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Kirton (1976) described two creative styles, namely adaptors and innovators. Adaptors prefer to “do things better ” whilst, innovators prefer to “do things differently ”. This study explored the relationship between two creative styles (adaptor and innovator) and the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience) and how they subscribe to creativity, risks and goal orientations. A total of 206 Polytechnic students from Singapore completed a self-report questionnaire, which consisted of the Kirton Adaptation-Innovation Inventory (Kirton, 1976), NEO-Five Factor Inventory (Saucier, 1994), Learning Goal Scale (Ng, 2003), What Kind of Person Are You Self-Report Inventory (Khatena & Torrance, 1976), Gough’s Creative Adjective Checklist, Risk Scenario, and Risk Taking Attitude Scale developed by Ng. It was found that adaptors were significantly more conscientious and subscribe to risk avoidance, ego approach and ego avoidance orientations than innovators, whilst, innovators were significantly more extraverted and open to experience and are likely to subscribe to creativity, risk taking and mastery goal orientations than adaptors. No significant differences were found between adaptors and innovators in agreeableness. The implications for the findings for the classroom teacher will also be discussed.

Many studies reveal that adaptors are more ready to accept the status quo, whereas innovators are less likely to do so. This raises the question: Do adaptors and innovators subscribe to opposing values? A study is conducted with the following hypotheses. H1 predicts that adaptors are more likely to subscribe to CONSERVATION values like security, conformity, and tradition. H2 predicts that innovators are more likely to subscribe to OPENNESS TO CHANGE values like self-direction and stimulation. The respondents consisted of 243 students from Singapore with an average age of 17.9 years and 195 students from Australia with an average age of 19.1 years. These respondents answered a survey that contained the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) inventory and the Schwartz value survey. For the Singapore sample, KAI was negatively correlated with CONSERVATION: r = –.39, p < .0001; but it was positively correlated with OPENNESS TO CHANGE: r = .14, p < .05. For the Australian sample, KAI was negatively correlated with C...

To shed light on the paradox of promoting creativity in the Asian classroom, the authors conducted 3 studies. The 1st study found that novice teachers classified student behaviors as desirable but uncreative (DBU) versus creative but undesirable (CBU). The 2nd study found that conservative-autocratic teachers were more likely to encourage DBU behaviors in class, whereas liberal-democratic teachers were more likely to encourage CBU behaviors in class. The 3rd study found that cultural individualism-collectivism had a positive impact on liberal-democratic teaching attitude but a negative impact on conservative-autocratic teaching attitude. In turn, liberal-democratic teaching attitude had a positive impact on the tendency to promote CBU behaviors, whereas conservative-autocratic teaching attitude had a positive impact on the tendency to promote DBU behaviors.

This article presents a provocative perspective on creativity with two controversial assertions. First, it challenges the conventional view of the creator as an innovative person, by promoting the notion of the dogmatic creator. Second, it argues that “nice” people are not creative, and creative people are not “nice.” An integrative review of the empirical literature on culture, creativity, and conflict ensues. In the process, four sets of hypotheses are developed which are embedded in two theoretical models of behavior. In Theoretical Model A, it is postulated that cultural individualism-collectivism has a positive causal impact on independent self-construal (Hypothesis 1A). In turn, independent self-construal is posited to have a positive causal impact on positive perception of conflict (Hypothesis 2A), confrontational conflict style (Hypothesis 3A), and creative behavior (Hypothesis 4A). In Theoretical Model B, it is postulated that cultural individualism-collectivism has a negative causal impact on interdependent self-construal (Hypothesis 1B). In turn, interdependent self-construal was postulated to have a positive causal impact on negative perception of conflict (Hypothesis 2B), non-confrontational conflict style (Hypothesis 3B), and conforming behavior (Hypothesis 4B). One-hundred-eighty-six university students in Singapore and 158 students in Australia responded to a survey, which consisted of various scales tapping the constructs in these two theoretical models of behavior. SEM analyses using LISREL 8.0 provided empirical support for both models of behavior. Based on these findings, several points are raised. First, creativity should not be perceived in a naive manner. Second, there is an urgent need to assist parents, teachers, and employers to deal with creative individuals. Finally, since creativity is a cultural phenomenon, the cultural context must be made amenable for this type of behavior.

This study aims to bridge this oversight buy studying the important factor of teacher personality and creative style preferences. The study predicts that individual differences in creative style are substantially linked to general traits of personality. Master of Arts (Applied Psychology)

Creativity in education is an area of concern for the Singapore Education System. This study examines the importance of goal orientations, learning approaches and their influence on creativity. The study predicts that task orientation in learning leads to a deep learning approach which leads to creativity. It is also predicted that self-enhancing ego orientation leads to an achieving learning approach which positively affects creativity. 199 secondary 3 Singapore students completed a self-report questionaire . Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the relationships between the 3 constructs. The study findings show that task orientation leads to deep learning which leads to creativity (Theoretical Model 1). The study also shows that self-enhancing ego orientation leads to achieving learning which leads to creativity (Theoretical Model 2). Good fit was evidenced between the empirical data and the 2 theoretical models. Findings of the study highlights the importance of intrinsic motivation, independent learning and a focus on strategies over outcomes. It is recommended that educators emphasise the above via discovery learning and project/teamwork. The study also highlights the importance of achieving learning approach in creativity, particularly for self-enhancing ego oriented individuals. Despite the results supporting the hypotheses proposed, a number of refinements are recommended, in particular, that direct assessments of creativity be established instead of relying on the creative personality as an indication of creativity. Master of Arts (Applied Psychology)