Primary education and divergent thinking abilities. Four years on.

Abstract

Summary. An earlier study had shown that ‘informal’ progressive teaching in the primary school promoted divergent thinking abilities (DTA) more than a formal subject‐centred approach. The present research investigated the hypothesis that the effects of such differing approaches would still be measurable four years later, irrespective of the type of secondary school attended. 151 of the original sample of 211 children were traced and retested when they were about 15. The children from the informal schools still performed significantly better on DTA tests.Subsidiary hypotheses which received some support were: that relative standing on tests of DTA would remain relatively constant; that DTA, in common with other mental abilities, increases over the age range 11–15; that there is a relationship between socio‐economic status (SES) and DTA. The hypothesis that level of DTA and course or career choices were related was not confirmed.