ERIC Number: EJ948842
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0175
EISSN: N/A
How Much Does Creative Teaching Enhance Elementary School Students' Achievement?
Schacter, John; Thum, Yeow Meng; Zifkin, David
Journal of Creative Behavior, v40 n1 p47-72 2006
This study examined the relationship between creative teaching and elementary students' achievement gains. Forty-eight upper elementary school teachers' classroom instruction was observed and evaluated over the course of 8 different lessons throughout the year. For each teacher, during each lesson, both a creative teaching frequency score and a quality score were derived. These scores were then used as predictor variables in a structural equation model to determine the magnitude of the relationship between creative teaching and classroom achievement gains in reading, language, and mathematics. Our results demonstrated that (a) the majority of teachers do not implement any teaching strategies that foster student creativity; (b) teachers who elicit student creativity turn out students that make substantial achievement gains; and (c) classrooms with high proportions of minority and low-performing students receive significantly less creative teaching. (Contains 7 tables, 3 figures and 2 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Creativity, Achievement Gains, Academic Achievement, Predictor Variables, Elementary School Teachers, Creative Teaching, Classroom Observation Techniques, Classroom Techniques, Structural Equation Models, Mathematics Achievement, Reading Achievement, Teaching Methods, Educational Strategies, Disadvantaged, Teacher Effectiveness, Teaching Styles
Creative Education Foundation. 48 North Pleasant Street Suite 301, Amherst, MA 01002. Tel: 508-960-0000; Fax: 413-658-0046; e-mail: contact@creativeeducationfoundation.org; Web site: http://www.journalofcreativebehavior.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A