The Creative Potential and Self-Reported Learning Disabilities of Polish University Students Who Major in Special Education

Piotr Alfred Gindrich,Zdzislaw Kazanowski

doi:10.1177/2158244016689128

Abstract

The basic purpose of this research was to explore certain dimensions of creative potential in university students who assessed their scholastic skills using self-ratings of the symptoms of learning disabilities. The learning disabled (LD; n = 47) group revealed lower levels of self-reported scholastic skills, whereas the non–learning disabled (NLD; n = 52) group showed higher levels. Both female and male undergraduate students of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University (MCSU), who majored in special education, participated in the study. The creative potentials of the LD and NLD groups of MCSU students were compared. The creative potential was investigated in two ways. First, the subjects were asked to think of as many uses as they could for a paperclip and a pencil (Alternative Uses Task by Guilford). Second, they were asked to complete a Creative Behavior Questionnaire (KANH) by Popek. Furthermore, the subjects were asked to complete a Rating Scale for Intensity of LD Symptoms. Thus, they were requested to self-report the intensity of their LD symptoms. It was found that nonconformity and heuristic behavior were the factors that differentiated the university students with self-reported LD from their peers in the NLD group. In general, taking into consideration the scores that were obtained in the KANH, the LD group obtained a lower level of creative potential, compared with the NLD group. The effects of gender, self-reported LD, and instrument selection on our research outcomes are also discussed.

Highlights

Learning disabilities (LD) as well as other handicaps appear to play a pivotal role in the research on human giftedness and creativity
To attain the first goal of this research, we should claim that the university students with self-reported learning disabilities (LD) reveal lower levels of creative potential than their counterparts who are not likely to self-report LD symptoms (NLD)
Self-reported LD in the participants of this study is the key factor that contributes to the decrease in their nonconformity and heuristic behavior scores

Summary

Introduction

Learning disabilities (LD) as well as other handicaps appear to play a pivotal role in the research on human giftedness and creativity. As for the meaning of giftedness or genius in our society, many people find it difficult to understand that a child or an adult can be both gifted and learning disabled. Students with special needs that result from their high ability and from LD are often misdiagnosed or poorly served by the school system (Brody & Mills, 1997; Meisgeier, Meisgeier, & Werblo, 1978). This judgment is probably true regardless of educational level, which is under discussion (preschool; elementary, middle, high school; college; university). Creativity has always been “a common characteristic of those people who have made outstanding artistic and scientific contributions, social improvements or technological breakthroughs” (Torrance, 1984, p. 153)

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