The implicit theories of creativity of university teachers

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an examination of implicit theories of creativity of university teachers, conducted with the purpose of gaining an increased understanding of teacher's beliefs regarding the manifestations of creativity and its development. The research comprised teachers employed at various faculties (N = 46) who completed a questionnaire on creative expression and the conditions for the development of creativity during the course of studies. The results indicate that teachers predominantly believe that students' creativity manifests as a creative process and that creativity may be developed throughout the course of studies. The examination of risks in the implicit beliefs of university teachers on the nature and development of creativity, with regard to their gender, age, duration of employment, position and respective scientific area of study, sheds light on the significant differences among the teachers of natural and social sciences. We derived implications of the finding in order to devise a support mechanism which would greatly contribute to the expression and development of creativity within the realm of higher education.

U radu se prikazuju rezultati ispitivanja implicitnih teorija kreativnosti univerzitetskih nastavnika koje je sprovedeno sa ciljem boljeg razumevanja uverenja nastavnika o manifestacijama kreativnosti i njenom razvoju. Ispitivanjem su obuhvaćeni nastavnici različitih fakulteta (N = 46) koji su odgovarali na upitnik sa pitanjima o kreativnom izražavanju i uslovima za razvoj kreativnosti u toku studija. Razultati ukazuju na to da među nastavnicima preovlađuju uverenja da se kreativnost studenata manifestuje kao kreativni proces i da se kreativnost može razvijati u toku studija. Ispitivanje razlika u implicitnim uverenjima univerzitetskih nastavnika o prirodi i razvoju kreativnosti s obzirom na njihov pol, uzrast, dužinu radnog staža, radno mesto i naučnu oblast kojom se bave otkriva značajne razlike između nastavnika prirodnih i društvenih nauka. Izvedene su implikacije nalaza za dizajniranje podrške koja bi u većoj meri doprinela ispoljavanju i razvoju kreativnosti u okviru visokog obrazovanja.