The creative environment: teachers’ perceptions, self-efficacy, and teaching experience for fostering children’s creativity

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare the availability of a creative environment within regular schools between the academic year 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 by measuring teachers’ perceptions concerning creativity, their self-efficacy, teaching creativity, and barriers to creativity. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among 297 teachers teaching the basic primary stage (grades 1–3). The findings indicated high averages for teaching creativity in the classroom, and teachers’ self-efficacy to foster children's creativity in the classroom ranked the highest, while barriers to creativity ranked the lowest. The results showed significant differences due to teacher gender, in favour of female teachers, and teaching experience only regarding perceptions of the creativity domain. There were statistically significant differences between the academic years for the overall scale and the four domains in favour of the 2015/2016 academic year. Directions for further research and practical implications for policy and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Children
• primary teachers
• creative environment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kholoud Adeeb Al-Dababneh is a faculty member in the Department of Special Education at Queen Rania Faculty for Childhood at Hashemite University, Jordan. She recieved her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Jordan in 2005. Previously she worked as vice dean of Queen Rania Faculty for Childhood, and head of the Childhood Education Department. Her research interests include children with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, inclusion, early intervention, specific learning disabilities, and gifted and creative children.

Eman Khleif Al-Zboon is a faculty member in the Department of Special Education at Queen Rania Faculty for Childhood at Hashemite University, Jordan. She recieved her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Jordan in 2012. Her research interests focus on children, women with disabilities, and current trends in special education.

Jamal Ahmad is a faculty member in the department of child education at the Hashemite University, Jordan. He earned his Ph.D. in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA, in 2011. His research interests include school readiness, literacy development in the early years, the influence of immigration and culture on early childhood education, children's rights and current issues in early childhood education.