Opportunities and challenges for nurturing creativity in Hong Kong's international school students : students' and teachers' perspectives

Abstract

There is a wealth of research in the field of creativity in education. It has been suggested that students’ and teachers’ backgrounds may affect their perceptions of creativity, their creativity styles, and in how they develop as creative learners. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of creativity in students and teachers at an international school in Hong Kong. The differences in creativity styles between gender and grade were also explored. Demographic data was collected from 130 students from Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6, who participated in questionnaires regarding their opinions of their creativity styles. The Total Scale, the Creativity Capacity Subscale, Use of Other People Subscale, Environmental Control/Self-Regulation Subscale of the Children version of the Creative Styles Questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory reliability. 18 of these students took part in further group interviews. Nine teachers from Kindergarten, Primary, and Secondary campuses were interviewed individually, and commented on how they develop creativity through their teaching styles. Findings from the study showed that there are differences in boys’ and girls’ Use of Techniques, and Year 5 students perceive themselves to be more creative than students from Year 4 and Year 6. Interview data highlighted commonalities and themes between the teachers across campuses, and in students’ learning preferences. Implications of the findings for teaching and learning at the case school, and for future research are discussed.