Original scientific paper

Word knowledge as predictive of linguistic creative behaviors

Željko Rački orcid.org/0000-0001-8478-4698 ; Faculty of Education, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Lidija Bakota ; Faculty of Education, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
Željka Flegar ; Faculty of Education, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the predictive validity of word knowledge as one of the hypothesized domain-relevant components for linguistic creativity. The study included 99 students of university teacher studies in their fourth and fifth (final) year of study, aged 22 to 24, from one city in the Republic of Croatia. The instruments used in this study included a word knowledge test (VerT) and a questionnaire on general creativity self-assessments, as well as specific, behaviorally operationalized linguistic creativity focusing on productivity (Linguistic Creativity Scale, LCS-15; α = .84), and other reading and writing related measures. The results showed that the broad factors of self-assessed Artistic and Everyday Creativity combined with the corresponding tested verbal domain specific
knowledge of the infrequent words descriptive of social statuses and processes, significantly predicted the behaviorally operationalized linguistic creativity score (LCS-15). This suggests that not only what one generally believed of oneself and one’s creativity, but also what one objectively and specifically knew, significantly predicted the linguistic creative productivity. This study adds to the currently lacking knowledge on the role of domain-relevant processes, such as domain-specific verbal knowledge, in linguistic creative work.

Keywords

creativity; linguistic creativity; creative writing; creative-productive giftedness

Hrčak ID:

162044

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/162044

Publication date:

7.12.2015.

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