Effect of instruction for creativity on learning disabled students' drawings

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Special Education
• Creativity Studies

Background:

• Learning disabled students often require specialized instructional strategies.
• Fostering creativity can be a valuable component of special education.
• The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking are a standard measure of creative ability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a creativity instructional program on the drawing abilities of learning disabled students.
• To determine if targeted creativity training enhances performance on figural aspects of creative thinking.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a pretest-posttest design with 50 5th and 6th-grade students in self-contained special education classrooms.
• Administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (figural subtests) to measure creative drawing.
• Implemented the Purdue Creative Thinking Program for 14 weeks to stimulate creativity in the experimental group.

Main Results:

• The learning disabled group receiving creativity instruction showed statistically significant improvements.
• Participants demonstrated higher scores on the figural subtests of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking post-intervention.
• Compared to a control group, the instructed group exhibited enhanced creative drawing capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The Purdue Creative Thinking Program is effective in boosting the creative drawing skills of learning disabled students.
• Specific creativity instruction can positively influence the artistic and creative output of students with learning disabilities.
• Findings support the integration of creativity-focused programs within special education settings.