TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS CREATIVITY AND THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL BEHAVIORS IN THE CLASSROOM

Research in the developmental psychology and early childhood education has shown that the preschool years are very important and influential because what children absorb and acquire in this phase is carried over into their later years. What children learn and the way they are taught in early childhood has a powerful influence in their later years. The formative years are the time to stimulate diversity in children’s thinking and learning processes, in order to encourage them to express their creative potential to the fullest.

The beliefs, opinions, and attitudes a teacher may have regarding the educational process, and his/ her own value system, causes the teacher to behave in certain predictable ways towards children. These preconceived beliefs and opinions reinforce the attitude of teachers toward students, especially those that are creative or gifted. Therefore, it is important to make teachers aware of whether their own behaviors are in harmony with their expressed beliefs.
It is the intention of this study to investigate the relationship between teachers’ expressed attitudes towards creativity and their actual instructional behaviors in the classroom. Two instruments will be used :

1- “Attitude Toward Creativity Test” to assess their expressed attitudes.
2- “Behavior Observation Checklist” to assess their instructional behaviors.

This study is an attempt to answer the following research questions:

1- Is there a significant correlation between a measure of teachers’ attitude towards creativity and a measure of their instructional behaviors in the classroom?
2- Is there a significant correlation between teachers’ (age, educational level, years of teaching experience ) and a measure of their attitude towards creativity and a measure of their instructional behaviors?

To achieve this goal the research will identify the following:

1- Review of the literature:
- Historical overview of theories of creativity
- The child: Developmental characteristics of creative potential
- The teacher: Attitudes and styles that fosters creative potential

2- Research design and methodology:
-Design of the study

3- Results and discussion

4- Conclusion and recommendations