Creativity in the late middle childhood : development and gender differences

Abstract

Many studies have been performed on creativity and the measurement of creativity. However, little is known about the relationship between gender differences and creativity, particularly in South Africa. The current study aimed to investigate the difference in creativity between boys and girls, as well as the development of creativity in late middle childhood, in the South African context. From the random sample of 1000 primary school children in late middle childhood (grade 4 to 7) of different races and socio-economic strata and from different provinces in South Africa, the questionnaires of 707 children could be used. By using a single cross-sectional design, creativity was measured with sub-scales of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. The results indicated low average scores of creativity in South African children. No statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between boys and girls. Furthermore, no statistically significant differences in creativity scores were found between the 9-year-old and the 10- to 12-year-old groups, except for verbal fluency, where the 10- tol2-year-old children scored higher than the 9-year-old children. Since the creativity scores were generally lower than the norms for the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, it is clear that the development of creativity in particular groups of South African children may be sub-optimal and this phenomenon needs further investigation.