Researchers do agree that creativity is an ability that can be developed and should be fostered (Guilford, 1958; Parnes, 1961). Teachers play an important role in creativity development and often serve as gatekeepers to identify gifted and talented students (Bianco et al., 2011; Novak & Jones, 2021; Schack & Starko, 1990). However, teachers’ judgment of their students’ creativity often only correlates weakly with the results of creativity measures (Kettler et al., 2018; Torrance, 1963). Therefore, in this study I explored teachers’ perception of creativity and creative students as well as factors that support or hinder creativity. The findings revealed that the perception of teachers regarding creativity aligned with the literature stressing that all children are creative. However, creativity and learning only occurs if students are motivated. To motivate students, teachers try to find interesting topics. Teachers defined creativity as something unique however they emphasized that it is expressed differently in the arts and sciences. The process of creation is fun and exciting and innately intertwined with learning. Teachers described creative students as confident, open-minded, and imaginative. Teachers, parents, the school system, and the school district all play an important role in the development of children’s potential and in fostering creativity. Participants expressed that creativity is difficult to measure because of its subjective and personal nature. Implications for practice of the findings are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Researchers do agree that creativity is an ability that can be developed and should be fostered (Guilford, 1958; Parnes, 1961). Teachers play an important role in creativity development and often serve as gatekeepers to identify gifted and talented students (Bianco et al., 2011; Novak & Jones, 2021; Schack & Starko, 1990). However, teachers’ judgment of their students’ creativity often only correlates weakly with the results of creativity measures (Kettler et al., 2018; Torrance, 1963). Therefore, in this study I explored teachers’ perception of creativity and creative students as well as factors that support or hinder creativity. The findings revealed that the perception of teachers regarding creativity aligned with the literature stressing that all children are creative. However, creativity and learning only occurs if students are motivated. To motivate students, teachers try to find interesting topics. Teachers defined creativity as something unique however they emphasized that it is expressed differently in the arts and sciences. The process of creation is fun and exciting and innately intertwined with learning. Teachers described creative students as confident, open-minded, and imaginative. Teachers, parents, the school system, and the school district all play an important role in the development of children’s potential and in fostering creativity. Participants expressed that creativity is difficult to measure because of its subjective and personal nature. Implications for practice of the findings are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Grajzel, Katalin"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["P. Bruce Uhrmacher","Duan Zhang","Christy MacConnell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-03-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-03-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:48Z","subjects":["Creativity","Education","Students","Teachers","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education","Other Statistics and Probability","Physical Sciences and Mathematics","Statistics and Probability"],"languages":["English (eng)"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"],"dc:subject":["Creativity","Education","Students","Teachers","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education","Other Statistics and Probability","Physical Sciences and Mathematics","Statistics and Probability"],"dc:title":["Phenomenological Inquiry into Middle School Teachers’ Perception of Creativity"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:01:48Z"}