Francisco D. Fernández-Martín, researcher at the CIMCYC, has carried out a study together with other CIMCYC researchers (Blanca Ruíz-del-Pino and José Luís Arco-Tirado) aimed at identifying, analyzing and synthesizing the quality of the evidence underlying the effectiveness of creativity training programs carried out in Primary Education.
The results of this type of studies allow education professionals to consult and choose from among effective programs and interventions, based on scientific evidence, those that best fit their objectives and school conditions.
Creativity is a dynamic and multidimensional capacity or ability inherent to human functioning and of growing interest and demand in the educational and work environment. Its acquisition and development is a complex process that involves cognitive, personality and environmental or contextual factors. The creative process combines the so-called divergent thinking (inherent to creativity) and convergent thinking (inherent to the knowledge base necessary to create). The importance of creativity lies in the fact that it allows the generation of original and effective ideas in the face of a situation, problem or need.
The research process consisted, first, of developing a research protocol, following international standards for this type of study; second, implementing it as reliably as possible and noting possible deviations from it; and third, analyzing and synthesizing the results obtained to make the necessary information available to potential users.
The results suggest the following: a) indeed, there are useful programs, although in a reduced number, that can satisfy the instruction and teachers’ training needs in the school curricular content from the educational period analyzed; b) teachers need the support of other experts in the implementation of this type of programs, although on some occasions the studies analyzed do not provide enough information to draw definitive conclusions on this issue; and c) more evaluation studies are needed to identify with greater rigor what elements or characteristics of the programs contribute and to what degree to the results found.
Ruiz-del-Pino, B., Fernández-Martín, F., & Arco-Tirado, J. L. (2022). Creativity Training Programs in Primary Education: A Systematic Review. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101172