identifying the creative abilities of eighth-grade students in industrial arts classes. of native abilities

61 Pages·2012·1.39 MB·English

RF cl'MF
DOCOMFR'T
VT 005 147
ED 022 023
By- Moss, Jerome, Jr.
2.
MEASURING CREATIVE ABILITIES IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL INDUSTRIAL ARTS. MONOGRAPH
American Council on Industrial Arts Teacher Education, Washington, D.C.
Pub Date 66
Note- 60p.
Sixteenth St., N. W.
Available from- American Industrial Arts Association, National Education Association, 1201
Washington, D. C. 20036 ($1.75).
EDRS Price MF-$0.50 HC-$2.48
RESEARCK
Descriptors- ABILITY, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, CREATIVE ABILITY, *CREATIVITY, CREATIVITY
CHARACTERISTICS, TEST
*GRADE 8, GRADES (SCHOLASTIC), *INDUSTRIAL ARTS, INTELLIGENCE, STUDENT
VALIDITY
Identifiers-*Minnesota Tests for Creative Thinking
validity of the
The principal purpose of this study was to estimate the concurrent
Form VII" for
pencil and paper "Minnesota Tests for Creative Thinking, Abbreviated
classes.
identifying the creative abilities of eighth-grade students in industrial arts
abilities and (1)
Concomitant purposes were to investigate the relationships of creative
the
intelligence, and (2) school achievement. A definition of relative creative abilities in
industrial arts and guidelines for their measurement were developed and submitted to
psychologists and industrial arts teachers to determine their
a sample of educational
acceptability. A procedure was selected for applying this to secure criterion measures
trained to rate a
of native abilities. Three pairs of industrial arts teachers were
Creative Thinking,
sample of 95 eighth-grade students. The "Minnesota Tests of
tests,
five
Abbreviated Form VII" were administered. Verbal and non-verbal
10
standardized achievement tests, and eight sets of teachers' grades were
analyzed,
Minnesota tests
along with peer ratings. The abilities presented and measured by the
for the creative output, but the test measures components
are inadequate to account
test. The fairly high relationship between
the typical intelligence
not measured in
thinking
substantive creativity and ICI appears to indicate that some of the convergent
abilities influence the production of unusual and useful ideas. (EM)

I
Im
I I I I 1M
I I I NM
ing
I
9
1
MEASURING CREATIVE ABILITIES IN JUNIOR
HIGH SCHOOL INDUSTRIAL ARTS
,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE
POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS
PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.
STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION
POSITION OR POLICY.
by
JEROME MOSS, JR.
DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA cl
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON INDUSTRIAL ARTS TEACHER EDUCATION
A DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL ARTS
ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
1966
PREFACE
monographs being published
This is the second issue in a series of
These
Arts Teacher Education.
by the American Council on Industrial
contributions and are
distributed as significant
are produced and
fixed
Publications Committee. A
submitted to and considered by the
several
avoided, thereby permitting
schedule of publications has been
depending upon availability of
publications during one year or no issues
worthy contributions.
manuscripts are the ACIATE
Among the primary sources of
facing industrial arts teacher
Committees who are working on problems
extensive for presentation as a
education. When their findings are too
teacher educators, they
journal article or are of specific interest only to
the materials for a monograph.
may logically constitute
solicit
their
discretion,
The Publications Committee may, at
representatives from related
manuscripts from ACIATE members or
objective will be to identify
disciplines. The Committee's primary
will advance the
information, which when published and distribuited,
fulfill the other goals of
frontiers of industrial arts and serve to
ACIATE.
the Graduate
Monograph 2 is the product of the Chairman of
the University of
Studies Committee, Dr. Jerome Moss, Jr. from
in creativity in
Minnesota. Researchers who have been interested
industrial arts immediately face two major problems.
that elusive
First, what is an acceptable definition of creativity,
arts activity?
characteristic assumed to be developed through industrial
will identify
Second, what instruments now available to the researcher
Monograph 2 provides the
these qualities of creativity in students?
attempt to provide
report of a study conducted by Professor Moss in an
questions. Specifically, he has investigated the
answers to these two basic
Creative Thinking for
concurrent validity of the Minnesota Tests of
high school boys in
identifying the unusual and useful behavior of junior
classroom-laboratory.
an industrial arts
Chairman of the
Dr. Ethan Svendsen, Indiana State University,
leadership to this Com-
Publications Committee has given outstanding
of the
mittee's work during his term in office. Credit for the success
of the Committee,
Monograph series must be shared with the members
University, Dr. Daniel House-
Dr. Edward Hinckley of Brigham Young
MacDonald of San Jose
holder of Purdue University, Professor Angus
University.
