TEACHERS VIEWS ABOUT CREATIVITY

Summary. There has been little documented information concerning teachers' views about creativity. In this study, 1028 teachers and further education lecturers from England and Wales completed a survey questionnaire on views of creativity and its development, together with teaching style preferences. Socio‐biographical information and teachers' perceptions of their situations were collected, to locate views in context. The study employed original measures as well as the Torrance “Ideal Pupil” and “Personality” checklists. A subsample of 31 took part in follow‐up interviews. Results indicate that creativity is perceived mainly in terms of “imagination”, “originality” and “self‐expression”. Only half the sample regard “divergence” as synonymous with creativity. Most think creativity can be developed, but almost three‐quarters think it is a rare gift. The distinguishing feature of teachers highly oriented to creativity is a preference for pupil‐centred learning. Results also highlight widespread teacher concern about their situation and the future of education. Marked differences in response patterns are evident between males and females and among subject groups, both with regard to views of creativity and teaching style preferences. Possible explanations of these differences are discussed. 1991 The British Psychological Society