Creative teenage students: What are they telling us about their experiences in (and around) our high schools?

Abstract

This article highlights various approaches for accommodating and promoting creativity in high school students. Although in the past studies have addressed fostering creativity in our educational systems, few have sought the informative voice of the young creators themselves. The focus of the present study is primarily on environmental determinants of creativity as perceived by 13 (7 male, 6 female) creative seniors selected from a Canadian metropolitan high school. A qualitative study guided by an interactionist model of creative behavior (Woodman & Schoenfeldt, 1989), the present research design adheres most closely to the social constructionist interpretation and application of the grounded theory method as outlined by Charmaz (1990). Insights from 13 interviews and several field observations are divided into three sections. First, identified creative individuals are presented. Then emergent themes relevant to educational systems are examined, and finally, implications and suggestions are discussed.