The role of implicit theories in predicting creativity fostering teacher behavior: Gender as moderator

Alexander Zibenberg*, Rimaa Da'as

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Classroom creativity represents a significant educational goal. Reaching this goal requires teachers to maintain an open attitude to creative ideas or behaviors, emphasize flexibility in behavior, and value critical intellectual and independent thinking. Since teachers play a crucial role in developing student creativity, we focused on predictors of teachers' willingness to foster creativity in a classroom. Drawing on implicit leadership and implicit followership theories, we examined how perceptions of ideal (effective) principals and ideal students predict teachers’ tendency to endorse creative behaviors in their classrooms, that is, creativity fostering teacher behavior (CFTB), and whether teacher gender moderates the relationship between implicit leadership theories (ILTs), implicit followership theories (IFTs), and CFTB. Four hundred sixty-one Israeli Arab teachers from 43 public schools completed an online questionnaire. Regression analysis showed their implicit beliefs predicted behaviors to foster student creativity. More specifically, teachers' perceptions of students and principals in terms of ideal prototypes were positively correlated with CFTB, and their perceptions of principals’ and students' anti-prototypes were negatively correlated. Further, the relationships between principal and student prototype perceptions and CFTB were stronger for female teachers. We discuss the findings’ implications for theory and practice.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101024
JournalThinking Skills and Creativity
Volume44
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

Keywords

  • Creativity
  • Creativity fostering teacher behavior
  • Implicit followership theories
  • Implicit leadership theories

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