Creativity Assessment of Teenaged School Children: Evidence from

Assam, India

Chandana Goswami1

and Lakhimi Phukon2

1Tezpur University, Assam

2Duliajan Girls College, Assam

Abstract. This study wanted to find out the creativity level of teenaged students of different categories of

schools, find out any gender differences, and also check for relationship between academic performance and

creativity level. Schools in Assam have options of adopting curricula of different education boards. The two

most common are the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Central Board of Secondary

Education (CBSE) which is a pan Indian curriculum. There are different groups of schools depending on the

management / sponsors. The study investigates into the creativity level of students of 10th standard and 12th

standard of Jorhat district of Assam, India. The outcome of this study is compared with a similar study done

in a neighbouring district i.e. Dibrugarh. We tried to find out whether our results differed district wise.

Keywords: Creativity, Schools, Teenagers, Assam, India

1. Introduction

Life, and therefore evolution, is a creative process; creativity is not an attribute of a few gifted people.

The general perception is that creativity is a special faculty or aptitude which some people have but the rest

of us lack. Creativity is a common characteristic of those who have made outstanding contributions in the

scientific, economic, political, social and technological fields. It is one of the cognitive factors that are

viewed as life-sustaining forces of civilization. According to Torrance, creativity is men’s most important

weapon in coping with life’s daily stresses and problems [6]. As such, creativity may be viewed as a most

desired quality, universally revered. Creative talents in a handful of persons have enabled mankind to see the

bright sunshine of civilization. It is therefore imperative for every nation to chalk out adequate programs for

the identification of creative students and make arrangements for education and training in a stress free

environment and make opportunities for them to develop their creative potential [15]. There have been

several attempts in trying to define creativity over the years. Researchers have debated whether it is

something intrinsic to a person or whether extrinsic factors are responsible for the creative outburst. Does

structured thinking or is it free thinking that promotes the flow of creative thoughts? Is creativity really

different from the regular intellectual thinking?

Sternberg , in his paper ‘Creative Thinking In The Classroom’ first argued that creativity is different

from general intelligence; second, teaching in a way that encourages and rewards creativity improves school

performance ; and third, children can learn to make certain kinds of decision which will enhance their

creativity[17].

Fleith, investigated to determine teacher and students perceptions about characteristics which either

stimulate or inhibit the development of creativity in the classroom environment. This was an exploratory

qualitative study using convenience sample. The result showed that teachers perceived that school

environment definitely contributes to the development of student’s creativity. The teachers described a

Corresponding author. Tel.: +919435180258

E-mail address: cg1@tezu.ernet.in.

2014 3rd International Conference on Business, Management and Governance

IPEDR vol.82 (2014) © (2014) IACSIT Press, Singapore DOI: 10.7763/IPEDR.2014.V82.10

65

classroom environment which enhances creativity from three main perspectives: teacher’s attitudes,

strategies and activities. According to the teachers some classroom environments inhibit student’s creativity,

including classroom climate and activities, the educational system and the teachers’ attitude. In contrast, the

students described their classroom in three different ways. First they mentioned their most liking subject,

said that they enjoyed their school work and had fun in the classroom. Second, they talked about their

relationship with other people at school, especially friends and teachers in a very positive way. Finally the

activities that they liked most to do in class were drawing, playing with computers, writing projects and

stories, mathematical activities and free time, because they could choose what to do in the classroom. In

addition field trips, guest speakers were also mentioned by the students. The expert’s perceptions regarding a

classroom environment that enhanced creativity in three different dimensions were teaching strategies,

teacher’s attitude and classroom climate. With respect to teaching strategies, discovery learning rather than

excessive lectures and emphasis on open-ended questions were suggested. On the other hand teaching

strategies should reflect student-centered views, engaging the students in a variety of activities. Regarding

teacher’s attitudes, the teachers should recognize students’ strengths, abilities and interest, encourage

different responses, encourage humor, questions and risk taking and provide children different options with

respect to the classroom climate. A psychologically safe environment was mentioned by almost all the

experts [5].

Fasko Jr., in his paper ‘Education and Creativity’ presented a review of past and current research on the

relation of education to creativity in students of preschool age through age 16, in U.S. Public schools.

