Teachers Are Not Always Right: Links between Teacher Ratings and Students' Creativity Scores, Self-Images and Self-Ratings in School Subjects

Abstract

The study investigated the relation between teachers' assessments and creativity tests. Earlier research has shown that teachers are not accurate judges of creativity. We sought to clarify what might bias teachers' assessments. Results from creativity tests were compared with school children's self-descriptions and teachers' ratings of creativity. Sixty-one 10-year old children (31 girls, 30 boys) took three creativity tests (e. g. Alternate Uses Test) and filled out a self-image inventory. Their teachers (N = 7) filled out a 16-item scale for each student. The results showed that high levels of students' academic achievement, cooperation ability and psychological well-being were associated with the teachers' assessments of their students' creativity but not with the creativity measures. The teacher assessments of creativity were significantly related to only one of three creativity measures. Moreover, teachers rated both traits typical of creative people and traits typical of non-creative people as closely linked to their conception of creativity. The teacher ratings of creativity were not related to the children's idea generating ability.