Norwegian arts and crafts teachers’ conceptions of creativity

Abstract

This study investigates Norwegian art and crafts teachers’ conceptions of creativity through the responses to a questionnaire from 791 teachers in compulsory education. The curriculum in Norway for compulsory education emphasizes the development of creativity in the art and crafts field more than in the other core subjects. However, the curriculum does not offer a clear definition of creativity or how creativity-related goals should be reached. According to prior research, teachers express different ideas about what creativity involves, and their conceptual understanding can affect their teaching practices. Results indicate that teachers hold beliefs that are in misalignment with recent literature, and a better conceptual understanding could support them in emphasizing creativity in the classroom. This applies especially to individual creative capacity, assessment, and the role played by domain knowledge in education.