Disembodied creativity: The role of action research in moderating educator expectations of marketing and public relations students

Abstract

This paper explores the experience of a communications educator who instigated an action research project in a third year marketing and public relations cohort, to investigate levels of engagement with higher order critical thinking and behaviours associated with creativity. A qualitative methodology was used to 1) identify the key attributes, skills and behaviours of creativity in learning and working environments; 2) invite students to critically reflect upon and assess their own creative abilities; and 3) analyse the implications of the questionnaire data for students, teaching practice and curriculum design. The action research project exposed divergent views of creativity between the students and the educator and this perception gap offers insight into McCorkle et al’s (2007) conclusion that students’ individual creative abilities are inadequately developed for the workplace.