, 1968).…”

Novel and Engaging Versus Boring and Stagnating: How Do Pupils and Teachers Alike Perceive the State of Creativity in Secondary Schools?

“…Lack of training in creative teaching may also affect some teachers' confidence. In particular, this could be an issue with many experienced teachers; it could be a daunting task if they are expected to do something unfamiliar to them, and having heard the theory, they may lack confidence in putting the ideas into practice (Treffinger et al, 1968).…”