Creativity Extent, Perceptions, Correlations and Differences among Secondary School Physics Students in Nairobi Province, Kenya

Abstract

Scientific creativity is envisaged to prepare learners for active roles in technological innovation; and physics, as a key subject in technology, is considered as one of the critical domains to focus attention. In recent times, however, education systems across the world have been criticized for neglect of creativity; and cities in particular are thought to be among the most affected areas, owing to their technology-rich environment that is believed to stifle creativity. The purpose of this study was to assess creativity of Kenyan secondary school physics students in the city of Nairobi, which covers Nairobi Province. Its objectives were to: establish the extent of creativity among secondary school physics students; establish students' and teachers' perceptions of creativity; determine correlations between creativity and selected factors; and determine the differences in creative thinking ability between student subgroups. The study was founded on the Cognition-Divergent-Thinking theoretical model which regards creativity as a multidimensional construct that requires knowledge and ability to generate new expressions and multiple solutions to a given problem. It employed a hybrid of correlation and survey designs and targeted a population of 3,442 (1,752 Form 3 and 1,690 Form 4; 1,669 girls and 1,773 boys) secondary school physics students and 54 physics teachers in Nairobi Province. The sample comprised 1,147 (584 Form 3 and 563 Form 4) physics students, with a gender composition of 568 girls and 579 boys, and 18 physics teachers drawn from 18 schools. Stratified sampling was used to select schools as sampling units, while random sampling technique was applied to obtain students' and teachers' samples. Data were collected using Questionnaire for Physics Students (QPS), which included Test of Divergent Thinking (TDT), and Questionnaire for Physics Teachers (QPT), both of which were constructed by the researcher and validated by three experts in psychometric measures from Maseno University. These instruments were piloted on 345 physics students and 6 teachers drawn from six (6) schools within the same study population; and the data obtained revealed internal consistency reliabilities of Cronbach's alpha .837 and .846 for QPS and QPT respectively. Students' scores on TDT were recorded to represent the extent of creative thinking, while data pertaining. to students' and teachers' perceptions were transcribed and displayed on frequency charts. Coded biodata and corresponding scores and ratings from each participant were fed as data set into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17.0, from which Pearson's correlation (r) between measures as well as differences in mean scores between student subgroups (r-test) were computed. The significance of correlations and differences was tested at p = 0.05 and p = 0.01 levels of significance. Results indicate that students perceive creativity as an important skill and have confidence in their own creative potential but are unable to generate creative solutions to a problem. Significant correlations were observed between overall divergent thinking scores and: creative attitude, critical thinking, and interaction with science materials; while correlation with project work was inconsistent. Based on these findings, the study recommends classroom practices that enhance critical thinking; use of supplementary print and audiovisual scientific materials to inspire creativity; and instituting intra-school science fora to accord learners the opportunity to share ideas, showcase their creative potential and promote creative attitude in physics. In addition, future studies should aim at determining causative relationships to establish factors that have a sensitive control over creativity.