Hong Kong teachers' perception of creative children: comparison between kindergarten and primary school teachers

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined and compared teachers’ preferences for creative children and teachers’ values attached to creative characteristics.

Methods: A total of 20 class teachers were selected from two primary schools and one kindergarten in Hong Kong. They were asked to nominate three of their most and three of their least preferred students in their class and indicate how descriptive each given characteristic on the personality traits questionnaire was of their chosen students. Then, the 107 nominated students participated in a creativity test (i.e., Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production; TCT-DP).

Results: The results indicated that a student’s creativity level did not affect teachers’ liking on them. Besides, the teachers were more likely to attribute creative traits to their most preferred students. However, a few personality traits associated with creativity (e.g., rebellious and arrogant), that are not in accordance with the Confucianism and Chinese culture and are characteristics not appreciated in classroom settings, were attributed by teachers to their least preferred students. Some differences were observed between kindergarten and primary school teachers regarding their values attached to the characteristics of a student. Contrary to previous findings with other sample groups, males’ average score on TCT-DP were significantly higher than that of females’.

Discussions: The results suggest that in teachers’ minds, their most preferred students are creative and always questioning, but at the same time, they are conforming and obedient.