RESEARCH AIM:

We investigate creativity as a complex ability that encompasses both generating diverse ideas and selecting the best solutions. Our goal is to understand how creativity manifests in children and young people, what factors support it, and how it relates to other psychological traits, particularly curiosity. We work with large samples of respondents and combine questionnaire methods with practical creative tasks to capture creativity comprehensively. Ultimately, our findings contribute to the creation of reliable tools for supporting and measuring creativity adapted to the Czech context and to identify effective strategies that educators and psychologists can use to develop the creative potential of children and young people in education.

METHODOLOGY:

Our research on creativity in children and young people employs a multidimensional approach that combines various measurement methods to capture the complex nature of creativity. To assess creativity, we use adapted versions of internationally recognised instruments that we have tailored to the Czech cultural context. The measurement includes self-report questionnaires where children reflect on their own creative thinking and behaviour, as well as practical tasks requiring divergent thinking – such as generating unconventional uses for everyday objects or completing stories. An important component of the methodology involves structured observations of children during creative activities, where we evaluate the originality, flexibility, and fluency of their thinking. Additionally, we collect data from parents and teachers who assess children’s creative expressions in the natural environment of home and school. This triangulation of methods allows us to capture both subjective and objective aspects of children’s creativity and thus create a comprehensive picture of this fascinating phenomenon.

RESULTS:

We are addressing the research topic within an ongoing project: OP JAK 2025-2028: New Technologies and Transformations in Education The research on creativity in children is still in its very early stages; therefore, results are pending.

OUTPUTS (PUBLICATIONS, LINKS AND NETWORKS):
As soon as we have the first results, we will be happy to share them with you. In the meantime, you can read about our conceptual approach to creativity research in the online education magazine Perpetuum, in the article ‘From a Box to a Spaceship: How to Awaken the Natural Talent of Creativity in Children’.