The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the factors influencing creativity in information system development (ISD). Specifically, this paper compares two groups, students and practitioners, in order to identify salient factors influencing creativity in this field.,An empirical study was conducted through two online surveys in Taiwan. The subjects were university students (n=220) and practitioners (n=187) who had ISD project experiences. Data were collected via an online survey and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling. The authors present state-of-the-art PLS path modeling, including heterotrait-monotrait, standardized root mean square residual, second-order identification, and partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA).,Both the student and practitioner results showed that the most salient factor influencing creative behavior was use of creativity technologies. In addition, cognitive style, recognition, and database programming had a significant positive effect on creative behavior for the students but not for the practitioners. The PLS-MGA results indicated that differences in creative behavior between the students and practitioners need to be considered.,There are two main limitations. The first one is its design. This study was cross-sectional and there is a likelihood of common source bias due to self-reported data. In the future, researchers can use brain-imaging tools (e.g. functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)) or eye tracking measurement to reduce self-reporting bias in creative behavior research. The second limitation is related to the sample. The subjects were university students and practitioners who had ISD project experiences; however, the heterogeneity of the investigated individuals (e.g. background, ability or experience) in university or industry may limit the power and generalizability of this study. Future studies may take same samples into consideration.,No previous study has investigated factors influencing the creativity of information system (IS) students and practitioners by using a decomposed and second-order research model. Thus, this paper, based on Amabile’s creativity theory, attempts to elucidate the factors influencing IS students’ and practitioners’ creativity.

Factors affecting creativity in information system development: Insights from a decomposition and PLS-MGA

It has been argued in the literature that it is harder for Asians than Westerners to think and act in a creative manner due to cultural influences and the discourses of creativity are always culture-specific. This study addresses this issue by using a qualitative research approach, exploring and analysing the characteristic features of creative practice and its pedagogic practices in a Chinese context. Case studies of three Chinese preschool classrooms were reported. Interviews and observations were used as data sources. Findings revealed that the Chinese teachers held similar perspectives about creativity-fostering pedagogies but the three cases demonstrated different interpretation of these pedagogies, ranging from being strongly teacher-directed to strongly child-centred. A balance between teacher-directed and child-centred was found to be more effective pedagogic practice in the Chinese classroom. Results suggested that different creative pedagogies might work for certain contexts and certain ...

Teacher-directed versus child-centred: the challenge of promoting creativity in Chinese preschool classrooms

An examination of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about creative pedagogy and their perceived implementation in teaching practices

The purpose of this study was to compare the availability of a creative environment within regular schools between the academic year 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 by measuring teachers’ perceptio...

The creative environment: teachers’ perceptions, self-efficacy, and teaching experience for fostering children’s creativity

Creativity is an important component in 21 st century learning. Students with high creativity are easy to improve their ideas and vice versa. The active learning through media is one solution for students’ low ability in improving ideas. This study was conducted to develop students’ creativity and writing skills through digital comics. This study was a quasi-experimental through a pre-test–post-test design. Participants were 56 fifth-grade students consisting of 27 students as an experimental group and 29 students as a control group. The study was conducted at two Indonesian public elementary schools in the first semester during the academic year 2019/2020. Rubric for Creativity (RCr) and Rubric for Writing Skills (RWS) were used as pre- and post-tests. The independent samples t -test and paired samples t -test were applied at the significance level of 0.05. The results showed that digital comics significantly improve the creativity and writing skills of the experimental group compared to the control group. Thus, it can be concluded that digital comics are effective in improving the creativity and writing skills of elementary school students.

Improving elementary school students’ creativity and writing skills through digital comics

This article provides research evidence that creativity can be nurtured as abilities and skills both in the general domain as well as in specific domains with methods appropriate to the holistic development of young learners. It reports upon two empirical studies on the enhancement of creativity in children and young people, and connects to teachers’ creative self-efficacy. The studies focus upon infusing creative arts in early childhood curriculum, and employing creative drama in subjects such as Chinese, English and General Studies. Playfulness is an important feature in these innovative pedagogies and teachers' use of creative drama techniques is also strengthened. The research evidence lends support to the hypothesis that arts-enriched learning elements and playfulness in the classroom environment can enhance individuals’ creative performance. The implications and limitations for implementing such playful learning and creativity in education are discussed.

C.T. Sam

Papers

Creativity in Hong Kong Classrooms: Transition from a Seriously Formal Pedagogy to Informally Playful Learning.