Teachers perceptions on the role of creativity in middle and sec

Concordia University St. Paul DigitalCommons@CSP Concordia University Portland Graduate CUP Ed. Dissertations Research 2-1-2018 Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Creativity in Middle and Secondary Education Melissa Marie Diebel Concordia University - Portland, melissamdiebel@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Diebel, M. Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Creativity in Middle and Secondary Education (Thesis, Concordia University, St.

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Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed. Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations 2-2018 Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Creativity in Middle and Secondary Education Melissa Marie Diebel Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.edu/edudissertations Part of the Education Commons CU Commons Citation Diebel, Melissa Marie, "Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Creativity in Middle and Secondary Education" (2018).edu/edudissertations/110 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Ed. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Commons.

For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu- portland. Concordia University–Portland College of Education Doctorate of Education Program WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CERTIFY THAT WE HAVE READ AND APPROVE THE DISSERTATION OF Melissa Marie Diebel CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Donna Graham, Ph., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Judy Shoemaker, Ed., Content Specialist Greg Aldred, Ed., Content Reader ACCEPTED BY Joe Mannion, Ed. Provost, Concordia University–Portland Sheryl Reinisch, Ed. Dean, College of Education, Concordia University–Portland Marty Bullis, Ph.

Director of Doctoral Studies, Concordia University–Portland Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Creativity in Middle and Secondary Education Concordia University–Portland Melissa Marie Diebel Concordia University–Portland College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education Donna Graham, Ph., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Judy Shoemaker, Ed., Content Specialist Greg Aldred, Ed., Content Reader Concordia University–Portland 2018 Abstract While the goal of American education has been to produce workers who are ready to take their place in society, emphasis on standardization has not lead to the skills needed to effectively be a part of the technologically-based, globalized world in which society now functions. In this study, the researcher investigated how middle and secondary teacher perceive a creative environment or how the use of creative teaching strategies was perceived to increase academic performance of middle and secondary students. From the lens of Constructivism, a qualitative case study of middle and secondary teachers allowed for the discussion of creativity and perceived academic impact. Drawing from qualitative data collected using a questionnaire, classroom observations, and one-on-one interviews, this study found a perception among middle and secondary teachers of creativity increasing student academic achievement.

The data revealed that a creative environment was central to student success. The study concluded a creative environment is established through the building of trust, which is done by the setting clear classroom expectations, allowing for questions and risk-taking, as well as making it safe for students to make mistakes or fail. Additionally, the study concluded that creativity aligns with the recognition of individual student needs, abilities, and learning preferences and offers clear learning goals which in turn affected student academic performance. Keywords: creativity, creative environment, creative teaching strategies, middle-level student, secondary student, increased achievement ii Dedication To my husband, John, and my boys, Drew and Jack.

And to my NCPA Students. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me. I love you all. iii Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the incredible people who supported me throughout this process: God, who led me through this journey and who has blessed me every day with wonderful friends and family; my incredible and supportive husband, John, who is my best friend and biggest supporter; my children, Drew and Jack, who gave up having a full time mom while I pursued this dream; my dad, Randy, my mom, Cheryl, and my Grandma, Marilyn, and my grandpa, Vernon, all of whom supported me, listened to me, and shaped me into the women I am today; my in-laws, Mark and Beth, for their support and constant encouragement; and to my NCPA Family, who gave me the courage to keep going and the ability to stand back up every time I fell; my committee, who pushed me to be a better writer, researcher, and scholar.

I would not be here today without all of you. I am incredibly blessed to have each of you in my life. I love you all more than you will ever know. iv Table of Contents List of Tables.

viii Chapter 1: Introduction. 1 Statement of Problem. 3 Purpose of Study. 4 Rationale, Relevance, and Significance.

4 Nature of Study. 6 Definition of Terms. 6 Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations. 9 Chapter 2: Literature Review.

11 Introduction and Background to the Problem. 11 Conceptual Framework: Social Constructivism. 13 Review of the Research Literature. 35 Introduction to Chapter 3.

35 Statement of the Problem. 36 Research Questions and Hypotheses. 38 v Population and Sample Selection. 38 Sources of Data.

42 Data Analysis Procedures. 44 Limitations of Research Design. 49 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results. 53 Data Analysis Procedures.

54 Presentation of Data and Results. 87 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations. 89 Summary of the Study. 90 Summary of Findings and Conclusions.

103 Strengths and Weaknesses. 113 Appendix A Creativity in the Classroom: A Questionnaire. 121 Appendix B Observation Protocol: Diebel Creativity Study. 127 Appendix C District Invitation Letter.

131 vi Appendix D High School Site Permission Letter. 132 Appendix E Middle School Site Permission Letter. 133 Appendix F Participant Invitation Letter. 134 Appendix G Timeline of Study.

135 Appendix H Administrator Directions Letter. 136 Appendix I Consent to Participate. 137 Appendix J Parent Consent Letter. 139 Appendix K Student Assent Letter.

