A descriptive study of creativity among eighty-four academically grouped fifth grade students

Includes bibliographical references.The purpose of this study is the addition of further research material to the body of knowledge about creativity. It deals with the following questions: does a correlation exist between creativity and cognition among the students tested; is there a difference in the group level of creativity among these eighty-four fifth grade students who are academically grouped into levels of high, medium, and low classes; do the personality factors suggested by Porter and Cattell correlate with the creative youngsters; is there a correlation between spatial ability, perception, and creativity? Three testing procedures were used: the Science Research Associates' Primary Mental Abilities Test was used to gain four factors, I. Q., Spatial Relationships, Reasoning, and Perception. The Children's Personality Questionnaire, published by the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, produced seven personality factors for use in a formula to yield a Creativity Index. As a test for divergent thinking or creativity, two tests from the Minnesota Tests of Creativity by E. Paul Torrance were used, the Circles Test and Uses Test. The results of the tests indicated that a significant correlation exists between cognition and creativity; there is a higher level of creativity in the middle group of the three academically grouped fifth grades tested; the Creativity Index did not correlate significantly to any of the divergent thinking factors of this study. Spatial relationships only correlated to two creative factors, elaboration and the Creativity Index; while reasoning was found to correlate with flexibility of Uses, the total Uses score, and the Creativity Index. The most significant correlation to creativity or divergent thinking in this study was perceptual speed which correlated to practically all divergent thinking factors.M.A. (Master of Arts