A Comparative study on non-verbal creativity tasks between Lithuanian and Mexican students

This is a cross comparative study in which high school students from Latvia and Mexico developed non-verbal creative tasks from the EMUC (Multifactorial assessment of creativity, Sanchez, 2009). Four tasks from the 2 non-verbal sections of this test were completed by 167 Mexican and 199 Lithuanian students. The firs scale explored visual-spatial creativity associated with vocational choices such as architecture, graphic design, sculpture, painting, movies and such. The 17 scale, explored Ingenuity, more associated with realistic vocational choices such as engineering and practical handcraft. Each test included one task free and the 17 timed. Results suggest a lack of high creative potential and vocational choice. This may convey important guidance implications to help students chose careers paths according to their abilities, rather than interests. This was true for both Mexican and Lithe anian students. No significant differences in the procedures of administering, interpreting and using test results in either country were foun< Except from cultural topic variation and interest in the drawings and uses suggested for the ingenuity task. For example, Mexican students provided more examples and uses about living in the tropics whereas Lithuanian students used situations related to extreme winter situations. Results underline the difficulties in assessing creativity. They also point at the importance of context specific criteria to judge in each test administration, the creativity of students in an ipsative fashion. Furthermore, overall results suggest that visual- spatial tasks in this age range should focus on originality and elaboration, whereas the ingenuity task should focus on flexi bility and fluidityPsichologijos katedraSocialinių mokslų fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta