Play and Creativity: Developmental issues

Play and creativity have been linked in numerous ways. Theoretically, pretend play fosters the development of cognitive and affective processes that are important in the creative act. Russ's (1993) model of affect and creativity identified the major cognitive and affective processes involved in creativity and the relations among them, based on the research literature. Central to both play and creativity is divergent thinking. Both cognitive and affective processes in play have been related to divergent thinking in children. In a longitudinal study, quality of fantasy and imagination in play predicted divergent thinking over time. Divergent thinking itself was relatively stable over time. An important question is whether play can facilitate creativity. Play has been found to facilitate insight ability and divergent thinking. Studies have also shown that children can be taught to improve their play skills. Future research studies should: (i) investigate specific mechanisms that account for the relationship between play and creativity; (ii) develop play intervention techniques that improve play skills; and (iii) carry out longitudinal studies with large enough samples to enable the application of statistical procedures such as path analysis.     

Drawing with Children: An Experiment in Assisted Creativity

This report outlines the cognitive accomplishments of young children involved in graphic dialogue with adults. A token of collaborative drawing is examined exhibiting the degree to which adult informed tutoring enabled children in their drawing development, enhanced their motivation and ability in narration and resulted in drawings meaningful to them. The case studies examined are the result of a three‐year research project conducted by undergraduate students of Athens University Department of Early Childhood Education under the supervision of the author of this article. This game‐like pedagogical strategy is inspired by L. Vygotsky's educational philosophy and based on B. & M. Wilson's model of adult–child graphic dialogue. It is understood as a method of instructing drawing enabling children to pass from that which they can achieve alone to that which they can accomplish with adult assistance. This educational approach answers to a call for a more socially accountable art education addressing the child's need to deal with issues he encounters in his everyday life and as such is open to adult and cultural interference. A similar educational approach intends to challenge the long‐standing, non‐interventionist art educational theory also known as ‘child art’ and its contention that a prerequisite for a creative individual is expression free from social and adult influence.     

绘画活动中幼儿创造性的培养

幼儿园的绘画教育既有它自身的任务，又承载着其他素质教育促进幼儿全面和谐发展的任务。只要为幼儿创造良好的绘画条件，正确处理绘画表现和绘画技巧的关系，采取有效的形式，就能最大限度的完成绘画的双重任务，又能很好地培养幼儿的创造性。     

创造性教学在《机械制图》教学中的应用

本文依据创造性教学的基本原理,结合《机械制图》课程的特点,运用“五步”及“三化”的教学方法和手段,将教与学有机结合,把传授知识与培养能力紧密联系,对提高教学质量具有较大的实际意义。     

电脑绘画与学生创新能力培养

在经济和科技高速发展的今天,人才的创新能力比以往任何时候都显得更为重要,在教育中推行以培养创新能力为中心的素质教育,是教育工作者面临的一项历史使命。充分发挥电脑绘画的优势,改革教学模式和评价方式,是培养学生求知兴趣、自信心、探索精神、创新能力的有效途径。     

Relationship Reciprocation Modulates Resource Allocation in Adolescent Social Networks: Developmental Effects

Adolescence is characterized as a period of social reorientation toward peer relationships, entailing the emergence of sophisticated social abilities. Two studies (Study 1: N = 42, ages 13–17; Study 2: N = 81, ages 13–16) investigated age group differences in the impact of relationship reciprocation within school‐based social networks on an experimental measure of cooperation behavior. Results suggest development between mid‐ and late adolescence in the extent to which reciprocation of social ties predicted resource allocation. With increasing age group, investment decisions increasingly reflected the degree to which peers reciprocated feelings of friendship. This result may reflect social‐cognitive development, which could facilitate the ability to navigate an increasingly complex social world in adolescence and promote positive and enduring relationships into adulthood.     

青少年外显攻击与内隐攻击的发展性研究

为探究青少年攻击行为的发展情况,采用问卷法和IAT实验法对青少年的攻击行为进行研究,得出结论:外显维度上男性青少年比女性青少年更具攻击性;发展趋势上初一年级外显攻击性最高,初二年级显著下降,初三年级显著升高。内隐维度上无性别差异;发展趋势上初一年级内隐攻击性最低,初二年级最高,初三年级介于二者之间。     

青少年英语学习策略的发展轨迹

采用英语学习策略问卷对685名青少年进行问卷调查,考察英语学习策略的发展规律,为制定英语教育政策提供参考依据。结果发现,不同年龄青少年英语学习策略总分及六个因子分均存在显著差异,随年龄的增长呈"W"型轨迹发展,策略总分及六个因子的发展轨迹存在一定差异。     

