Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The What and the How of Creativity: An Exploratory Study

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Creativity, Talent and Excellence

Abstract

This chapter reports findings of an exploratory study to examine the what and the how of creativity among young children. They analyzed children’s naïve conceptions of a creative person and creativity. Results showed that all pupils were able to outline a profile of the creative person and were also able to express their own creativity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    p  <  .001.

References

  • Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andiliou, A., & Murphy, K. P. (2010). Examining variations among researchers’ and teachers’ conceptualizations of creativity: A review and synthesis of contemporary research. Educational Research Review, 5, 201–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antonietti, A., & Cesa-Bianchi, M. (2003). Creatività nella vita e nella scuola. Milano, Italy: Mondadori Università.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonietti, A., & Pizzingrilli, P. (2008). Beliefs about creativity. In A. Antonietti & P. Iannello (Eds.), Representing the mind: A collection of instruments to assess naïve psychological conceptions (pp. 261–276). Monza, Italy: Polimetrica.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonietti, A., & Pizzingrilli, P. (2009). Come sviluppare la creatività nei bambini: le indicazioni di un programma di ricerca. Synergies Europe, 4, 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. S. (1964). On knowing. Essays for the left hand. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (trad. it. Il conoscere. Saggi per la mano sinistra, Armando, Roma, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cristini, C., Cesa-Bianchi, M., Cesa-Bianchi, G., & Porro, A. (2011). L’ultima creatività: Luci nella vecchiaia. Milano, Italy: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2006). A system perspective on creativity. In J. Henry (Ed.), Creative management and development (pp. 3–17). London: Sage Publications Ltd.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dow, W. (2004). The role of implicit theories in the development of creative classrooms. The Journal of Design and Technology Education, 9(3), 187–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drevdhal, J. E. (1965). Factors of importance for creativity. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 12, 21–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Commission. (2008). Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (2009) COM (2008) 159, final. Brussels, Belgium: European Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J. (1993). Creativity and personality: Suggestions for a theory. Psychological Inquiry, 4(3), 147–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Getzels, J. W., & Jackson, P. W. (1962). Creativity and intelligence. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorman, B. K., Fiestas, C. E., Pena, E. D., & Reynolds Clark, M. (2011). Creative and stylistic devices employed by children during a storybook narrative task: A cross-cultural study. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 42, 167–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, B. C., Sawyers, J. K., & DeBord, K. B. (1989). Teachers, creativity, playfulness and the style of interaction with children. Creativity Research Journal, 2, 41–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatano, G., & Inagaki, K. (1993). Desituating cognition through the construction of conceptual knowledge. In P. Light & G. Butterworth (Eds.), Context and cognition: Ways of learning and knowing. The developing body and mind (pp. 115–133). Hillsdale, NJ/England: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsiao, C. Y. (2010). Enhancing children’s artistic and creative thinking and drawing performance through appreciating picture books. Journal of Art and Design Education, 29(2), 143–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, X., Schwartz, D. L., & Bransford, J. (2007). Intercultural adaptive expertise: Explicit and implicit lessons from Dr. Hatano. Human Development, 50, 65–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mednick, S. A. (1962). The associative basis of creativity. Psychological Review, 69, 220–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mindham, C. (2005). Creativity and the young child. Early Years, 25(1), 81–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran, S., & Steiner-John, V. (2003). Creativity in the making: Vygotsky’s Contemporary Contribution to the dialectic of development and creativity. In R. K. Sawyer, V. John-Steiner, S. Moran, R. J. Sternberg, D. H. Feldman, J. Nakamura, & M. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Creativity and development (pp. 61–90). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pizzingrilli, P., & Antonietti, A. (2009). La rappresentazione della creatività. In M. Cesa-Bianchi, C. Cristini, & E. Giusti (Eds.), La creatività scientifica. Il processo che cambia il mondo (pp. 60–88). Roma: Sovera Edizioni.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pizzingrilli, P., & Antonietti, A. (2010). Implicit theories of creativity in schoolchildren. An exploratory study. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 4732–4736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plucker, J. A., Beghetto, R. A., & Dow, G. T. (2004). Why isn’t creativity more important to educational psychologists? Potential, pitfalls, and future directions in creativity research. Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 83–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (1984). Teachers’ judgments of creativity and social validation of divergent thinking tests. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 59, 711–717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (1989). Parents’ and teachers’ ratings of the creativity of children. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 4, 73–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (1999). Implicit theories. In M. A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (Vol. 2, pp. 27–30). San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (2004). Creativity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 657–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (2007). Creativity: Theories and themes: Research, development, and practice. San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., & Johnson, D. J. (2002). Parents’ and teachers’ implicit theories of children’s creativity: A cross-cultural perspective. Creativity Research Journal, 14(3–4), 427–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., Johnson, D. J., & Bear, P. K. (1993). Parents’ and teachers’ implicit theories on children’s creativity. Child Study Journal, 23, 91–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simonton, D. K. (1999). Origins of genius: Darwinian perspectives on creativity. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sironi, S. (2005). La creatività nelle rappresentazioni degli insegnanti di scuola primaria. Imparare, 2, 63–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smolucha, F. (1992). A reconstruction of Vygotsky’s theory of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 5(1), 49–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.). (1989). The nature of creativity: Contemporary psychological perspectives. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J., Grigorenko, E., & Singer, J. L. (2004). Creativity: From potential to realization. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1999). The concept of creativity: Prospects and paradigms. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 3–15). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, C. W. (Ed.). (1956). University of Utah research conference on the identification of creative scientific talent. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinagli, I., & Florida, R. (2005). L’Italia nell’Era Creativa. Retrieved from http://www.creativeclass.com/rfcgdb/articles/

  • Torrance, E. P. (1989). Test di pensiero creativo – Forma A: per la valutazione delle potenzialità creative. Firenze ,Italy: O. S., Organizzazioni Speciali.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotskij, L. S. (1930). Immaginazione e creatività nell’età infantile. Roma: Editori Riuniti.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotskij, L. S. (2004). Imagination and creativity in childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 42(1), 7–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westby, E. L., & Dawson, V. L. (1995). Creativity: Asset or burden in the classroom? Creativity Journal Research, 8, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winnicott, D. W. (2001). Gioco e realtà. Roma: Armando.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, Y. C. (2008). Age, emotion, regulation strategies, temperament, creative drama, and preschoolers’ Creativity. Journal of Creative Behavior, 42(2), 131–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zachopoulou, E., Makri, A., & Pollatou, E. (2009). Evaluation of children’s creativity: Psychometric properties of Torrance’s “Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement” test. Early Child Development and Care, 179(3), 317–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service of Developmental Psychology, Catholic University of Sacred Heart of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Paola Pizzingrilli

  2. Department of Human Science, Milano-Bicocca University, Milan, Italy

    Stefania Molteni

Authors
  1. Paola Pizzingrilli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stefania Molteni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paola Pizzingrilli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nanyang Technological University, National Institute of Education, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore

    Ai-Girl Tan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Pizzingrilli, P., Molteni, S. (2013). The What and the How of Creativity: An Exploratory Study. In: Tan, AG. (eds) Creativity, Talent and Excellence. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4021-93-7_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation