University Students' Evaluation of Their Own Level of Creativity and Their Teachers' and Colleagues' Level of Creativity

Abstract

This study investigated university students' evaluation of their own level of creativity, their teachers' level and their colleagues' level of creativity, as well as the relationship between results in creative thinking measures and in the evaluation of their own level of creativity by the university students. Four hundred and twenty eight Brazilian university students were asked to rate their level of creativity, their university teachers' and colleagues' level of creativity in a seven point scale, after completing the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Verbal form A). Students judged themselves and their colleagues as significantly more creative than their teachers. It was also found that most students evaluated their teachers as presenting low levels of creativity. Moreover, significant relationships were observed between different measures of creative thinking and the level of their own creativity as evaluated by the students. The results suggest that university teachers are ill-equipped in designing a facilitative environment for creativity. They also give support for the concurrent validity of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.