Several models of creative thinking were presented in this study as well as techniques for developing

creativity. He gleaned from this review of research that the issue of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivators and

their effects on creativity can be applied to any classroom at any grade level and teachers’ adequate

assessment of creative talent in their classroom is also required to develop creativity. Finally it appears from

several sources that the teaching of creativity in the schools from preschool to the age of 16 must be

increased, especially in teacher education. He agreed with the suggestion made by Davis and Rim that

educators should choose the programs to stimulate creativity and creative thinking that appears to best meets

the needs of their students in their schools [4].

Runco, suggested that shaping creativity requires three things. First is that the adult reinforces a behavior

that already exists in the child’s repertoire. Second is that the initial behavior must be related, in some

functional fashion, to the terminal behavior. Third is that there is an effective reinforcement, something

which does in fact encourage the child [14].

Hunter et al studied climate for creativity. They attempted to assess the relationship between climate

dimension and various indices of creative performances. They found that a creative climate requires

interpersonal intellectual exchange around challenging tasks, or missions. More specifically, the finding of

this study suggested that motivationally based system, dispositionally based system and team based system

are more likely to provide viable climate assessments than organizationally based system. They further

suggested that along with interpersonal, intellectual engagement, challenging tasks or mission, and some

environmental attributes such as support, resources and autonomy might lead people to believe that creative

work is possible and is in fact valued [18].

Amabile and Pillemer, found creativity was not a fixed trait - like quality of individuals but, rather a skill

that might be taught, learned, practiced and improved. Provocative and compelling situational forces might

influence both conformity and its opposite, creativity. A manipulated social environmental factor such as

desirable external reward for participation could cause difference in creative behavior [19].

Goswami and Phukon, conducted a study in Assam (Dibrugarh district) where relationship between

academic achievement and creativity, gender differences and school wise creativity was examined. The study

found that academic scores and creative scores were positively related. 12th standard students had a lower

mean creative score than 10th standard students. There was no difference between the creative mean scores

of boys and girls and also for the academic mean scores. Schools having bilingual medium of instruction

showed higher creative mean scores, while vernacular medium schools showed the lowest. CBSE schools

had higher creative mean scores than the State board schools. Schools that had most of the provisions viz.

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extra-curricular facilities, multiple teaching pedagogy, encouraged teachers to upgrade, library, computer

laboratory, science laboratories etc. showed higher creative mean scores. The study concluded that school

environment has a strong role in promoting creativity among its students [3].

2. Research Methodology

The study investigates into the creativity level of students of 10th standard and 12th standard, aged

between 16 to 18 years, of Jorhat district of Assam, India.

2.1 Objective of the Study

1. To find out relation between academic achievement and creativity level of students

2. To find out gender differences in creativity.

3. To find out the creativity level of students of different categories of schools in terms of medium of

instruction and board of education.

4. To compare the findings of this study with a similar study conducted by Goswami and Phukon(2014)

in another district of Assam.

Table 1: Breakup of the Sample Schools

Code Name of School Management Board Medium of

instruction

1 Balya Bhavan Higher Secondary School Government SEBA Vernacular

2 Govt. Girls Higher Secondary & M.P. School Government SEBA Vernacular

3 Govt. Boys Higher Secondary & M. P. School Government SEBA Vernacular

4 K .V. Jorhat Rowriah KVS CBSE Bilingual

5 Army Public School Private CBSE English

6 K.V. NEIST, RRL KVS CBSE Bilingual

7 St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School Missionary SEBA English

8 Jonaki Sangha High School Private SEBA Vernacular

9 Jatiya Vidyalaya High School Private SEBA Vernacular

10 Shrimanta Sankar Academy Private SEBA Vernacular

11 Assam Rifles Public School Private CBSE English

12 Air Force School Private CBSE English

13 K.V. ONGC KVS CBSE Bilingual

14 Sprindales High School Private CBSE English

15 Maharshi Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary

School Private CBSE English

16 Hem Lata Handique Memorial High School Private SEBA English

17 Don Bosco Missionary SEBA English

2.2 Research Plan

Schools in Assam have options of adopting curricula of different education boards. The two most

common are the State Education Board of Assam (SEBA and AHSEC) and Central Board of Secondary

67

Education (all India). There are different groups of schools depending on the management. The Kendriya

Vidyalayas, popularly known as KVs are under the management of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (a

Government organization); there are missionary schools run by different missionary organizations; private

schools run by private organizations/management, and there are the state government run schools. The 17

schools were selected in a manner to make the sample as representative as possible.

