Experimental stimulating creativity at school and changes of beliefs of teachers on creativity

Abstract

In this paper we are presenting results of the research into changing teachers' implicit beliefs about creativity in the context of an experiment on stimulating creativity in the primary school. The aim of this study was to examine whether changes occurred in teachers' understanding of creativity and possibilities of its development in the primary school as a result of an experiment that lasted for one school year. The same questionnaire with open and closed questions about the concept, manifestations and development of creativity at school was addressed to teachers (N=32) before and after the experiment. Almost all the teachers responded in the first study (N=30) and majority of the teachers in the second study (N=18). Collected data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results point at the changes in the teachers' beliefs, although the decrease in the number of teachers who participated in the second study made it difficult to generalize results. A number of teachers developed a more complex view of creativity and the role of the school in developing creativity. Comments of some teachers and the number of teachers who did not respond to the questionnaire after the experiment, indicate a possibility of the lack of motivation to participate in this research, and maybe in the whole experiment. The results of the research can be used for designing support for teachers in the field of encouraging creativity at school.

U radu se prikazuju rezultati ispitivanja promena implicitnih uverenja o kreativnosti nastavnika koji su učestvovali u ogledu u kome je rađeno na podsticanju kreativnosti u osnovnoj školi. Cilj ove studije bio je da se ispita da li je u okviru ogleda, koji je trajao jednu školsku godinu, došlo do promene u tome kako nastavnici shvataju kreativnost i mogućnosti za njen razvoj u osnovnoj školi. Isti upitnik sa otvorenim i zatvorenim pitanjima o konceptu, manifestacijama i razvoju kreativnosti u školi upućen je nastavnicima (N=32) pre početka i po okončanju ogleda. Odgovorili su skoro svi nastavnici u prvom ispitivanju (N=30) i većina nastavnika u drugom ispitivanju (N=18). Prikupljeni podaci obrađeni su kvalitativno i kvantitativno. Rezultati ukazuju na promene u uverenjima nastavnika, iako je uopštavanje nalaza otežano zbog manjeg broja nastavnika koji su učestvovali u drugom ispitivanju. Kod većeg broja nastavnika dolazi do usložnjavanja shvatanja kreativnosti i uloge škole u razvoju kreativnosti. Komentari ostalih nastavnika i broj nastavnika koji nisu popunili upitnik posle ogleda ukazuju da su oni nevoljno učestvovali u ispitivanju, a možda i u ogledu. Navedena iskustva mogu se iskoristiti u oblikovanju podrške za nastavnike, čiji je cilj podsticanje kreativnosti u školi.