The effects of the trefoil pedagogical approach on encouraging creative behaviour in students

Abstract

In this paper presents a portion of the results obtained in a more extensive study dealing with monitoring of the work methods and the effects of an experimental implementation of the Trefoil pedagogical approach, developed based on pedagogical theories by the researchers from Belgrade. The Trefoil is based on using group work, creative play, open-ended tasks, critical dialogue, research work and students' involvement in projects for which teachers were trained through implementation and reflexive practice. The aim of this longitudinal study is to determine the effects of the Trefoil on encouraging initiative, cooperation and creativity in students. Research participants were all teachers and students of an urban primary school during one school year. Data on students' creative work were collected and compared before and after the experiment, obtained by expert observation of classes and a teacher and student questionnaire. Data were processed using one-way analysis of variance for repeated measures and two-way mixed analysis of variance. The results pointed to positive effects of the Trefoil approach, which, according to qualitative data, could probably have been bigger if the experiment had lasted longer. Different assessors noticed progress in encouraging students' creativity, but in different domains. The results have confirmed the justifiability of using the Trefoil approach, provided that its validity is tested by implementation in other educational contexts for the purposes of further research and enhancement of the initial conception.