Capturing Creativity TCT-DP Test for Creative Thinking

Capturing Creativity : TCT-DP Test for Creative Thinking / Drawing Development Klaus Urban (Hannover University, Germany) Hans Jellen (University of California) Andrea Kárpáti Fulbright Research Scholar at NIU, School of Arts ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary karpatian@t-online. hu

The Creative Person: Motivation and attitudes Creatrix Inventory(C & RT) (Byrd, 1986) 8 styles: Reproducer Modifier Challenger Practicalizer Innovator Synthesizer Dreamer Planner Creativity tests measure specific cognitive processes such as thinking divergently, making associations, constructing and combing broad categories, or working on many ideas simultaneously.

Creativity is the result of the relation between § the person that is marked as creative, § the evaluator who provides that judgment § the social context in which evaluation happens. (Westmeyer, 1998)

Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test (STAT) Creative skills performance tasks Written and oral stories Stories are rated on 5 points scales for: • Originality • Complexity • Emotional evocativeness • Descriptiveness (Sternberg, 2006)

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) (Torrance, 1966~1999) ”Thinking Creativity with Words” Six verbal activities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Asking Guessing Causes, Guessing Consequences, Product Improvement, Unusual Uses, Unusual Questions , Just Suppose. • Scores on three dimensions: Fluency, Flexibility and Originality.

Creative Product Semantic Scale (Besemer and O’Quin, 1987): Novelty original, surprising : and germinal Resolution: valuable, logical, useful, and understandable Elaboration and Synthesis : organic, elegant, complex, and well- crafted)

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) (Ellis Paul Torrance, 1966 -1999) • Drawing task: ”Thinking Creativity with Pictures” • Three figural activities: – Picture Construction – Picture Completion, – Lines/Circles. • Scores on five mental characteristics: – Fluency – Originality – Elaboration – Abstractness of Titles – Resistance to Premature Closure.

Test for Creative Thinking-Drawing Production (TCT-DP - Urban-Jellen, 1993) An incomplete drawing containing 5 elements in a large square frame: Test sheet A 1. semi-circle, 2. right angle, 3. point, 4. curved line, 5. dashed line), 6. small open square (located outside the square frame) Test sheet B

Test sheet „A” Test sheet „B” Same elements, rotated with 180 degrees

Test sheet „A”

Test sheet „A” solutions

Test sheet „B”

Test sheet „B” solutions

Evaluation criteria n Continuation, (Cn) n Completion, (Cm) n New Elements, (Ne) n Connections made with Lines, (Cl) n Connections that Contribute to a Theme, (Cth) n Boundary-breaking being Fragment-dependent, (Bfd) n Boundary-breaking being Fragment–independent, (Bfi) n Perspective, (Pe)

„A” test sheet Continuation

„A” test sheet Completion

„A” test sheet Completion (with text)

„A” test sheet New elements

„A” test sheet Connections made by lines

„A” test sheet Connections made by theme

„A” test sheet „B” test sheet „A” test sheet

„A” test sheet Boundary-breaking, Fragment independent

Perspective „A” test sheet

„B” test sheet Perspective

Unusual scoring criteria n n Humor or Affectivity /Emotionality/ Expressive Power of the drawing, Hu) Unconventionality, (Uc) in the use of tools or paper Sebesség (Speed, Sp) is only assessed if drawing is near or above average

A” test sheet Humorous or emotional qualities

„A” test sheet Humorous or emotional qualities

A” test sheet Humorous or emotional qualities

A” test sheet Unconventional solution

„A” test sheet Unconventional solution

Conventional solution

„A” test sheet Conventional solution

Solutions in different drawing styles „B” test sheet „A” test sheet

Solutions in different drawing styles

Coloured solutions

I drew a bear standing on two legs and playing with a ball. He throws the ball over a very low tree, low as he himself. But that tree in fact is not small, but he is very big, the biggest bear alive. Lonely, without company, he goes to take his ball that he made in order to be big enough for him. The bear, a dangerous animal, and in addition to that if he is the biggest in the world, cannot make friends as some other kinds of animals. He remains alone with his ball. TCT-DP and narrative about image Tanja, aged 14

Example No. 1: LIVING ROOM (Jana, girl, aged 13) In my grandma’s house, on the ground floor, there is a room that I will always remember. In that room, playing, I spent the first years of my childhood, and that is why I have nice memories about it. I made my first steps in it, spoke my first words and learned to recognise colours and shapes. In my favourite corner, there was a big blue armchair where my granny often sat and told me bedtime stories, swinging me gently in her lap. I would also usually fall asleep there together with my granny, and woke up again the next day in her warm embrace. In front of it there was a shelf with the picture of me, my mom and dad and a big lamp. I had always loved that lamp. While I was young, my dream was to grow tall enough and reach for that lamp. Next to it, there was a big picture of a girl praying for something. I kept asking granny who was in the picture, but she just smiled mysteriously. Beneath it was a small table where there were always fresh flowers picked in our garden. Today when I enter the room, only the most beautiful memories stir inside of me. I slowly walk on the black-and-white tiles and come closer to the lamp on the shelf. I remember my childhood dream and light it with a smile.

Results of Hungarian sample– Test Sheet „A” (Kárpáti, A. and Gyebnár, V. , 1993 -95) Results (means), Test sheet „A” Age N (total sample) = 1037

A magyar vizsgálati minta eredményei – B / lap (Kárpáti A. és Gyebnár V. , 1993 -95) Results (means), Test sheet „B” Age N (total sample) = 803

Simultaneous verbal and graphic use of TCT-DP Study: Qualitative Analysis Of Creative Products Of Primary School Pupils by Slavica Ševkušić* & Slavica Maksić, Institute for Educational Research, Belgrade, Serbia Pupils wrote a storyabout the drawing as their solution of TCT-DP Connections revealed between the tale, indicator of verbal creativity, and scores obtained on TCT-DP, indicator of graphic creativity.