2.3 Sample

For the present investigation, a total sample of 717 students of ages 16 to 18 years were considered from

17 different schools of Jorhat district of Assam. The samples were chosen on the basis of stratified random

sampling.

There were 8 English medium schools, 6 Vernacular medium schools and 3 Bilingual schools. 8 schools

followed CBSE while 9 schools followed the State board. 9 were Private Schools, 3 were run by KVS, 3

were State Government run schools and 2 were Missionary Schools.

Table 2: Correlation between Creative and Academic Scores

CREATIVE

SCORE

ACADEMIC

SCORE

CREATIVE SCORE

Pearson Correlation 1 .480**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products 239293.908 1.019E5

Covariance 334.209 142.334

N 717 717

ACADEMIC SCORE

Pearson Correlation .480**

1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products 101911.117 1.884E5

Covariance 142.334 263.141

N 717 717

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

2.4 Tools Used

In the present study the following tools were used:

1) A self constructed questionnaire was used to collect information regarding school environment. The

aim was to find out the existence of those parameters that are believed to enhance creative thinking in

students. The parameters were drawn from literature available on creativity. Teaching Pedagogy was

assessed in terms of (1) Use of Black Board (2) Audio visual aids (3) Group Activities – a) Project

Work b) Presentation (4) Demonstration & laboratory work (5) Model displaying (6) Discussion (7)

Periodic visit by subject expert (8) Dramatization [5,16,6]. School Infrastructure was assessed in terms

of (1) Teacher Student ratio (2) Provision of transport facility (3) Location of the School (urban/rural)

(4) School Building (Assam type / Kheri / R.C.C. Building) (5) Library facility (6) Sports facilities (7)

Facilities for Extra-curricular activities (8) Science Laboratory (9) Computer Laboratory (10) Number

of teachers for extracurricular activities (11) Cleanliness of Surrounding (12) Residential / Day

school[9]. Medium of Instruction was also taken into consideration as (1) Vernacular

(Assamese/Hindi/Bengali) and (2) English (3) Bilingual [1].

2) Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT Figural -A) was administered to measure the creativity

level of the students. It measured Fluency, Originality, Elaboration, Premature Closure, and

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Abstractness of title and the score was obtained. Academic achievement was measured on the basis of

percentages of aggregate marks obtained by the students in their final board examination. These board

exams are independent of the school and are taken to represent an unbiased assessment of the student’s

academic performance.

3. Findings

3.1 Relation between Academic Achievement and Creativity Score

We tried find out the correlation between the academic performances (judged by percentage of marks

obtained in the board exams) and the creative scores. From Table 2, it can be concluded that there is a

statistically significant positive relationship between academic scores and creative scores.

3.1.1. Difference between creativity scores of 10th and 12th standard students

We tried to find out if the creative scores of 10th and 12th standard students were significantly different

or not.

Table 3a: Mean Creative Scores of 10th and12th Standard

Standard N Mean Std.

Deviation

Std. Error

Mean

CREATIVE SCORE X 556 61.68 18.251 .774

XII 161 63.83 18.347 1.446

Table 3b: Independent Sample Test for Difference in Mean Creative Scores of 10th and 12th Standard

Levene's Test

for Equality of

Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

95% Confidence

Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

CREATIVE

SCORE

Equal

variances

assumed

.323 .570 -1.311 715 .190 -2.144 1.635 -5.355 1.066

Equal

variances not

assumed

-1.308 258.711 .192 -2.144 1.640 -5.374 1.085

The Levene’s test significance value .570 is greater than .05 and so equal variance can be assumed. The

corresponding t-test significance value of .190 is greater than .05 and so it can be concluded that there is no

significant difference between the creativity scores of 10th and 12th standard students.

