Training Primary School Science Teachers to be Conscious of Scientific Creativity

Abstract

Purpose: This qualitative case study explores whether and to what extent a scientific creativity training improved primary school science teachers’ consciousness of scientific creativity, and how these changes in the teachers’ scientific creativity consciousness were transferred into their classroom practices following the intervention.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: A Scientific Creativity Training Program (SCTP) was developed by the researchers. Data were collected from seven primary school science teachers using semi-structured interviews, in-class observations, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using an inductive content analysis.
 Findings: The results indicated that the SCTP (Scientific Creativity Training Program) seemed to improve the teachers’ consciousness of scientific creativity. The results also indicated that all teachers integrated scientific creativity into their classroom practice as a result of the SCTP. The SCTP was found to enable teachers to reflect on the extent to which they employed creativity in their personal and professional lives and question the extent to which they taught creativity and/or used creative methods in the classroom. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that the SCTP improved the teachers’ creativity consciousness and enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge. This was in turn found to affect the teachers’ classroom practices, as it led them to believe that creativity is malleable and increased their motivation and self-efficacy to foster their students’ creative consciousness and creative attitudes. The teachers seemed to use more creative activities and materials in their science classrooms following the intervention, despite the presence of hindrances that negatively impacted their practices.
 Highlights: Our results indicated that creativity education can lead teachers to make significant changes to their classroom practice by gradually integrating scientific creativity. The present study also reveals that each teacher has a unique trajectory of change regarding creativity and creative teaching, which needs to be taken into consideration for more sustainable creativity education.