Original scientific paper

Promoting creativity in the textbooks of lower elementary education

Snježana Dubovicki ; Učiteljski fakultet Sveučilišta Josipa Jurja Strossmayera, Osijek

Abstract

Th is study examines the promotion of creativity in the textbooks of lower elementary education. It has included textbooks for the Croatian language, mathematics and science which are used today and have been approved by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. Th ey were compared with textbooks that were used in the 1980s. In order to determine whether creativity is promoted in these textbooks and to evaluate whether it is given an important role in the textbooks of lower elementary education, we have explored the textbook tasks that stimulate and/or do not stimulate creativity. We have also analyzed the differences between the 1980s textbooks and those used today. Th e last part of the study explores whether there is a diff erence in the number of creative issues with respect to the subject. The study has focused on 13 out of 55 textbooks that have been approved by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, on 12 textbooks that were used in the 1980s and on 12,163 tasks contained in the textbooks. Out of the total number of examined tasks, 10,730 of the tasks (or 88.22%) are those that do not promote creativity, while the number of those that promote creativity is 1,433 (or 11.78%). The results suggest that there is a diff erence in the quantity of tasks that promote creativity with regard to the subject and that creativity is equally promoted in the textbooks of the Croatian language (16.96%) and science (16.93%), while the percentage of tasks that promote creativity in mathematics is the lowest (1.69%). The study has also noted that there were fewer tasks that promote creativity in the textbooks used in the 1980s (480 of them, or 8.15%), than there are such tasks in the textbooks used today (953 tasks, or 15.17%). It has further noted that creativity is not suffi ciently promoted in the textbooks of lower elementary education and that they need to be thoroughly remodelled during the methodical-didactical design process.

Keywords

creativity; lower elementary school textbooks; curriculum; creativity-promoting tasks; tasks that do not promote creativity

Hrčak ID:

113457

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/113457

Publication date:

20.11.2012.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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