Attitude of Teachers Working in Gifted Schools and Ordinary Schools towards Creative Thinking

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to identify the attitude of teachers working in gifted and ordinary schools, towards creative thinking in Tafila governorate, and the differences between attitudes pertaining creative thinking according to variables of experience, gender, specialization and type of school. Study Design: This study used the analytical descriptive design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Tafila Governorate Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; in the first semester of the academic year 2012/2013. Study Sample: The study Sample consisted of (58) male and female teachers of ordinary schools, and (60) male and female teachers from gifted schools in Tafila governorate. Methodology: The study sample included 118 male and female teachers, for the first semester of the academic year 2012/2013. It was divided into two groups; one group was selected purposively of teachers working in King Abdullah II School for Excellence and the Pioneer Center for gifted students, and it consisted of (60) male and female teachers, and the other group has been selected randomly from ordinary schools, it consisted of (58) male and female teachers. In order to collect data about the attitudes towards creative thinking, the researcher used in the study a questionnaire prepared by the researcher himself to identify the attitudes towards creative thinking. Results: Attitude of teachers in gifted schools towards creativity were moderate and their mean was (2.77) and the standard deviation was (0.73), Attitudes of teachers in ordinary Original Research Article British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 4(7): 922-941, 2014 923 schools towards creativity were moderate and their mean was (2.62) and with standard deviation (0.67). Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in gender at the level (p ≤ 0.05) between the attitudes of gifted school's teachers and teachers working in ordinary schools towards creative thinking. However, the result also showed that there were statistically significant differences at the level (p ≤ 0.05) between the attitudes of the two different schools teachers due to the variable of experience (more than 5 years). Conclusion: The attitudes of teachers in both, gifted and high achievers schools and ordinary schools towards creative thinking were moderate.