Relationships Among Private Speech and Creativity in Head Start and Low—Socioeconomic Status Preschool Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore Vygotsky's notion of private speech as a cognitive self-regulatory process and how it related to creativity measures among at-risk children. Thirty-two Head Start and state-funded Pre-K children completed the Torrance creativity test Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM). The children's private speech was collected in an open play context and while children completed structured logical— mathematical activities. Results revealed that both originality and fluency creativity were related to self-direction private speech and grand total private speech. Findings support that cognitive self-regulating private speech may be related to creative thinking and that private speech may offer a method for assessing early creative thinking in children from various cultural and economic backgrounds.