Teacher implicit beliefs of creativity: Is there an arts bias?

Abstract

The field of creativity remains misunderstood by the general public and implicit beliefs, in particular an Arts Bias, continue to permeate popular culture. This has the potential to derail efforts to embed creativity in the 21st century classroom, at a time when it is most needed. We therefore ask if teachers endorse such an Arts Bias in creativity. The present study found a lower than expected tendency towards an Arts Bias among teachers from more than seven countries. However, differences by discipline and level of self-rated creativity suggest specific pathways for enhancing efforts to embed creativity in the classroom.