Child and Adolescent Use of Mobile Phones: An Unparalleled Complex Developmental Phenomenon

This article addresses why children's use of mobile phones is an unparalleled complex developmental phenomenon in hopes of providing a broad context for this special section. It first outlines mobile phones as a sophisticated personalized and multifunction technology. Then it presents mobile phone use by children as an unparalleled complex developmental phenomenon on the basis of its four behavioral elements, two mobile cultures, and two developmental processes. It further illustrates the existing knowledge about children's mobile phones use that has been accumulated over the past 23 years and highlights 12 most studied topics, especially distracted driving and radiation exposure. It concludes with three types of scientific contributions made by the 12 articles in the special section.     

Developmental Trajectories of Acculturation in Hispanic Adolescents: Associations With Family Functioning and Adolescent Risk Behavior

This study examined longitudinal acculturation patterns, and their associations with family functioning and adolescent risk behaviors, in Hispanic immigrant families. A sample of 266 Hispanic adolescents (M_age = 13.4) and their primary parents completed measures of acculturation, family functioning, and adolescent conduct problems, substance use, and sexual behavior at five timepoints. Mixture models yielded three trajectory classes apiece for adolescent and parent acculturation. Assimilated adolescents reported the poorest family functioning, but adolescent assimilation negatively predicted adolescent cigarette smoking, sexual activity, and unprotected sex indirectly through family functioning. Follow‐up analyses indicated that discrepancies between adolescent and parent family functioning reports predicted these adolescent outcomes. Results are discussed regarding acculturation trajectories, adolescent risk behavior, and the mediating role of family functioning.     

Drawing in Perspective: Scottish Art and Design Teachers Discuss Drawing

What are the main purposes of drawing in the secondary art and design curriculum? What are Scottish art teachers' views on the role and function of drawing? How is drawing taught in Scottish schools? These three broad questions formed the basis of the research reported in this article. The small‐scale study, carried out between June 2002 and June 2004 will, the authors hope, be of interest to art educators seeking to explore the teaching of drawing as a key component of art and design education. In this article, we report on the background to the study, the place of drawing in Scottish art education, the methodology used, discuss some of the respondents' comments and conclude with some reflections and thoughts for future study.     

创新机制与创新教育

把握创新机制必须明确四个关来：创新与继承的关系；创新与遁规的关系；创新与破旧的关系；创新与求是的关系。进行知识创新必须具备四大因素：创新的知识结构；创新的思维方式；创新的个性特征；创新的价值取向。加强创新教育必须实现四个转变：改进知识传授，变重技能教学为重智慧教学；加强思维训练。变重结论教学为重过程教学：突出个性培养，变重共性教学为重个性教学；优化价值导向，变重理论教育为重人格教育。     

Creativity: A social approach

Early thinking in the modern era often regarded creativity as a somewhat asocial means of individual expression, self‐realization, and self‐fulfillment. However, it also is a socially influenced phenomenon that serves society. A social approach offers the opportunity of distinguishing between large and small amounts of novelty, as well as between “orthodox” and “radical” novelty. Disciplines, teachers, and students differ from one another on these dimensions. This explains some differences among teachers in the way they see creativity and creative students. The social approach also emphasizes the importance of groups, role models and mentors, and classroom climate, all of which teachers can influence. A social analysis suggests guidelines for instruction and assessment that differ from those derived from cognitive or personal approaches.     

Fostering Creativity in Young Adults: Some Findings on the Structure and Dynamics of Creativity

Following current theories of creativity, a special syllabus and teaching materials were designed for a ten month study of Business College 4th year undergraduates (n = 16). Entry and outcome creativity were measured before and after the training, using Urban and Jellen's TCT‐DP, and these scores were compared with those of a control group (n= 11). The students' IQs were measured with Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and their attitudes were measured with structured interviews. Results from the experimental group indicated an increase in creativity. Moreover, the development of individual components of creative thinking, as measured during the course of the experiment, provided an interesting insight into the structure and dynamics of creativity. Some components seem more variable and subject to extrinsic influences (e.g., emotional appraisal, viewing a problem in perspective), others appear to be more independent, while still others can be regarded as permanent cognitive strategies of creative individuals. IQ was not correlated with creativity.     

Creativity in education

Currently considerable interest is being shown in creativity by the government and bodies such as QCA and Ofsted. A ‘creativity agenda’ has emerged with important implications for teaching and learning in schools. Drawing on research literature, as well as work completed by Secondary PGCE English and Drama trainees, this paper aims to provoke discussion about how creativity in education is defined and the impact of more explicit understandings of creativity in classrooms.