Facilitating Increased Creativity for Adults : How Teacher and Student Relationships Can Improve Creativity in the Clasroom

This study examined changes in creativity among undergraduate students. The focus was on the interactions between the students and their teacher within the context of the coursework material. The student-teacher relationship was designed within the framework of a college classroom environment. Each student was asked to produce an individual creative prduct at the beginning of the course and again at the end of the course. Additionally, the students were placed in groups of six members to work on team creativity projects. Analysis of variance showed a significant increase in creativity from pretest to posttest measures. Additionally, the qualitative portion of the analysis suggested that attitudes and abilities changed during the semester as a direct result of the classroom atmosphere as well as the personal relationships of students and the teacher.