Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
PERCEIVED AND BEHAVIORAL LEVELS OF CREATIVITY FOR UNIVERSITY WOMEN
Abstract
This experimental research examined the perceived level of creativity for university women, i.e., their attitude toward their own level of creativity, as measured by Something About Myself, a self-report inventory. A second part of the investigation focused on the creative production, of the same 140 university freshmen and senior women, relative to their creative production as measured by their performance on six criterion task activities. The statistical tools utilized in this study were Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r), the analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the analysis of covariance (ANOCOV). Analysis of covariance failed to lend support to the experimenter's hypothesis that senior women would have a higher perception level than freshmen women on posttest scores of the creative perception inventory (SAM). Analysis of variance was employed to assess the difference between the various means of the six factors pertaining to creative performance. The ANOVA for the six separate behavioral factors revealed support for the research hypothesis relative to the two factors of initiative and individuality. Seniors were more productive or responsible for new products or procedures and they were also judged to possess a higher level of constructive criticism. Analysis of the other four factors of creative performance revealed no significant differences between freshmen and seniors, so the research hypothesis relative to seniors having a higher level of creative performance or product than freshmen was not supported. An ANOVA was utilized to calculate the comparison of the control and the experimental groups posttest scores. The research hypothesis was not supported relative to the experimental group on the posttest of the SAM inventory. The research hypothesis relative to freshmen exhibiting a greater degree of increase in creative perception was not supported based upon data from ANOVA with repeated measures. Preliminary analysis revealed that both freshmen and seniors did show significant increases, although these increases were almost identical. The ANOVA with repeated measures did, however, reveal support for the research hypothesis relative to posttest scores being higher than pretest scores for all university women. It is the opinion of this researcher that there still may be support for the methodology suggested by the well known authorities in the field of creativity. Future studies of a similar nature might make an attempt to provide more of the same type of activities based upon these same strategies for stimulating creativity. Validity and reliability figures support the inventory being utilized for the purpose of assessing the perceived level of creativity. It appears that this research endeavor may have substantiated earlier findings that social pressures have been unfavorable to the development of creativity. Perhaps these university women do indeed, need more, prolonged training activities to make a significant change in their behavioral performance or attitude toward their own level of creativity. If imagination and judgment are to be fueled, then certain blocks to creativity need to be eliminated. Students should be encouraged to take risks and to build on, and learn from, possible errors. Results provide support for the development of creativity. Our educational plans for creativity cannot survive neglect; we must be prepared to explore beyond present comprehension, to seek alternatives that may create high levels of discomfort, and to possibly be prepared to change our values, standards, or behavior. These positive gains will come about, only if we make a concerted effort to stimulate and encourage training for creativity at all levels.
Subject Area
Special education
Recommended Citation
DANIELS, ROBERTA REED, "PERCEIVED AND BEHAVIORAL LEVELS OF CREATIVITY FOR UNIVERSITY WOMEN" (1980). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8100762.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8100762