State College and Professor Zeke A. Prust of Arizona State
should
Questions concerning the publication of future monographs
Committee Chairman. Since
be directed to Dr. Householder, the new
significant materials are
these publications will be printed only when
Council members who
identified by the Committee, may I encourage all
to get them to the chairman for early
possess potential materials
consideration.
HOWARD F. NELSON
President, ACIATE
ii
47=1.ms,-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
grants (1963-64 and 1964-65)
This study has been supported by two
Minnesota. The funds enabled
from the Graduate School, University of
the contributions of his
the investigator to repay, in a small measure,
Bortz,
David Bjorkquist, Richard
three co-workers at the University,
and Diana Rushing.
the
teachers used in the study from
Special thanks are due to the six
unstintingly of their time
Roseville School District, Minnesota, who gave
Beal,
acknowledged as colleagues : Daniel
and energy; they too must be
Penning,
Harold Pa Delford, Robert
Bruce Bernin, Raymond Lundell,
and Fred Rusch.
Commit-
to the AIAA Research
Finally, the investigator is grateful
project, to Dr.
given in the early stages of the
tee for the encouragement
the time
Chairman, for freely granting
Howard F. Nelson, Department
for his moral
study, and to Dr. E. Paul Torrance
necessary to pursue the
support and counsel.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ii
PREFACE
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIST OF TABLES
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION
Statement of the problem
1
2
Background of the problem
4
Objectives of the study
IL TWO OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF
CREATIVITY
Measuring creativity in the industrial arts
5
Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking, Abbreviated
Form V//
13
IIL DATA COLLECTION
16
Selecting teacher-raters and the sample
19
Training teacher-raters and collecting criterion measures
Administering Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking,
Abbreviated Form V// and other creativity rating
22
scales
Obtaining socio-economic, aptitude, and achievement
24
measures
W. FINDINGS
27
Criterion measures
Relationships among criterion, test, and other meas-
ures of creative abilities
31
Relationships between IQ and various measures of
36
creative abilities
Relationships between school achievement and vari-
abilities
ous measures of creative
38
V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
46
Summary
47
Conclusions
49
Recommendations
51
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
iv
(
i
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
1. Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking, Abbreviated Form
14
VII
Teacher-raters and course content used with each of the
2
-three group in the original sample
17
Original sample and eliminations
19
Estimated reliability of each teacher's ratings of student
21
products described in the Anecdotal Records
Estimated stability of teachers' ratings of student products
22
5.
Scorer reliability on MTCT, Abbr. Form VII
23
6.
7. Estimated reliability of average post-facto teacher ratings
24
Reliability of mean peer ratings per class section
25
8.
9. Frequency distribution of unusualness and usefulness
27
ratings of observed student products
10. Numbers of products rated in each group of students by
28
content categories and per student
11. A comparison of the three groups of students on selected
abilities
29
measures that might be related to creative
12. Estimated construct validity of total creativity criterion
by
scores and the effect of deriving total creativity scores
30
multiplication versus addition
31
Correlation coefficients among the four criterion measures .
13.
.
and
14. Correlation coefficients between criterion measures
32
post-facto teacher and peer ratings of creativity
VII
15. Means and standard deviations of MTCT, Abbr. Form
33
measures
Correlation coefficients between MTCT, Abbr. Form VII
16.
post-facto teacher
measures and criterion measures and
34
ratings
Multiple correlation coefficients (R) between each cri-
17.
terion measure and two combinations of MTCT, Abbr.
35
Form VII measures
18. Ordinary and normal equations predicting figural creativ-
ity from two combinations of MTCT, Abbr. Form VII
37
measures
non-verbal IQ
38
19. Means and standard deviations of verbal and
Correlation coefficients between verbal and non-verbal IQ
20.
39
and various measures of creative abilities
of the
21. Means, standard deviations, and some percentiles
40
means of school achievement measures
Correlation coefficients between verbal and non-verbal IQ
22.
41
and various measures of school achievement
Correlation coefficients between standardized achievement
23.
42
tests and various measures of creative abilities
vari-
Correlation coefficients between teachers' grades and
24.
