Creativity in science: A dilemma for informal and formal education

Abstract

Inquiry learning pedagogies have not only been proposed as a successful teaching methodology to draw students into science, they are also rich with possibilities for creativity. The particular focus on investigations and problem-solving provides opportunity for educators to embrace this. The primary curriculum explicitly values creativity in this regard, linking with inquiry, and problem-solving. In recent years, science outreach carried out by universities in the Republic of Ireland has played a significant role in the formal classroom as a support to primary science (KS1). This article explores the perceptions of these two educators in the primary classroom, teachers (N = 31), and science outreach practitioners (N = 30), with respect to their theoretical stance on the construct of creativity and secondly their application of creativity in practice. The interview method used engaged research participants in a dialectical analysis of conceptual and pedagogical dilemmas. This unique, primarily qualitative methodology, provides evidence to differentiate perspectives of these two groups. Results indicate that participants generate new understandings by engaging in dialectical reflection and critical analysis of the two binaries. They also reveal that although outreach practitioners and teachers align in their perception of the theoretical model, that outreach practitioners are more favourable towards promoting a more creative environment for science in practice.