Award Date

5-1-2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational & Clinical Studies

First Committee Member

Kyle Higgins

Second Committee Member

Monica Brown

Third Committee Member

Joseph Morgan

Fourth Committee Member

Tracy Spies

Fifth Committee Member

Randall Boone

Number of Pages

212

Abstract

Creative self-efficacy is the belief in one’s own ability to be creative. It is a component of creativity and is vital for future success. Within the construct of creative thinking, four areas of creative thinking (i.e., fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality) have been suggested.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of creative self-efficacy in third, fourth, and fifth grade students in general education, with learning disabilities, and with gifts and talents in terms of fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and originality. Along with educational sub-type and grade level, an exploration of the relationship of gender and ethnicity were investigated. A 16-item questionnaire adapted for use at the third-grade level was used and participants were recruited from three elementary schools. A total of 495 students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades completed the questionnaire.

The results of the multivariate analysis of variance indicated that students with gifts and talents reported significantly higher perceptions of creative self-efficacy than students in general education and students with a learning disability. Unlike previous research indicating a decline in creativity and creative self-efficacy at the upper elementary level, the results of this study indicate no significant differences among grade levels in student perceptions of creative self-efficacy. For the relationship between males and females, a significant difference was found at the fifth-grade level, with fifth-grade females reporting significantly higher perceptions for elaboration. No significant differences were found among ethnic groups.

These findings have implications for student creative self-efficacy and teacher preparation programs. Curricula and interventions need to be created to develop student creative self-efficacy within an educational context. Within teacher preparation programs, instruction regarding curricula and interventions for creative self-efficacy is needed. Through the development of student creative self-efficacy, K-12 education will prepare these students to be successful at the post-secondary levels.

Keywords

Creative self-efficacy; Creative thinking; Creativity

Disciplines

Gifted Education | Special Education and Teaching

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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