Academic perceptions of barriers and facilitators of creative pedagogies in higher education: A cross-cultural study between the UK and China.

Background: In an era where higher education institutions globally urge for innovation that meets the academic standards, financial targets and performance metrics, creative pedagogies can be a key resource. This study aims to explore the barriers and facilitators of creative pedagogies from the perspective of academics who are employed by higher education institutions across the UK and China. Methods: A purposive sampling was recruited to ensure that all participants came from diverse academic disciplines and higher education institutions, and that their teaching experience varied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants (ten in each country) and were analysed thematically. Results: Most academics in China were concerned as to whether creative pedagogies could be adapted to classes of more than 200 students, while academics in the UK were mainly concerned about their lack of confidence, training, and familiarity with such methods. The most common barrier in both countries were concerns around reputational risk if creative efforts 'fail' to engage students, and lack of awareness as to what constitutes creative pedagogies. Some academics were able to overcome these barriers by approaching teaching with curiosity, passion, and humour, while also being in educational environments that encourage risk-taking. Discussion: The effects of economic production and materialism were detrimental to the participants' ability and flexibility to make the cultural changes needed in their educational environment. The findings suggested that a shift is needed in the perception of education as a tool for collection and reproducibility of information, towards the perception of education as a tool for critical thinking and experiential learning. Positive construction of failure is necessary to facilitate this shift. Further evidence is needed to demonstrate the contribution of creative pedagogies not only for teaching and learning, but also for students' mental health and wellbeing.