Qualitative story analysis § could be valid method of measuring creativity and that it can be used as a way to improve the quantitative measures of creative products of pupils. § contributes to the more complete description of a creative product than quantitative measures, because it shows the variety and richness of the components involved in a creative product.

Method: Narrative analysis is scientific procedure of studying language structures based on the assumption that objects of reality are grounded in language, its structures and grammar as well as the ways of its usage. Evaluation: searching for creative format of the story, meanings and components that were built in it, which could point out to the creative expression of pupils.

Criteria are applied most often: • who are the characters • whether the text has the beginning, the middle and the end • whether it is oriented towards the past • whether it has a linear sequence • whether it has a plot • whether it makes sense to the person telling it • variations that can raise the tension in the story (Denzin, 1989).

Evaluation of the stories (N=151) The creativity of stories was evaluated independently by 2 qualified evaluators (a psychologist and a pedagogue). 1. Using global-synthetic approach (based on the first impression), 20% of stories was singled out (1 st evaluator), that is, 30% (2 nd evaluator). 2. Through discussion and clarification of meanings, evaluators singled out 14 most creative stories, which comprises nearly 10% of evaluated stories.

Structure of results 1) Characteristics of linear and non-linear format of the story; 2) Creative components of stories in both formats; 3) The link between evaluation of story creativity and scores obtained on TCT-DP.

Linear format of the story • • • linear timeline regular, expected sequence of events participants are most often people events are oriented towards the past good composition (part-whole ratio; introduction, elaboration and conclusion) • type: once upon a time. . .

Creative components of linear format – detailed, rich descriptions – elegant sentences, stylistic figures of speech – creating atmosphere, emotional experiences – responding to the “topic” – successfully guided narration – taking a moral stand (what good is, what happiness is. . . )

Example No. 1: LIVING ROOM (Jana, girl, aged 13) In my grandma’s house, on the ground floor, there is a room that I will always remember. In that room, playing, I spent the first years of my childhood, and that is why I have nice memories about it. I made my first steps in it, spoke my first words and learned to recognise colours and shapes. In my favourite corner, there was a big blue armchair where my granny often sat and told me bedtime stories, swinging me gently in her lap. I would also usually fall asleep there together with my granny, and woke up again the next day in her warm embrace. In front of it there was a shelf with the picture of me, my mom and dad and a big lamp. I had always loved that lamp. While I was young, my dream was to grow tall enough and reach for that lamp. Next to it, there was a big picture of a girl praying for something. I kept asking granny who was in the picture, but she just smiled mysteriously. Beneath it was a small table where there were always fresh flowers picked in our garden. Today when I enter the room, only the most beautiful memories stir inside of me. I slowly walk on the black-and-white tiles and come closer to the lamp on the shelf. I remember my childhood dream and light it with a smile.

Non-linear format of the story • sequence, meanings and logic of events are irregular, unpredictable or unclear • events are placed in the future • sudden, dramatic turns, unexpected resolution • there is a tension between text elements (for example, between the title and the story) • participants are often imaginary creatures or animals • participants have non-stereotypical thoughts, feelings and behaviour

Creative components of non-linear format - existence of unreal - connecting the non-connectable - unusual, non-stereotypical solutions - atypical word meaning, neologisms - multi-perspectiveness - humour - taking a critical attitude (what is not good, what could be better)

I drew a bear standing on two legs and playing with a ball. He throws the ball over a very low tree, low as he himself. But that tree in fact is not small, but he is very big, the biggest bear alive. Lonely, without company, he goes to take his ball that he made in order to be big enough for him. The bear, a dangerous animal, and in addition to that if he is the biggest in the world, cannot make friends as some other kinds of animals. He remains alone with his ball. TCT-DP and narrative about image Tanja, aged 14

The link between evaluation of story creativity & scores obtained on TCT-DP Analysis of variance factor – the group chosen according to the evaluation of the story by 2 evaluators; dependent variable – total score on TCT. There is a significant statistical difference between the groups by Mean on TCT-DP.

Table 2: M and S. D. on TCT-DP score for creative and non-creative story writers Groups N Mean Non-creative Creative Total 137 14 151 25. 9051 35. 7143 26. 8146 F=9. 98 Df=1, 149 Mse=122. 53 Std. Deviation 10. 96108 12. 14292 11. 39556 P=0. 002

Results of qualitative analysis indicate that… • essential characteristics of creativity are recognised in larger measure in non-linear format and its components, while the influence of school curriculum as the context in which creativity is encouraged is perceived in the linear. • significance of broader conception of creativity which is defined as the novel and personally meaningful interpretation of experiences, actions, and events (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2007).

Conclusions • It is difficult to explain why something was evaluated as “creative”, and something else as “non-creative”. • It is difficult for different evaluators to have the same relation towards the actual product if they are guided by the defined criteria, because the characteristics of an actual product never exactly match the previously planned categories. • It is more useful for evaluation of a creative product to clarify the subjective meanings of independent evaluators and to reach an agreement on these meanings for an actual product, than the previously developed criteria for evaluation of creativity.

Some implications for school syllabus • The need for introducing creative writing as a special subject in, with the aim of nurturing pupils’ creativity. • Pupils to get introduced with different narrative formats and components of creative writing (the linear narrative format is encouraged in a larger degree in school).