44
creative abilities
ous measures of
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
yet each
There are a multitude of definitions for "creativity",
clever in
implies the eventual production of something new, original, or
desirability of nurturing
response to a perceived problem. Thus, the
the growth, in
creativity in all youth becomes increasingly evident with
technical problems.
number and complexity, of our social, economic, and
development of
Most industrial arts educators recognize that the
school should it
creativity would be an important responsibility of the
that the tools, materials, and problem-
prove possible. They believe
environment might
solving opportunities inherent in a laboratory
creativity. But the
provide an excellent setting in which to enhance
of improving creative
research necessary to determine the feasibility
conceptual confusion
abilities is dependent upon clarification of the
satisfactory instruments
surrounding the term and the development of
prerequisites are satisfied,
to measure the desired outcomes. Until these
indetermi-
"teaching for creativity" will remain a catch phrase for an
nate educational objective.
creativity,
Assuming agreement can be reached on a definition of
especially among
suitable criterion measures are difficult to obtain,
typically yield
school age youth. For example, post-facto teacher's ratings
contamination
crude measures, they are subject to considerable bias and
require extended
unless preceded by very careful training, and they
acquired. Conse-
observation periods before reliable measures can be
widespread use. Per-
quently, the difficulties involved preclude their
situations. They
formance tests are also impractical to utilize in most
of time to sample limited amounts of behavior,
consume large portions
Therefore, as in the case of
and they are difficult to score objectively.
researchers in creativity have devoted their major
intelligence (IQ)
,
These have the
efforts to the development of pencil and paper tests.
of adminis-
potential for securing reliable measures with relative ease
large populations.
tration and scoring, and they may be standardized on
hampered by a lack
Unfortunately, their present usefulness is severely
validity. As Thorndike
of convincing evidence about their concurrent
puts it :
instruments to aspects of
The extension of our appraisal
exciting, promising
divergent and productive thinking is an
In the meantime, we will be well
field for investigation .
.
.
the term
advised to use with a great deal of tentativeness
"creative"
"creativity" as applied to any or all of the tests, or
selected on the basis of them (37) .
as applied to children
1
The principal purpose of this study was to estimate the concurrent
validity of the pencil and paper Minnesota Tests of Creative Thinking,
Abbreviated Form VII, for identifying the creative abilities of eighth
grade students in industrial arts classes. Concomitant purposes were to
investigate the relationships between creative abilities and (a) intelli-
school achievement of eighth grade industrial arts
gence, and (b)
students.
BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM
Most current paper and pencil tests of creativity derive their
theoretical base, either directly or with some variation , from the factor
analytic studies of Guilford and his associates (13,14,46). Guilford
hypothesized that creative behavior is dependent upon five principal
primary abilities. "Creativity represents patterns of primary abilities,
patterns which can vary with different spheres of creative activity. Each
in a
is a variable along which individuals differ
primary ability
The primary abilities are purported to be : (a)
continuous manner" (13)
.
sensitivity to problems, (b) fluency of ideas (associational and ideation-
(d) originality
al), (c) flexibility of ideas (adaptive and spontaneous) ,
(uncommon ideas, clever responses, remote associations), and (e)
redefinition. Further, in his analysis of the structure of the human
intellect, Guilford (15) claimed that many of these primary abilities are
involved in the intellectual operation of "divergent" thinking. He
therefore stated that, in our search for creative talent, "we must look
well beyond the boundaries of IQ", which typically requires
stable,
predictable responses based largely upon the operation of "convergent"
thinking. Consequently, makers of creativity tests are wont to indicate
the construct validity of their instruments by comparing creativity
positive but low correlation is
scores with intelligence test scores ; a
expected in the general population. Also, since learning itself is a
reorganization of behav a- that should involve the production of novelty
content, test makers are hopeful that
as well as remembrance of
achieve-
creativity scores will be positively related to indices of school
ment.
Thinking
The several pencil and paper Minnesota Tests of Creative
of
(MTCT), developed by E. P. Torrance, purport to measure many
non-specialized
Guilford's primary abilities with complex tasks, using
techniques
content simplified for use at all educational levels. The MTCT
for administration and scoring are probably more practical and reliable
than other available creativity tests, and they yield results which appear
pencil
to be as consistent with the Guilford theory as the results of other
is a
and paper instruments. That is, at high levels of intelligence there
correlation
great diversity of creativity test scores (7,9,12,21,34,40) ;
coefficients tend to be small and often insignificant. As intelligence
decreases, however, so does the scatter for creativity (1,24,29). Thus,
while high intelligence is not necessarily associated with high creativi-
intelligence
ty, the probability of finding high creativity decreases as
decreases. Creativity test scores do have a small, positive correlation with
intelligence is
school achievement in "typical" groups (1) and when
controlled (48), but in groups having both high intelligence and high
2