Scientific views of creativity and factors affecting its growth

Definitions of creativity are discussed, & it is shown that the best definition is 'the process of becoming sensitive to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge, missing elements, disharmonies; identifying the difficulty; searching for solutions, making guesses, or formulating hyp's about the deficiencies; testing & retesting these hyp's & possibly modifying & retesting them; & finally communicating the results.' Objections to this definition are reviewed & dealt with, & the question is raised of how to identify creative ability or potential. It is believed that instruments measuring the creative thinking abilities can provide one useful basis for making instruction diff for diff students. Drawing on J. P. Guilford's tests of divergent thinking, new alternate batteries of tests have been prepared for use from kindergarten through graduate Sch. The complex test tasks are models of the creative process, each involving diff kinds of thinking. A brief description of some of these test tasks, their admin, & scoring, show how they are related to the definition of creativity & to the factors affecting creative growth. Many of these test tasks have been admin'ed at all educ'al levels, & a summary of results is available in E. P. Torrance, GUIDING CREATIVE TALENT (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1962) in REWARDING CREATIVE BEHAVIOR (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1965). A review of that summary is given, & it is noted that non-test indicators of creativity may also be used. 6 precepts of progressive educ are discussed as factors affecting creative growth, & their inadequacies are related to findings by T. R. McConnell, W. L. Hutchinson, L. G. Gotkin & N. Massa, L. M. Stolurow, & J. B. MacDonald & J. D. Raths. Insights from res reveal that diff kinds of children learn best when given opportunities to learn in ways best suited to their motivations & abilities. Creative ways of learning are universally useful, but they should not be used exclusively. J. Hennessee.

Английский

Daedalus. – 1965. – Vol. 94, № 3. – P. 663–681.