141 Appendix L Creativity in the Classroom: Interview One Questions. 142 Appendix M Creativity in the Classroom: Interview Two Questions. 143 Appendix N Statement of Original Work. 144 vii List of Tables Table 1 Demographic Data for the Participants.

List of Codes (Direct Language). Questionnaire: Environment Responses. Questionnaire: Learning Process Responses. Questionnaire: Creative Assessment Responses.

Questionnaire: Traditional Assessment Responses. Observational Protocol Data. 64 viii Chapter 1: Introduction Historically, the goal of American education was to produce workers who were ready to take their place in Industrial Society (Senge, Cambron-McCabe, Lucas, Smith, & Dutton, 2012). During the Industrial Age, the primary pedagogy centered on memorization of facts, repetitive drills, common assessments, and moving everyone through at the same pace (Senge et al.

However, these skills are no longer as relevant as they once were. The emphasis on standardization, both in classroom experiences and assessment, no longer lead to the skills needed to effectively be a part of the technologically-based, globalized world in which society now functions. Students are no longer asked to merely evaluate data or take part in routine work but instead are asked to use creative, innovative thinking in non-routine work (Robinson, 2011). The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore teacher perceptions about creative learning environment and the perceived effects of creativity on student academic achievement in middle and secondary education.

Current research has focused on creativity in the classroom at various other levels. However, middle and secondary education research is limited. Understanding the teacher perception at the middle and secondary level is instrumental in finding how creativity is used as students prepare for post-secondary education and career. Chapter 1 includes a brief background of the problem and history.

An overview of the research questions, methods, design, and definition of terms are discussed. Finally, the limitations and delimitations will be noted. Background While there is much disagreement among teachers, administrators, policy-makers, and researchers regarding effective approaches to education, the central purpose of preparing students for life beyond K–12 education is imperative. During the early start of public education 1 businesses needed to ensure people had basic skills that would enable workers to efficiently manage their roles in society, on the assembly line.

Schools emulated the assembly method to prepare students for the workforce, using standard learning goals and assessments. Assembly- line schooling increased the productivity of schools. However, it also did not account for individual student differences and needs. The uniformity of product and process of norms drove teacher-centered instruction.

Students that were unable to learn at the speed that was set by the stakeholders were labeled and either struggled their way through or were entirely pushed out of school (Senge et al. This format created uniformity in the classroom and took away the individual ways that children learn, forcing everyone to learn in the same manner. As the societal needs of the United States shifted, educational pedagogy also shifted. The late sixties and early seventies saw a change that emphasized creativity and recognition of individual student learning needs (Guilford, 1967).

The idea of imparting knowledge was less desirable than nurturing a child’s ability to think, be creative, and problem-solve in a wide-range of situations (Aish, 2014; Bruner, 1996; Fisher, 2013; Rinkevich, 2014). During this shift, several researchers began to define creativity and evaluate its place in the classroom. Torrance (1963) found that teachers claimed to encourage and value characteristics such as creative thinking, determination, curiosity, and a sense of humor. However, while teachers claimed to value those characteristics, they did nothing to nurture them.

Students who exhibited these characteristics were often punished. Torrance (1963) determined that students often lose their sense of creativity about the time they enter fourth grade. While creativity may not be as prevalent in older students, Torrance (1965) noted that teachers could develop creativity if they encouraged creative thinking and valued student’s cultures and behaviors concerning the learning process. Torrance (1976), Gardner (2007), and 2 Csikszentmihalyi (1996) found that it was important for students to experience autonomy in the classroom and that they are given time to explore their interests.

Characteristics of creative people manifest in various kinds of behaviors, such as risk-taking, curiosity, openness, and independence (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996, 2014; Gardner, 2011). Creativity is not a result of working alone, but a social interaction of learning that recognizes student individuality within a culture or a group. Creative people solve problems, fashion products, define new questions in a field that is initially novel but is accepted by the community. Novelty does not mean that the child came up with something new that has never existed before, but that it is new or novel to that individual creator (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2013; Starko, 2013).

Additionally, creativity cannot exist in a vacuum (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996, 2014; Starko, 2013). It is critical to note that all great and innovative ideas have come from the cooperation of many and not only from the mind of a single person (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; Robinson, 2011). Human organizations are built on a foundation of relationships and energies that are derived from both the individual and the collaboration of individuals working together (Robinson, 2011). Statement of Problem Teacher perceptions of creativity are essential to deciding how teachers respond to creativity in the classroom and whether creativity is being fostered.

The problem is current standards-based educational practices are not enabling students to develop the creative thinking needed to be successful in today’s globalized society. Current research has focused on creativity in the classroom, at the early childhood, elementary, and postsecondary level (Aish, 2014; Daly, Mosyjowski, & Seifert, 2014; Mahdi, Sukarman, & Yok., 2015; Rinkevich, 2014; Susnea & Tataru, 2014).