Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices
This study investigates English teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices regarding the teaching of creative thinking (CT) and explores the factors that hinder these practices. A mixed methods approach is adopted, drawing data from 63 middle school English teachers in China through questionnaires, s...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251315235 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832575849854926848 |
|---|---|
| author | Yin Sun Zehang Chen Li Li |
| author_facet | Yin Sun Zehang Chen Li Li |
| author_sort | Yin Sun |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates English teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices regarding the teaching of creative thinking (CT) and explores the factors that hinder these practices. A mixed methods approach is adopted, drawing data from 63 middle school English teachers in China through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observation. The participants, with teaching experience ranging from three to 40 years, are recruited voluntarily from a teacher training program. Results indicate that the teachers overall assign importance to CT cultivation and creative pedagogy, and take steps to foster CT in English lessons. However, the participants are found to have an insufficient and biased understanding of CT and creative students. Additionally, instructional practices that hinder students’ CT development are also observed. This may be attributed to the teachers’ inadequate knowledge of CT and its cultivation, separated and conflicting beliefs about teaching English and CT, and a lack of support from the teaching community. This paper offers insights for English teachers, teacher educators, educational policymakers, and researchers interested in integrating CT cultivation into English education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4013ba31f846406c80c1574bc542ffc9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-4013ba31f846406c80c1574bc542ffc92025-01-31T17:04:13ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402025-01-011510.1177/21582440251315235Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and PracticesYin Sun0Zehang Chen1Li Li2 Beijing Normal University, China Beijing Normal University, China University of Exeter, UKThis study investigates English teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices regarding the teaching of creative thinking (CT) and explores the factors that hinder these practices. A mixed methods approach is adopted, drawing data from 63 middle school English teachers in China through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observation. The participants, with teaching experience ranging from three to 40 years, are recruited voluntarily from a teacher training program. Results indicate that the teachers overall assign importance to CT cultivation and creative pedagogy, and take steps to foster CT in English lessons. However, the participants are found to have an insufficient and biased understanding of CT and creative students. Additionally, instructional practices that hinder students’ CT development are also observed. This may be attributed to the teachers’ inadequate knowledge of CT and its cultivation, separated and conflicting beliefs about teaching English and CT, and a lack of support from the teaching community. This paper offers insights for English teachers, teacher educators, educational policymakers, and researchers interested in integrating CT cultivation into English education.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251315235 |
| spellingShingle | Yin Sun Zehang Chen Li Li Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices SAGE Open |
| title | Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices |
| title_full | Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices |
| title_fullStr | Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices |
| title_short | Teaching Creative Thinking in the ELT Context: Beliefs and Practices |
| title_sort | teaching creative thinking in the elt context beliefs and practices |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251315235 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yinsun teachingcreativethinkingintheeltcontextbeliefsandpractices AT zehangchen teachingcreativethinkingintheeltcontextbeliefsandpractices AT lili teachingcreativethinkingintheeltcontextbeliefsandpractices |