“Creativity is highly valued in both education and the workforce” — this truism opens BIC’s 2024 Creativity in Education Research Report.

Compiled by 44 researchers and 72 contributors across 22 countries, the report underscores the importance of nurturing creativity in education.

The BIC 2024 Creativity in Education Research Report, as well as studies in the industry including OECD, highlight that creativity enhances academic performance and equips students with the necessary skills to advance in the academic and later professional world. Contributors to BIC’s report identify psycho-social factors that impact the role of creativity in education.

In his paper, ‘Psycho-Social Factors and Creativity of Undergraduates in South-West Nigeria’, Felix-Kingsley Obialo identifies psycho-social factors including knowledge, attitude towards creativity, risk-taking, parental influence, age, and course of study as crucial. Similarly, Sergio Agnoli, in his paper on children’s creative potential states the environment (willingness of educators to foster independent thinking and open-mindedness plus the ability to incorporate imaginative approaches to teaching and learning) education takes place in is another factor crucial to creativity.

According to UNICEF’s 2020 report on ‘Addressing the Learning Crisis’, tackling learning environment challenges including large class sizes, lack of resources, and inadequate infrastructure requires focus and collaboration between the private and public sectors. Addressing these issues improves the quality of the learning environment and consequently the learning experience.

Published in the National Library of Medicine, a research paper on the elements of a positive learning environment affirms that improving education spaces impacts students’ academic and later professional performance. Citing the works of several authors, including Tharani A, Husain Y, Warwick I, Vermeulen L, Schmidt HG, Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, and Harper W, the paper highlights emotional well-being, job competency, retention, reduced stress, and burnout as benefits of a quality learning environment.

To support this, a research paper published by Humanities and Social Sciences Reviews on ‘‘Relationship Between Learning Environment and Performance Of Students at University Level’ found that the performance of students increases strongly as the learning environment improves. The paper also affirms that teachers and instructors have a responsibility to create a healthy learning environment for students, to enhance learning and reduce behavioral difficulties. The recognition of this responsibility on educators has given rise to several innovative initiatives across Africa aimed at promoting creative learning approaches, improving access to quality education, fostering teacher training, and catalyzing curriculum development. The Canvas of Change program by BIC launched in West and Central Africa last year, touched on that creating masterclasses that aim to equip educators with the necessary skillset and methodology to nurture innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills amongst students.

More so, a paper by Okello Immaculate of Kampala International University, on the Impact of Learning Environment on Academic Performance confirms that the extent to which students’ learning could be enhanced depends on their location, the structure of their classroom, and the availability of instructional facilities and accessories (all constituting the learning environment). Ultimately, the paper maintained that a school with an adequate learning environment will facilitate good academic performance, by encouraging effective teaching and learning.

In addition to empowering educators, the President of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, Professor Woldehanna, in a lecture at the Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) and Real Conference in 2021, emphasized the need for capacity building of African researchers through training and mentorship.

Robust research — as evidenced by the papers in BIC’s 2024 Creativity in Education Research Report — is crucial for the development of educational policies that strengthen the educational system of nations. Selcuk Acar’s paper on “Measuring Original Thinking in Elementary School: Development and Validation of a Computational Psychometric Approach” included in BIC’s report, for instance, provides insights into how to assess creativity.

The paper details the development and validation of an originality thinking grading system for elementary schools that overcomes the challenges of traditional creativity tests, including cost-ineffectiveness and a lack of affordability issues.

This breakthrough in academic research, according to the author, offers a reliable and affordable pathway for measuring original thinking in the “verbal domain.”

Advancements such as these aid stakeholders in developing systems, policies, and practices that foster the integration of creativity into education and yield tangible benefits for students and educators alike. The BIC Corporate Foundation (force behind BIC’s 2024 Creativity in Education Research Report) also launched a teacher’s guide last year that equips educators to incorporate creativity in the classroom. This is in line with the findings of researchers – reaffirming the importance of this avenue in developing future generations.

By Adeyemi Ojo, Business Development Lead, BIC Nigeria.