3.1.2. Gender differences in creativity scores and academic scores

A t –test was conducted to asses if there was any difference between the mean creative scores of boys

and girls. The Levene’s test has a significance value which is greater than .05 and hence equal variance can

be assumed. The t-test significance value is .002 which is less than .05 and so it can be concluded that there

69

is significant difference between the creativity scores of boys and girls. Girls showed higher mean score than

boys.

Table 4a: Mean Creative Score Gender Wise

Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

CREATIVE

SCORE

Male 349 60.02 18.029 .965

Female 368 64.19 18.312 .955

Table 4b: Independent Samples Test for Difference in Creative Scores between Genders

Levene's Test

for Equality of

Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

95%

Confidence

Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

CREATIVE

SCORE

Equal

variances

assumed

.027 .869 -3.071 715 .002 -4.170 1.358 -6.836 -1.504

Equal

variances

not

assumed

-3.072 713.995 .002 -4.170 1.357 -6.835 -1.505

A t-test was conducted to assess if there was any difference between the mean academic scores of boys

and girls. Table 5b shows there is no significant difference between the academic mean score of the two

groups.

Test 5a: Gender Wise Mean Academic Score

Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

ACADEMIC

SCORE

Male 349 64.71 16.610 .889

Female 368 65.75 15.851 .826

Test 5b: Independent Samples test for Difference in Academic Scores between Genders

Levene's Test

for Equality of

Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Difference

Std. Error

Difference

95% Confidence

Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

70

ACADEMIC

SCORE

Equal

variances

assumed

1.908 .168 -.857 715 .392 -1.039 1.212 -3.419 1.341

Equal

variances

not

assumed

-.856 707.950 .392 -1.039 1.214 -3.422 1.344

3.1.3. Relation between creativity score and medium of instruction

We wanted to see if there was any difference in the creative score of students based on the medium of

instruction followed in the schools

Table 6a: Test of Homogeneity of

Variances

CREATIVE SCORE

Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.

.799 2 714 .450

Table 6b: ANOVA to Test for Difference in Creative Score Medium Wise

CREATIVE SCORE

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 18588.679 2 9294.339 30.068 .000

Within Groups 220705.229 714 309.111

Total 239293.908 716

Table 6c: Multiple Comparisons

CREATIVE SCORE

Games-Howell

(I)

MEDIUM

OF

INSTRUCTI

ON

(J) MEDIUM

OF INSTRUCTION

Mean

Difference

(I-J)

Std. Error

Sig.

95% Confidence

Interval

Lower

Bound

Upper

Bound

English

Vernacular

11.273*

1.466

.000

7.83

14.72

Bi-Lingual

4.065

1.805

.064

-.19

8.32

Vernacular

English

-11.273*

1.466

.000

-14.72

-7.83

Bi-Lingual

-7.208*

1.787

.000

-11.42

-3.00

Bi-Lingual

English

-4.065

1.805

.064

-8.32

.19

Vernacular

7.208*

1.787

.000

3.00

11.42

71

Table 6b: ANOVA to Test for Difference in Creative Score Medium Wise

CREATIVE SCORE

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 18588.679 2 9294.339 30.068 .000

Within Groups 220705.229 714 309.111

* The mean difference is significant at the 0.05level.

From Table 6a we can infer that population variances are equal. Table 6b indicates that the creative mean

scores differ depending on the medium of instruction. Table 6c indicates that English medium schools and

Bilingual medium schools have shown higher creativity scores than Vernacular medium schools.

3.1.4. Relation between creativity score and school board

Table 7a: School Board Wise Creative Mean Score

BOARD OF

SCHOOL N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

CREATIVE SCORE State Board 353 56.33 16.682 .888

CBSE 364 67.82 18.006 .944

Table 7b: Independent Samples Test for Difference in Scores between Different School Boards

Levene's Test

for Equality of

Variances

t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

Sig. (2-

tailed)

Mean

Differenc

e

Std. Error

Difference

95% Confidence

Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

CREATIVE

SCORE

Equal

variances

assumed

4.858 .028 -8.855 715 .000 -11.487 1.297 -14.034 -8.940

Equal

variances not

assumed

-8.865 713.515 .000 -11.487 1.296 -14.031 -8.943

The levene’s test shows that p=.028 which is less than .05 and hence equal variance cannot be assumed.

The corresponding t- test p value is .000 which is less than .05 and so it can be concluded that there is

difference between creativity score of the State board and Central Board. CBSE schools showed a higher

level of creativity as compared to State Board.

3.1.5. Relation between school environment and mean creative scores of schools

72

Table 8a: Ranking of School as per School Environment

School

code

Name of School

School

score

05

Army Public School Jorhat

278

13

K .V. ONGC

277

16

Hemlata Handique Memorial High School

274

08

Jonaki Sangha High School

268

14

Spring Dales Higher S School

267

15

Maharshi Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School

265

12

Air Force School

265

11

Assam Rifles Public School

265

06

K.V.

RRL

257

04

K.V. Jorhat Rowriah

251

17

Don Bosco

245

01

Balya

Bhavan

237

09

Jatiya Vidyalay

233

03

Govt.

Boys Higher Secondary School

233

07

St.

Mary’s High School

232

10

Srimanta Shankar Academy

221

02

Govt. Girls’ Higher Secondary School

208

Table 8b: Ranking of Schools as per Creative Mean Score

School

Code

Name of the school

Creative

mean

score

05

Army Public School Jorhat

80.07692

15

Maharshi

Vidya

Mandir Senior Secondary School

74.21739

06

K.V.

RRL

72.42857

12

Air Force School

69.69048

11

Assam Rifles Public School

69.37255

09

Jatiya Vidyalaya

67.82759

08

Jonaki Sangha High School

65.13333

04

K.V. Jorhat

Rowriah

63.66667

14

Spring Dales Higher Secondary

School

61.31915

17

Don Bosco

60.15

16

Hemlata Handique Memorial High School

57.06667

07

St. Mary’s High School

55.75

13

K .V.

ONGC

55.30233

02

Govt. Girls Higher

Secondary School

55.23864

10

Srimanta Shankar Academy

55.12903

73

01 Balya Bhavan 53.12821

03 Govt. Boys Higher Secondary School 49.80952

Table 8c: ANOVA

to Test for Difference in Creativity Mean Scores School Wise

CREATIVE SCORE

Sum of Squares

df

Mean Square

F

Sig.

Between Groups

51705.161

16

3231.573

12.059

.000

Within Groups

187588.747

700

267.984

Total

239293.908

716

Based on the facilities available in the school, the schools have obtained scores as shown in Table 8a.

Table 8b shows the mean creative scores of each school. The top five scores have been obtained by schools

that follow CBSE pattern. Table 8c shows that there is statistically significant difference between the

creativity scores of different schools.

4.

Comparison of this study with earlier findings

Table 9: Comparative Findings

Both the districts showed a positive correlation between Academic Achievement and Creativity level of

students. No gender difference was seen in academic achievement in the districts. English medium and Bi-

lingual medium schools showed higher creative mean score than Vernacular medium schools. CBSE schools

had higher creative mean scores than the State Board Schools. Creative mean scores differed from school to

school.

Sl. No.

Criteria

Jorhat District

Dibrugarh District

1

Relation between Academic achievement and

Creativity score

Positive Correlation

Positive

Correlation

2

Difference between

creativity

scores of 10th

and

12th

standards

No difference

10th

standard

showed higher

creativity mean

score

3

Gender differences in Creativity scores

Girls showed higher

creative means

scores

No difference

4

Gender differences in Academic scores

No difference

No difference

5

Relation between creativity score and medium of

instruction

English medium and

Bi-lingual medium

schools showed

higher creative

mean scores.

English medium

and Bi-lingual

medium schools

showed higher

creative mean

scores.

6

Relation between creativity score and school

board

CBSE schools had

higher creative

mean score than

State Board Schools

CBSE schools had

higher creative

mean score than

State Board

Schools

.

7

Relationship between Schools and Creativity

Scores

Creative mean

scores differed

between schools.

Creative mean

scores differed

between schools.

74

5. Conclusion

There were differences in the creativity scores school wise. Schools that followed the CBSE pattern were

found to have higher levels of creativity. Vernacular medium schools trailed behind in creativity. Academic

and Creativity scores showed a positive correlation. There was no difference in academic scores among the

teenaged boys and girls of Jorhat district. But the girls had higher creative mean scores than boys.

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